Author Archives: Philip

Saturday, August 8, 2020

There’s still no word on whether Cusco’s request for a stricter quarantine beginning on Monday will actually be approved by the Council of Ministers. Prime Minister Martos has gone on record saying he is not in favor of stricter quarantines over economic recovery at this time.

A return to an earlier curfew along with Sunday lockdown is also being considered for Lima and Callao.

You can wait for the daily updates to be posted in the late afternoon/early evening, or your can follow me on Twitter (@ExploreCusco) to get immediate updates on breaking news during the day. I’m getting pretty good at using Twitter to share big news that occurs during each day (and a lot is happening right now) and I strongly recommend that you follow me on Twitter to get immediate updates.

You can also follow me on Instagram (@SouthAmericanTraveler) for great photos, but I use Twitter for news updates.

Peruvian Football’s Liga 1 Suspended

The president of the Council of Ministers, Walter Martos, said last night that the professional soccer Liga 1 will be suspended indefinitely, until the fulfillment of the biosecurity protocols to avoid the infections of the coronavirus (covid-19) is guaranteed.

He indicated that the government will not accept reactions such as the ones that took place today by fans of the Universitario de Deportes who gathered in the streets, in the midst of a serious health crisis due to the pandemic.

The Peruvian Institute of Sports (IPD) announced the suspension of the remaining matches of the 7th date of the championship: Saturday 8th, Sunday 9th and Monday 10th of August.

Martos said that “the championship will be suspended until the (Peruvian) Football Federation guarantees that it will go ahead complying with the health protocols, until that happens, it will be suspended definitively”.

On Canal N, he specified that the population cannot be exposed to possible contagion from the behavior of fans who do not respect sanitary restrictions.

“If the fans don’t understand that we’re in quarantine and must be respected, the championship must be suspended. The Minister of Health will talk to the IPD. This government will not allow this type of event to happen at this time of year, when contagion is on the rise,” he insisted.

The Minister of Health, Pilar Mazzetti, described as a “crime” how some Universitario fans yesterday in the run-up to the game with the Academia Deportiva Cantolao, which marked the return of Liga 1.

“What I’ve seen is a crime. It’s a crime against the families that have been there. If we could follow up on all the people who have been there, in one or two three weeks what we’re going to see in their homes. Sport is to make us healthier. Such behavior makes us sick,” she said.

Crowding of fans near the National Stadium in Lima who did not respect the biosecurity protocols (no social distancing, no masks) was observed and their behavior could cause the spread of the new coronavirus.

Government Considering Return to Stricter Measure in Lima and Callao

The president of the Council of Ministers, Walter Martos, indicated this Friday that he will evaluate imposing the restrictions again on Sundays or returning to the curfew from eight o’clock at night in Lima and Callao, in view of the increase of cases by the COVID-19.

In statements to RPP Noticias, Martos indicated that it would be very difficult to implement a quarantine focused on Lima and Callao, due to the amount of people moving between districts. However, he left open the possibility of adopting such restrictions.

“The quarantine focused on Lima to immobilize by districts is very difficult to implement (…) We are talking about that in Lima or Callao is restricted, as in other regions, on Sundays or that the curfew is from 20 hours. We have to study this based on many factors and make an appropriate decision,” he said.

Following this idea, the head of the Ministerial Cabinet indicated that Health Minister Pilar Mazzetti proposed a series of restrictions that should be analyzed by the Council of Ministers and President Martín Vizcarra. Despite this, he said that targeted quarantine should continue in the districts and provinces where the pandemic is growing.

“We are going to evaluate this because it is not only a health issue, we also have to talk about it from other factors and make a collegiate decision in the Council of Ministers with the President of the Republic and that is already announced when appropriate,” he said.

Martos also reiterated that currently the greatest number of infections of the new coronavirus occur in family meetings, because people do not take adequate prevention measures such as the use of masks.

Daily COVID Update from Minsa

The Ministry of Health reported 8,466 more cases of COVID-19 — second highest daily report since the pandemic began.

They also reported 225 deaths which is the highest daily total reported so far.

The positivity rate of testing dropped slightly to 28.6%.

There are 13,820 patients hospitalized with COVID-19, of which 1460 are in ICU with mechanical ventilation. So far 314,332 people completed their period of home isolation or have been discharged from a health facility.

COVID in Cusco

Cusco’s regional Health Directorate has changed their reporting format. If they continue to do this every day it will be welcome for providing more, if not all, necessary data.

They reported 828 new cases of COVID-19 and 29 deaths while the positivity rate rose to 24.5%.

They also reported provincial and district level case reports which really isn’t very useful unless you compare it to previous reports. (The previous report of this detail was made 15 days ago on July 24.)

Below I’ve compared some data between the two reports over the 15-day period between them.

