Philip, Author at Explore Cusco

Peru and Cusco – COVID Crisis – Day 147

Posted on August 9, 2020 by Philip

Posted in Coronavirus, Cusco, Peru Leave a comment

Sunday, August 9, 2020

There’s still no word on the Council of Ministers agreeing to the request from the authorities in Cusco to institute a stricter 14-day quarantine period beginning tomorrow. If there should be any last minute announcement, I’ll post it immediately on Twitter.

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.

In the meantime, here’s short piece I filmed yesterday just above my home in the mountains above Cusco. I’m trying to put together a short film for a competition I entered in the spring and may use some of these clips. No matter what, its fun to get out and explore the beautiful countryside where live.

Daily COVID Update from Minsa

Last night Peru’s Ministry of Health reported 7,137 more cases of COVID-19 which is a big drop from the previous day.

They also reported 195 more deaths which is a 13% drop from the previous day’s record high.

The positivity rate declined slightly again to 28.1%.

There are 13 680 patients hospitalized by COVID-19, of which 1474 are in ICU with mechanical ventilation.

So far 319 171 people completed their period of home isolation or were discharged from a health facility.

COVID in Cusco

The Regional Health Directorate reported 892 new cases of COVID-19 and 19 more deaths.

The positivity rate dropped significantly to 20.6%. That’s still very high, but it’s the lowest in five days and breaks the increasing trend despite a large number of tests being reported.

There was not report on the availability of hospital beds which had not been sufficient for all with need.

Peru’s Ombudsman Asks for National Agenda to Fight COVID

RPP Noticias reports that Peru’s Ombudsman, Walter Gutiérrez, proposed to the Executive Branch the implementation of a three-pronged national agenda to overcome the current crisis in the country due to the new coronavirus pandemic.

Through a document addressed to the President of the Council of Ministers, Walter Martos, the head of the agency proposed to guide the general policy of the government in the management of the health crisis, the response to the social crisis and economic recovery.

Gutiérrez pointed out that, since it is in a phase of community contagion, the protection and defense response to the COVID-19 must be community-based, based on the active participation of organised civil society.

For the Ombudsman, the increase in the number of infections and deaths in recent weeks makes it essential that the State implements the proposal made by this institution a few months ago to make effective the universal, extended and free delivery of masks to the population for their self-protection.

The second area addressed in the document is related to the response to the social crisis that affects the fundamental rights of the vulnerable population and is manifested in areas such as education, food, housing and violence against children, adolescents and women.

After recalling figures reported by the Ombudsman’s Office, such as the disappearance of more than 900 women, children and adolescents during the quarantine, Walter Gutiérrez considered that the Executive should implement, as a matter of urgency, different situation rooms that would allow it to monitor the effects of the pandemic by specific sectors, with management indicators and figures updated weekly. In this way, the State complies with its obligation to guarantee the right of citizens to have information that is indispensable for their self-protection.

He also said that, in the face of the economic crisis that has led to the loss of 2.7 million jobs in Metropolitan Lima alone, it is urgent to progressively and sustainably rebuild the economic fabric that will enable families to recover their jobs, create income and thus deal with the impact of the crisis. “The best remedy to the economic crisis is job creation,” he said.

The Ombudsman asked the President of the Council of Ministers to implement the three axes in view of the presentation that the Ministerial Cabinet will make this Tuesday, August 11, before Congress.

“Respiro Cusco” Campaign Collects More than 370,000 Soles

RPP Noticias reports that more than 370,000 soles were collected during the “Respiro Cusco” campaign to raise money to buy medical oxygen bottles for patients with COVID-19 who require it.

Father Heber Challco, representative of the Archbishopric of Cusco in the COVID-19 command, confirmed to RPP that the citizens, companies, authorities joined efforts and the objective was achieved.

The amount registered in the banks is not the only one, according to Father Heber. Donations made in amphorae, money collected in parishes, as well as deposits from companies that are still pending, have yet to be accounted for.

It was indicated that the general amount of money collected will be known on Monday and with it it will be possible to acquire more than 300 bottles of medical oxygen that is required in the city whose health system is collapsed, as confirmed by the Regional Health Office.

Cusco has guaranteed the provision of medical oxygen after an agreement signed between the plant of Cachimayo and the Regional Government, however, there are not enough balls where to store it.