Here’s a breakdown of how many new cases there have been in each of Cusco’s provinces and the percentage increase in the last 15 days:

Acomayo – 14 new cases (47%)
Anta – 146 new cases (92%)
Calca – 73 new cases (74%)
Canas – 36 new cases (240%)
Canchis – 128 new cases (101%)
Chumbivilcas – 41 new cases (45%)
Cusco – 5,131 new cases (118%)
Espinar – 100 new cases (86%)
La Convencion – 684 cases (51%)
Paruro – 33 new cases (143%)
Paucartambo – 28 new cases (104%)
Quispicanchis – 155 new cases (72%)
Urubamba – 90 new cases (78%)

Here’s a breakdown of how many new cases there have been in each of Cusco province’s districts and the percentage increase in the last 15 days:

Ccorca – 0 new cases (0%)
Cusco – 1444 new cases (126%)
Poroy – 24 new cases (96%)
San Jeronimo – 493 new cases (108%)
San Sebastian – 884 new cases (106%)
Santiago – 1185 new cases (132%)
Saylla – 39 new cases (160%)
Wanchaq – 1062 new cases (107%)

Cajamarca Hospitals Collapsing

RPP Noticias reports that the one hundred beds at the Simon Bolivar Hospital, the only hospital in Cajamarca to treat patients with COVID-19, are full, said the president of the Social Security Management Committee in this region, Edward Guillen Sheen.

He explained that the 20 beds in the COVID-19 emergency area of the Mario Urteaga Hospital and the Intensive Care Unit of the Regional Hospital have also reached their capacity, which has generated a crisis in the region’s health sector.

“There is no longer any place to put mechanical ventilators to assist serious patients in COVID-19 at the Simón Bolívar Hospital, nor in the COVID-19 emergency area at the Mario Urteaga Hospital where we have 20 beds. It is sad to see this reality,” the official said.

Sheen also said that the hospital called Villa EsSalud, located in the new market of Cajamarca, has 120 beds but only 80 oxygen bottles to treat non-severe patients.

For his part, the representative of EsSalud’s manager, Hans Huayta, who is in quarantine for testing positive for COVID-19, reported that they are at the top of the list of patients with a lethality of between 11 and 16 people daily.

“There is so much demand for patients and a minimal supply of services, but it is also true that there are many people who are using their own oxygen balloons in their homes. There are people who are dying in their own homes and we don’t have data, that’s worrying because it would raise our mortality and infection rates in Cajamarca, that’s the job of the Regional Government,” he said.

Edward Guillén said that in the next few days the 1,500 personal protection kits for health workers will run out.
Edward Guillén said that in the next few days the 1,500 pieces of personal protective equipment for health workers will run out.

Edward Guillén reported that the province of Cajamarca alone has 350,000 inhabitants and the Simón Bolívar Hospital has 17 mechanical ventilators, while the Regional Hospital has nine. In other words, there are only 26 of these machines in the region, which are insufficient to treat serious patients.

The official warned that in the next few days the 1,500 personal protection teams for doctors and nurses will run out, and that there is also concern about the number of health workers infected with the new coronavirus.

“Nearly 30 to 40 percent of EsSalud’s staff is infected and we have another 30 percent of people who are not working because they are vulnerable, so we are asking civilians and companies to join us according to the demands we have in the hospitals,” he said.

Peru Making Plans to Purchase COVID Vaccine

By September, the government will be clear on which laboratory it will buy the COVID-19 vaccine from, how many will be purchased, from whom it will be delivered first, and how much money will be spent on them according to the President of the Council of Ministers, Walter Martos, to RPP Noticias.

“An advance of between 10 and 15 million dollars has to be given to ensure the sale of vaccines to the country. And approximately the amount to be acquired will reach 45 million and 400 million dollars. (…) We are on that path of (buying the vaccine from) Oxford, and other alternatives are also being looked at,” he said on the Nothing is Said program.

He added that the delivery schedule and payment schedule for the COVID-19 vaccine will be available in September. This work is being done by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in conjunction with a commission that has been appointed with the private company that also supports this purchase.

Regarding the increase in infections of the new coronavirus, Martos revealed that the Minister of Health, Pilar Mazzetti, has suggested the possibility of carrying out a quarantine focused on Lima and some provinces of the country. However, he said several factors must be studied, because “it is impossible to control who leaves the districts.

Misc News Highlights

• More than 50 people, including adults and minors, were detained by police in Puerto Maldonado (Madre de Dios), where they were participating in a Quinciñera party.

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Please feel free to leave a comment below. I love to hear what people think! If you like this, you can share this page with the links below or even subscribe so that you’ll be notified when I post again. (I don’t sell anything here or get any commission from any place I recommend, so you don’t have to worry about that.)

Tuesday, August 4, 2020

Early this morning, Peru’s Congress voted against giving the current administration a vote of confidence — something that has not happened in 20 years according to President Vizcarra.

The vote is being widely denounced across the country as being political and creating unnecessary instability during a national crisis.

As of the time of posting today’s update, there have been no ministerial resignations so far, though only the Prime Minister is required by law to resign.

Things were only a little quieter today. It was quite a bit less frantic outside the hospitals and clinics and the Plaza de Armas area was extremely quiet.

The San Blas area neighborhood seemed particularly calm and relatively empty of activity as I passed through.

You can wait for the daily updates to be posted in the late afternoon/early evening, or your can follow me on Twitter (@ExploreCusco) to get immediate updates on breaking news during the day. I use Twitter to share big news that occurs during each day (and a lot is happening right now) and I strongly recommend that you follow me on Twitter to get immediate updates.

You can also follow me on Instagram (@SouthAmericanTraveler) for great photos, but I use Twitter for news updates.

Congress: No Vote of Confidence in the Administration

After a marathon 20-hour session, at 6:15 am this morning Peru’s Congress refused to give the current cabinet of Prime Minister Pedro Cateriano a vote of confidence by a vote of 54-37 with 34 abstentions.

According to President Vizcarra, this is the first time this has happened in 20 years.

FREPAP (13), Podemos Perú (11) and Frente Amplio (7) parties voted as a block against the vote of confidence in Cateriano, while Somos Perú (11) and the Partido Morado (9) voted together in favor. All 22 members of the Alliance for Progress (APP) abstained.

In the other parties, votes were divided, as in Acción Popular, which had four votes in favor, seven against and 12 abstentions. Fuerza Popular also had a mixed vote, with 12 congressmen in favor and two against.

Unión por el Perú (UPP) registered one vote in favor and 12 against, while the two non-associated congressmen voted against granting Cateriano a vote of confidence.

The Internal Regulations of Congress stipulate that if the Cabinet is denied a vote of confidence, it must immediately resign before the President who will have to accept its resignation and form a new ministerial team within 72 hours.

“If the Plenary denies its confidence to the Council of Ministers, the President of the Republic will accept the resignation of the President of the Council of Ministers and the other ministers, which must be done immediately“, reads Article 82.

Note that the only one who is required to resign is the Prime Minister so it is not clear who will actually resign. The new premier will propose to the President who he would like on his/her new council.

The Constitution requires that the new must request a vote of confidence from Congress within 30 days of the new cabinet taking office.

The Constitution of Peru also gives an account of this scenario, adding that, if Congress denies the confidence of two different Councils of Ministers, “the President of the Republic is empowered to dissolve Congress”, after which he would have to call elections for a new legislature.

However, Article 134 of the Constitution stipulates that Congress cannot be dissolved in the last year of its term which is the current situation.

“Once the Congress is dissolved, the Permanent Commission remains in office, which cannot be dissolved. There are no other forms of revocation of the parliamentary mandate. Under a state of siege, the Congress cannot be dissolved”, refers to the aforementioned article.

Cateriano had only served 18 days in his current position.

Francisco Sagasti, spokesman for the Purple Party, regretted that in Pedro Cateriano’s presentation he did not address issues such as science and the fight against violence against women.

“Two glaring absences: the subject of science technology and innovation (…) and the second point is violence against women which has increased during the pandemic,” he said.

“In the 45 pages of his speech he did not mention the word gender once. We women have been subsumed in a minimal part about criminality,” said Rocio Silva Santisteban, a congresswoman from the Frente Amplio.

Likewise, the spokeswoman of the Frepap party, María Céspedes, rebuked the president of the Council of Ministers for saying that Peru was a “blessed country for treasuring a large quantity of valuable minerals”.

“I would like you to ask those in the province who are in trouble today, like Espinar, if mining is a blessing. I know they would answer that mining is not a blessing, but that mining is a curse, and do you know why? Because where once they ran crystalline and fished for trout to eat, today there is contaminated water running,” she exclaimed.

Daily COVID Update from Minsa

Last night the Ministry of Health reported 6,790 new cases of COVID-19 along with 196 deaths. This brings the national total of COVID-related deaths to over 20,000.

The positivity rate of testing remained basically unchanged at a very high 30.4%.

There are 13,798 patients that have been hospitalized with COVID-19, of which 1418 are in ICU with mechanical ventilation. So far 302,457 people completed their period of home isolation or were discharged from a health facility.

Minsa continues to not post individual regional reports as they did for months and has provided an explanation for this.

COVID in Cusco

The Regional Health Directorate reported 604 new cases of COVID-19 and 28 more deaths over the 48-hour period since the previously released report.

The total number of cases for the region topped 10,000 for the first time and the number of deaths has reached 265.

While the amount of testing over the previous 2 days remains low, the positivity rate was 18.5%.

GPC and The Tourism Industry

La Republica reports that an analysis by the Grupo Propuesta Ciudadana (GPC), highlights the serious effects of the pandemic on the tourism sector. The most affected area is the service sector. High-end businesses would have a greater opportunity to recover from the sector, unlike small businesses, 52% of which are informal.