Father Heber Challco said that a bottle of oxygen can cost up to 7,000 soles However, as a church, they are seeking options at lower cost. He said the bottless must be purchased as soon as possible due to the collapse of the health care system and the rapid increase in infections.

The bank accounts, which are in the social networks of the Archbishop of Cusco, will continue to be open until August 30.

ScotiaBank Reports Signs of Recovery in Some Sectors

According to ScotiaBank Research, various sectors such as construction, supermarkets, household items, telecommunications and medicine have started to recover, and this trend will continue over the rest of the year.

“We believe that recovery begins when people trust their own businesses and the market. It is time to get back on track and boost growth again, buying and selling,” Scotiabank Peru Senior Vice President of Retail Banking & CMF Ignacio Quintanilla affirmed.

“We see with enthusiasm that consumption through debit and credit cards is higher than it was in the same month last year in some sectors of the economy,” the executive stated.

He referred to the use of debit cards, saying the construction sector posted the highest growth, almost doubling the consumption registered in July 2019.

On the other hand, consumption saw an increase of 46% in supermarkets, 42% in household items, 36% in telecommunications, 29% in medicine, as well as 25% in food and groceries, compared to last year.

Under a similar scenario, the use of credit cards showed an improvement in consumption.

Segments such as life insurance and home improvement post gains of 5% and 3%, respectively, when compared to the same month in 2019.

In the case of restaurants, travel and accommodation, figures are significantly lower than those reported the year before, due to the situation.

“Restaurants, travel and accommodation still struggle to recover, due to the current situation,” Quintanilla added.

Peru Reports Trade Surplus in June

Peru’s recorded a US$434 million surplus trade balance in June, reversing the deficit registered in April and May this year according to the Central Reserve Bank of Peru (BCR).

This is a result of an increase in exports, particularly of traditional products reports the BCR.

With this, the country’s trade balance registered a surplus of US$810 million in the first half of 2020.

In June, exports amounted to US$2.68 billion —a 35.5% rise compared to the previous month.

Such exports were boosted by rising foreign sales of traditional products (46.6%) —mainly mining sales— and non-traditional products (16.3%).

Shipments of agricultural, textile, and iron-steel products stood out in the latter group.

Meanwhile, imports totaled US$2.246 billion in June, up 2% over May, due to the increase in foreign purchases of consumer and capital goods.

Champions League Quarterfinals

This isn’t related to COVID or Peru, but since the Peruvian Liga 1 has been suspended, we can look ahead to the European Champions League quarterfinals coming up (all games start at 2 pm):

Wednesday – Atalanta v Paris – Saint Germain
Thursday – RB Leipzeig v Atletico Madrid
Friday – Barcelona v Bayern Munich
Saturday – Manchester City v Lyon

Misc News Highlights

Health Minister Pilar Mazzetti warned that the country could return to stricter containment measures if the numbers of infections and deaths from COVID-19 continue to rise. “If the levels get worse. We have to go back to the previous measures if we see that they continue to rise. If we exceed and they continue to rise, we have to reconsider everything,” she said in an interview with the newspaper La República this morning.
The Executive Branch has approved Urgency Decree 093-2020, which is an extension of a previous mandate that introduces measures to expand the number of institutions providing health services and strengthen the health response within the framework of the state of emergency decreed to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This order, published on Saturday in El Peruano official gazette, aims to adopt extraordinary measures —in economic and financial matters— in order to expand and guarantee operations at temporary care and isolation centers for COVID-19 patients called La Videnita (Piura region) and Cerro Juli (Arequipa region).

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Peru and Cusco – COVID Crisis – Day 146

Posted on August 8, 2020 by Philip

Posted in Coronavirus, Cusco, Peru Leave a comment

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.

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.

Peru and Cusco – COVID Crisis – Day 145

Posted on August 7, 2020 by Philip

Posted in Coronavirus, Cusco, Peru Leave a comment

Friday August 7, 2020

The new Council of Ministers isn’t wasting any time. The President of the Council, Walter Martos, who just was sworn in to his position yesterday, will address Congress next Tuesday at 8:30 am to lay out the administration’s positions and request a vote of confidence barely a week after the previous President, Pedro Cateriano, was denied such a positive vote.