“The impact is broad. Estimates of bankruptcies and job losses are not yet available. The crisis is expected to be irreversible. “The study we carried out also opens up a series of questions about the participation of the State and companies in order to get out of the bad moment,” says Epifanio Baca, a member of the GPC.

Due to the high rate of coronavirus infections in the country, the return of foreign visitors is expected to be delayed. Therefore, it is necessary to guarantee the opening to local and national tourism with a re-engineering of costs, these must be sufficiently competitive to start again. “Large and small companies will have to establish reasonable prices for national and local consumers, for which there must be agreements with air and railroad lines that will encourage Peruvians to travel,” said the specialist.

As for the activation of health protocols, it must be guaranteed that they are rigorously complied with and credible. “We see that in Lima business has been reopened, but they are not strict. We must ensure that transportation, restaurants and lodging services establish credible protocols.

The GPC study also focuses on the disadvantage that small and informal businesses have in accessing credit to help restart their businesses as opposed to large ones. “We know that small businesses have less financial and technical capacity to make the adjustments to their services for times of pandemic and recovery,” he concluded.

Cable Car Access Coming to Choquequirao

[NOTE: With the early morning refusal by Congress to give the current administration a vote of confidence, all proposals are now under question.]

Yesterday one of the major projects that Peru’s Prime Minister Pedro Cateriano mentioned was cable car access to the remote ruins of Choquequirao.

The proposal is for a system of cable access from the south through Apurimac (section 1) and from the north through Cusco (section 2).

Cateriano said that this was a project widely expected by the people of Cusco in order to diversify their tourism offerings and put Choquequirao at the same level as Machu Picchu and go from 10 thousand to one million visitors per year.

The estimated investment amount is $260 million. The project will be presented by Proinversion in 2021 and awarded in 2022 and will be ready for use by the end of that year.

Edy Cuellar, vice president of the Association of Tourism Agencies of Cusco (AATC) and former director of Tourism of the Chamber of Commerce of Cusco, called the project one of the best plans in the area of economy and tourism.

Cuellar says that currently it takes an average of four days to reach the archaeological site of Choquequirao, and that due to a certain degree of difficulty and even risk, only experienced tourists in trekking or adventurers decide to travel to the place.

He says that if access to the ruins is made available through a more comfortable, fast and safe route, like a cable car, many more tourists would be encouraged to hire tour packages.

“Choquequirao will allow tourists to stay one more day in Cusco and Apurimac. In the first year could visit about 300 thousand and in the medium term up to one million visitors annually. Tourists will visit Choquequirao first and then connect to Machu Picchu, and also the other way around,” he said.

Cuellar mentions that a traffic of tourists could be generated from Nazca, passing by Abancay, Choquequirao, Santa Teresa, Machu Picchu and finally Cusco, increasing the time of stay of the visitors and therefore the investment in the different destinations.

US Repatriation Flight August 14

From the US Embassy yesterday:

Repatriation Flights: All repatriation flights are intended ​only for U.S. citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents (LPRs) to return to the United States from Peru.

U.S. citizens who wish to depart Peru should purchase a ticket NOW. DO NOT WAIT TO BE CONTACTED BY THE U.S. EMBASSY.

If you are not a U.S. citizen, you may be subject to additional questioning or denied boarding by Peruvian government authorities prior to exiting the country.

Visa and ESTA holders, including those accompanying U.S. citizens, should be prepared to provide supporting documentation to Peruvian Immigration ​confirming your emergency need to depart Peru.

International borders remain closed for the near future. If you remain in Peru, please continue to follow Peruvian government health and safety guidelines and quarantine restrictions.

The following repatriation flight is scheduled at this time: Solange Reps Tu Mayorista. Private tour operator Solange Reps is planning a flight from Lima to Miami (MIA) on Friday, August 14. The flight is open to U.S. citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents (LPRs). Interested travelers should complete this form: https://solangereps.typeform.com/to/ppQuaFjt.

This is not a U.S. Embassy flight. For additional information, contact Solange Reps directly by calling or sending a WhatsApp message to +1-786-387-0000 or +51-952-396-417 or visiting their Facebook page: Solange Reps Tu Mayorista.

Misc News Highlights

• In July, the Arequipa region saw 2,547 deaths — almost 4 times their monthly average before the coronavirus pandemic, of 577. This peak in deaths per month is the highest in the country, apart from the Lima region, according to the National Computerized System of Deaths (Sinadef).
  
  
• The Crime Prevention Prosecutor’s Office of Cusco is going after people who have used and not return oxygen bottles despite formal requests. Some people have even reportedly tried to sell the bottles that were given to them. They report that 50 bottles have not been returned and are needed for people currently sick with COVID.
  
  
• The Ministry of Health sent thirteen health professionals to Amazonas. The mission of this team is to reinforce the care provided to the population, especially those living in the Amazon communities and those from the most remote areas of the region. The delegation sent is made up of three medical professionals, six nursing graduates, two obstetricians and two specialists in the field of biology.
  
  
• The Provincial Municipality of Arequipa approved the municipal ordinance for the bicycle road network. The first phase contemplates 41.6 km of route, in nine districts of the province. 127 km of bicycle lanes will be implemented, distributed by means of trunk and collector roads and two rings that will border the Historical Center and the peripheral areas. The network will extend 6 km from the center of the city. The first phase of the cycle path network will extend 41.6 kilometres and connect nine of the 15 districts located in the Arequipa metropolitan area. These are Paucarpata, Mariano Melgar, Miraflores, Cerro Colorado, Yanahuara, José Luis Bustamante y Rivero, Sachaca, Cayma and Cercado de Arequipa. The other districts will be incorporated progressively.
  
  
• The regional governor of Huancavelica, Maciste Díaz Abad, has tested positive for COVID-19. He reported this on Facebook and says he is “calm and stable.”
  
  
• More than 200 people participate in a soccer championship in Huánuco despite the health emergency. The detainees were fined for not complying with health standards. “This shows the lack of citizen collaboration to stop the advance of the virus, which has already claimed the lives of 350 Huanuqueños and 12,590 are infected,” said the regional prefect, Herly Cabrera Osorio.
  
  
• A total of 164 nurses in Lambayeque were infected with COVID-19 so far during the health emergency, reported the dean of the college of nurses in Lambayeque, Viviana Santillan. Two nurses have died from COVID-19 and more than 50% of the professionals who contracted the disease have recovered and returned to work in the various hospitals and health centres.

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Please feel free to leave a comment below. I love to hear what people think! If you like this, you can share this page with the links below or even subscribe so that you’ll be notified when I post again. (I don’t sell anything here or get any commission from any place I recommend, so you don’t have to worry about that.)

Monday, August 3, 2020

Despite being the 3rd day of the re-imposition of a mandatory quarantine, things didn’t seem a lot different in Cusco when I went out today.

I walked to the grocery store about 8:30 this morning and it did seem a little slower. By the time I walked down Av de la Culture late in the morning it had picked up considerably.

There wasn’t a large police presence and I only saw 2 officers near a bus stop appear to check the documents of 2 people were just sitting in the shade. Surprisingly, there was absolutely no military presence at all as there had been daily during the first quarantine.

All the stores in the mall were open. The only difference was that the Don Belisario restaurant appeared to be closed with Starbucks and the Food Court open for take out only.

What did seem very different was the very large number of people outside the clinics and hospitals. I walked past the Clinica San Jose and the Clinica MacSalud on Av los Incas and was struck by the crowds waiting on the sidewalks outside as well as congregating near the clinic entrances.

I walk that way all the time because it affords good shade on hot, sunny days so I’ve seen what it’s normally like during the pandemic. This was not usual.

People were extremely somber and quiet. Many were lined up waiting to get in. It seemed as if many were family members waiting to hear about relatives inside. It was a difficult walk through and a reminder than COVID is very real in Cusco now.

It’s really upsetting that the Regional Health Directorate of Cusco did not make any kind of report today. After being placed back under quarantine again because of the rapid rise in infections, you’d think they would be as transparent as possible in providing up-to-minute information to the 1.2 million people who live in the region.

You can wait for the daily updates to be posted in the late afternoon/early evening, or your can follow me on Twitter (@ExploreCusco) to get immediate updates on breaking news during the day. I use Twitter to share big news that occurs during each day (and a lot is happening right now) and I strongly recommend that you follow me on Twitter to get immediate updates.

You can also follow me on Instagram (@SouthAmericanTraveler) for great photos, but I use Twitter for news updates.

Peru Prioritizing Acquisition of COVID Vaccine

Foreign Minister Mario López Chávarri reported that Peru is negotiating with five laboratories to obtain the vaccine against COVID-19.

“We have negotiations with five laboratories and we really have preliminary agreements of confidentiality with some of them,” he said during an interview with the Sunday program Cuarto Poder.

The foreign minister estimated that “between August and September we are going to have good results in the agreements with the laboratories”. He also said that there is the possibility of offering volunteers, since the country “is an attractive country” for research centers working on a vaccine against COVID-19.

“Laboratories want to conduct these tests in countries that have a multi-ethnic capacity in their population with a significant number of COVID-19 cases and geographic diversity,” the foreign minister said.

Chávarri said the administration is developing all possible mechanisms, both bilaterally and multilaterally, to have rapid access to the COVID-19 vaccine when it becomes available.

“We are developing a scheme with friendly governments, with laboratories, international organizations and other actors that are developing these schemes,” he added.

Police Checkpoint Between Cusco and Pisac

Noticias Cusco is reporting that there is a police checkpoint in Ccorao on the way to Pisac where only those who have work passes are being allowed to continue.

As the province of Cusco is under a mandatory quarantine and the Sacred Valley is not, this is expected.

Peru’s Prime Minister Goes Before Congress

In what is a major event in Peruvian government, the Prime Minister, Pedro Cateriano, went before Congress this morning to present the administration’s policies and actions and request a vote of approval from Congress.

Cateriano discussed a very length list of actions that have already begun and those that are proposed to begin soon. He spent a great deal of time discussing the Health system, infrastructure, aid to Peruvians during thus crisis, and education.

Here is a summary of some of the things that he discussed this morning that are likely to be of interest to my readers:

• “The Council of Ministers will concentrate on five objectives: the fight against the pandemic, creating the conditions to relaunch the economy and reactivate the productive apparatus, continue to support education at all levels, continue the fight against corruption and guarantee free, neutral and democratic elections in 2021”
  
  
• One the country’s general budget for acquiring a COVID vaccine, he said “By the year 2021, it will be 20 billion. That is to say, 1.5 billion more destined as a priority to reinforce the first level of attention. It will be the largest investment in the health sector in its history.”
  
  
• To acquire a COVID vaccine when available, “A multisectoral coordination mechanism has been established that includes the academic, public and private sectors, with the encouragement of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Economy and Finance, and the Ministry of Health, whose top priority is to achieve transparent and timely procurement for the country.
  
  
• “As for the distribution of the vaccines, priority will be given to the vulnerable population and to the professionals in the first line against COVID (health personnel, Armed Forces, National Police of Peru); then to continue with the rest of the population.”
  
  
• There are currently 19,021 COVID-related deaths that have been reported, but there are another 27,253 that are under review as possibly caused by COVID. “There were people who died because of suspicion of COVID, but the test was not applied to them. Therefore, they were not considered to have died from the virus. Aware of this situation, the Ministry of Health has already begun to review the figures for those infected and killed, in order to update the official figures.”
  
  
• “Rural housing will also be improved in areas of poverty and extreme poverty. To this end, an investment of 80 million soles is planned for the remainder of this year.”
  
  
• “Through the Qali Warma programme, food will be delivered to 1 million people in vulnerable situations. Likewise, we have transferred 17 million soles with an emergency decree to almost 14 thousand soup kitchens to ensure their service.”
  
  
• “The crisis in the COVID has caused a drop of nearly 40% in private investment in the first half of this year. This is a risk factor for economic recovery in the short and medium term…This year’s objective is to boost mining investment, investment in infrastructure and diversified investment at both the large and small company levels.”
  
  
• Catierano discussed a very lengthy list of infrastructure projects that are approved including: “The long-desired investment project to improve tourist services and accessibility to Choquequirao Archaeological Park will be implemented through a cable access system from the south through Apurimac (section 1) and from the north through Cusco (section 2), which includes the improvement of pedestrian paths…By December 2020, it is expected that the project will be viable, with an estimated investment amount of US$ 260 million, which will then move on to the PPP structuring phase in charge of Proinversión. This will allow us to make the call in 2021 and award the project in 2022.”
  
  
• “The Government will support the financing of the stretch of road Mollepata-Abra Camas-Colcapampa-Santa Teresa with an approximate length of 92.1 kilometers and an estimated investment of 1.616 million soles, a program that considers the construction of a tunnel in Abra Camas of approximately 1.5 kilometers.”
  
  
• “Mining is undoubtedly the backbone of Peru’s economy. This unfortunately seems to be misunderstood by some. With almost 10% of the GDP and with a little more than 60% of our exports, it is the most important source of foreign exchange…In the current circumstances, we must take advantage of the rise in the price of copper. This trend will continue for several months.”
  
  
• “What we must fight with energy is illegal mining. This must be fought firmly…We can’t allow this kind of larceny in the environmental area through demography (…) there are mining companies that have not behaved up to the circumstances.”
  
  
• “As a result of the mining canon, the regional governments currently have more than 13 billion soles that they have not executed on a budget, despite the existing needs…To overcome this deficient administration of these economic resources, it has been agreed to issue an emergency decree that will allow an expeditious use of this money in health and drinking water.”
  
  
• “It is necessary to correctly and timely apply the regulation on prior consultation and reduce the process by at least six months, also reaffirming the State’s commitment to our indigenous peoples, so that they are recognized and heard, while promoting responsible mining investments, avoiding social conflict…Resources will be transferred to the Ministry of Culture so that, for the first time, it can carry out the identification of all the original peoples and thus culminate the updating of the Database.”
  
  
• “A supreme decree has been pre-published that improves the regulation of the master plans of the natural protected areas and regional conservation areas, in order to protect and preserve our natural protected areas and guarantee the due protection of the rights acquired in them”.
  
  
• “The closure of international borders cut off the flow of travelers to our country, and with it, the tourist and related services chain. Our domestic tourism was similarly affected…In this new stage, our commitment as Government is to bring this sector forward again through strategies that will allow it to recover the levels that were registered before the pandemic, maintaining the necessary security measures.”
  
  
• “Under the umbrella of the Peru brand, in the second part of the year 2020, a domestic tourism campaign will be launched, with the objective of promoting travel in a responsible, gradual and safe manner; expecting a campaign reach of more than 6 million potential travelers and a generation of more than 370 million soles…In order to ensure that our tourist destinations comply with the biosecurity measures required by the world, through the Tourism Quality Program, we are coordinating with national and international certification bodies, which will allow us to have a safe tourist destination seal.”
  
  
• “In Peru today only four out of ten adult Peruvians have access to the financial system and an even smaller percentage has access to credit…The creation of the DNI account will be coordinated, with the objective that 100% of adult Peruvians have an account in the financial system that is 100% digital, which uses the DNI as a virtual debit card for all Peruvians who require it.”
  
  
• “Currently, only four out of ten Peruvians have access to a pension. That is why, as the Executive, we have a proposal to reform the private and public pension system in order to contribute to public debate and social consensus…The proposal will allow all Peruvians, upon reaching retirement age, to have at least a monthly pension that will prevent them from falling into poverty…Access to the proposed system will be open to all Peruvians, formal and informal, dependent and independent, through the automatic creation of a pension account for citizens over 18 years of age, allowing them to contribute easily and flexibly, not only according to their employment situation, but also considering their capacity to save and the availability of their income.”
  
  
• “With regard to the fight against violence against women and family members, in coordination with the Ministry of Women and Vulnerable Populations, an emergency alert information system for the disappearance of children, adolescents and women victims of violence will be developed this year.”
  
  
• “The remote working period will be extended until July 31, 2021. To date, more than 220,000 ‘remote workers’ have been registered, avoiding the risk of COVID-19 contagion at workplaces.”

Daily COVID Update from Minsa (Today)

Since the Ministry of Health finally released their daily report in the afternoon instead of waiting until late at night, I get to include it in today’s update!

This afternoon Minsa reported 4,250 cases of COVID-19. While the number is low, the amount of reported tests was really low. (The positivity rate was 30.8%.)

They also reported 197 deaths — a slight decrease from yesterday.

There are 13,743 patients hospitalized with COVID-19, of which 1,410 are in ICU with mechanical ventilation. So far 294,187 people completed their period of home isolation or were discharged from a health facility.

Again, no regional data was provided.

Daily COVID Update from Minsa (Yesterday)

The Ministry of Health yesterday reported 6,667 new cases of COVID-19. This was the first time in 8 days without an increase in the number of cases.

They also reported 206 deaths — the most since June 11.

The positivity rate remained basically the same at an incredibly high 25.5%.

There are 13,743 patients hospitalized with COVID-19, of which 1,410 are in ICU with mechanical ventilation. So far 294,187 people completed their period of home isolation or were discharged from a health facility.

No regional data has been provided for several days.

Misc News Highlights

• The Ministry of Health reported that 85% of those who have died from COVID-19 were obese. Specialists from the Minsa Health Promotion team said that obesity increases the risk of death and complications in Covid-19 positive patients, alters the immune system, decreases lung function through increased resistance in the airways and difficulty in expanding the lungs.
  
  
• Approximately 15% of the total number of university students left their studies due to the crisis caused by COVID-19.
  
  
• The Regional Health Directorate (Diresa) in Ancash will send 32 rapid response teams to targeted communities in the provinces of Santa, Casma and Huarmey to deal with COVID-19 cases.

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Sunday, August 2, 2020

Yesterday’s first day of the new quarantine here was chaotic and largely unchanged from the day before, but today seems to be a lot quieter (as it should be). Sunday’s are complete lockdown days for the entire province of Cusco which basically applies to all of what most of us consider the city of Cusco. (It’s actually made up of multiple districts and municipalities.)

Tomorrow morning I’ll be back out with a trip to the mall and the grocery store to see just how much things have changed since last Friday and I’ll be commenting on Twitter should I see anything noteworthy.

As I post this update about 4:30 pm, there still are no specific guidelines about economic activities that have been released by the local and regional Cusco authorities. As always, I’ll be checking regularly during the evening and night and will update on Twitter if an important announcement should be released.

You can wait for the daily updates to be posted in the late afternoon/early evening, or your can follow me on Twitter (@ExploreCusco) to get immediate updates on breaking news during the day. I use Twitter to share big news that occurs during each day (and a lot is happening right now) and I strongly recommend that you follow me on Twitter to get immediate updates.

You can also follow me on Instagram (@SouthAmericanTraveler) for great photos, but I use Twitter for news updates.

Daily COVID Update from Minsa

The Ministry of Health reported 7,448 new cases of COVID 19 for the 8th straight day of rising cases. The number of deaths reported dropped slightly again for the second day in a row to 191. (As deaths are considered a “lagging indicator”, a sharp increase in the number of deaths should be expected in the coming 1-2 weeks.)

The positivity rate rose a point to 25.0% which is still incredibly high.

There are 13,700 patients hospitalized with COVID-19, of which 1,416 are in ICU with mechanical ventilation. So far 290,835 people completed their period of home isolation or were discharged from a health facility.

COVID in Cusco

Cusco’s Regional Health Directorate yesterday reported 192 new cases of COVID-19 and 29 more deaths in the previous 24-hour period. While the positivity rate dropped considerably from yesterday’s (58.7%) amazing number to 13.8%. The amount of tests reported (1396) still remained quite low.

Also, there is only one ICU bed available in the region right now.

La Convención Getting New Oxygen Plant

The province of La Convención has the second most COVID cases and deaths in the Cusco region so a commission of professionals from this province created a crusade for the acquisition of a plant to generate medicinal oxygen costing US$ 235,200.

Their efforts were rewarded yesterdy when a Peruvian Air Force plane from Colombia landed in Cusco bringing the medical oxygen plant they sought.

The regional governor, Jean Paul Benavente, said that the plant will help more than 100,000 cusqueños at La Convención. “Every effort has rewards. Today the population, thanks to their effort, was able to buy a medicinal oxygen plant to treat patients with coronavirus,” he said.

He also stressed that the Regional Government of Cusco will be responsible, through the Regional Health Directorate (Diresa), for the supervision, maintenance and operation of the plant.

The province of La Convencion conducted a collection in which the Association of Professionals of Quillabamba and other institutions in the province, such as the Lions Club of Cusco, to manage the purchase of a plant of medical oxygen from Colombia. The Regional Government of Cusco, collaborated with 20,0000 soles for the purchase and and about 150,00 sole for its delivery.

National Library Begins Free Digital Book Lending

The National Library of Peru (BNP) has launched its Digital Public Library, a tool for remote access to a wide variety of content.

You can access the library here: http://bibliotecadigital.bnp.gob.pe/inicio/

To access the loan of a book or audiobook, one must enter the platform, which is available in a web version or mobile application (iOS and Android), register with the DNI or foreigner’s card (Carnet de Extranjero) for residents in the country, and make the selection of the title of your preference.

Once the availability of the publication is confirmed, the loan will be made for up to 14 days.

If the user completes the reading before this period, it is requested to return it so that other people can have access.

In this way, greater access to the titles of the collection is guaranteed for everyone, since the platform works as a face-to-face library where the copies are finite and a limited number of users can access them at the same time.

The contents are broad and diverse, from ancient and contemporary classics to universal and Peruvian literature. There is also access to various areas of knowledge such as the arts, social sciences, exact sciences, children’s literature, among others.

In addition, the Public Digital Library responds to the need of people with visual disabilities or reading difficulties, since it has accessibility features for inclusive reading that allow all users to enjoy the content, offering tools so that the text can be heard.

Soon, through this platform, reading clubs will be organized for different audiences.

The Public Digital Library is complemented by the old and heritage collections that can be accessed from the BNP Digital, where there are more than 70 thousand digitized materials available to the public.

In addition, the catalogue of the Public Digital Library, which is permanently under construction, will be complemented with a batch of books exclusively from Peruvian publishers, whose selection has been made thanks to a call made by the BNP in June.

Misc News Higlights

• The Minister of Transport and Communications (MTC), Carlos Estremadoyro, reported that interprovincial land and air travel will be suspended in the regions that have returned to quarantine, due to the increase in cases of COVID-19 infections.
  
  These are the regions of Madre de Dios, Ancash, Moquegua, Tacna, Cusco, Puno, Huancavelica, Cajamarca, Amazonas and Apurimac, the same as those already in quarantine: Arequipa, Ica, Junín, Huánuco and San Martín.
  
  
• The Ministry of Health urged the population not to self-medicate with ivermectin, a medicine that should be consumed under the supervision of a medical professional, as its improper use may cause adverse effects or health risks.
  
  
• Banco de la Nacion are extending the validity of expired cards until the end of August.
  
  
• Since July 22nd when it began operations, the Sacred Heart Health Center of Trujillo, known as the COVID-19 Maternity Center, has attended to 24 successful births of pregnant women who contracted the new coronavirus without presenting any complications during their pregnancy.
  
  
• In more than four months of the state of emergency for the new coronavirus, more than 120 million soles have been registered in losses in the tourism sector caused by the health emergency in Arequipa.
  
  
• More than a thousand police recovered from COVID-19 and returned to work the region of Lambayeque. To date, twelve policemen have died from the disease in the region and one thousand are on leave for being at-risk population and 20 are hospitalized.
  
  
• Oxygen demand has increased in the last few days in the city of Tacna. RPP Noticias reports dozens of relatives of patients with COVID-19, form long lines early in the morning in a production plant of a private company to recharge their oxygen bottles.

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Please feel free to leave a comment below. I love to hear what people think! If you like this, you can share this page with the links below or even subscribe so that you’ll be notified when I post again. (I don’t sell anything here or get any commission from any place I recommend, so you don’t have to worry about that.)