Since Congress was roundly ridiculed for allowed small politics to interfere with the government’s work in dealing with the COVID pandemic by creating a unnecessary governmental crisis, I have a feeling this time things will go smoother.

The Council of Ministers met yesterday and again this morning, but so far have not made any announcements on any requests for stricter quarantines such as that made by authorities in Cusco.

Martos and Cabinet to Request Congressional Vote on Confidence on Tuesday

The President of the Council of Ministers, Walter Martos, announced that next Tuesday, August 11, he will appear before Congress in order to present the general policy of the Government and to request a vote of confidence.

After holding a meeting with the head of the Congress, Manuel Merino, Martos indicated that his presentation to the national representation will begin at 8:30 a.m.

“I have had a respectful meeting with the president of the Congress, I have come to coordinate a date for the vote of confidence and we have agreed that it will be next Tuesday at 8:30 am. I appreciate the openness and courtesy of receiving me to have this very important conversation since the ministers need to work on their portfolios and we have to quickly define the vote of confidence,” he said.

Martos said his speech to Congress will focus on fighting the pandemic “in a concrete way.

“Yesterday we had a meeting with the Council of Ministers and right now we have another meeting of the Council and in the afternoon I will meet with the sectors working in the fight against the pandemic. (The speech) is focused on that issue and on economic recovery in a prudent manner, citizen security and employment generation,” he added.

Martos on the Resumption of Quarantine

RPP Noticias reports that the President of the Council of Ministers, Walter Martos, indicated this Thursday that it would be very complicated to decree a new strict quarantine due to the current situation of the COVID-19, because the economic reactivation of the country is already underway.

He explained that if such a measure had not been decreed in our country when the epidemic started, the results would have been disastrous. He added that at the time there was a lack of knowledge about how to deal with the disease and the confinement gained time for our health system.

“If we had not taken a measure, with the hospital response we had at the time, with the lack of knowledge we had about protecting ourselves and the lack of knowledge about treatment, it would have been disastrous in a country with the characteristics of hospitality and also because of customs like ours,” he said on TV Peru.

Martos said that the hospital system was optimized to improve the hospital response and citizens already have the necessary information to protect themselves from the disease.

“That has already happened, at this time we have optimized the hospital response to what we can and we continue to do so based on our potential, we already know how to protect ourselves, what treatment to give and we have to reactivate the economy, and returning to strict quarantine would already be very complicated. What we have to do at this time we have to take care of ourselves,” he said.

Martos also warned that now most infections occur during family gatherings and not so much in public places, so he called on the public to avoid these gatherings and for people to only leave their homes when necessary.

Daily COVID Update from Minsa

Last night the Ministry of Health changed their reporting procedures and are now doing something which seems to be, at best, quite misleading.

As you can see from the chart they published, they are reporting 3,743 COVID-19 “cases confirmed in the last 24 hours.”

What is misleading is that the total number of new COVID cases being reported is actually 7,785 based on the difference between yesterday’s cumulative total and the day before.

In the accompanying press release, they say that “in the previous days there were 4042 positive cases to COVID-19.”

Perhaps they are just adding in some old cases that have in some kind of weird accounting maneuver to make things correct, but I have doubts considering the number they share at the top of the chart is a big drop from previous days.

I have a feeling 7,785 new cases reported for August 5 is the correct number to look at.

They also reported a drop in deaths at 196, down from the record high of 221 on the day before.

The positivity rate stayed virtually unchanged at 29.2%.

COVID in Cusco

Cusco’s Regional Health Directorate reported 1,292 new cases of COVID-19 throughout the region over the previous two days along with 24 more deaths.

The amount testing dropped a bit to 5,764 tests reported over two days. The positivity rate continued to rise as it now has reached 22.4%.

The hospitals continue to collapse as they are now reporting that are five beds short of what they need for COVID patients and only one intermediate ICU bed is currently available.

Misc News Highlights

Supporting the campaign “I want to live, I lack oxygen”, promoted by the Archbishop of Huancayo and Mirapaz, Caja Huancayo handed over a check for 885,000 soles for the implementation of a medicinal oxygen plant for the Junin region.
The Ministry of the Interior (Mininter) appointed Lt. General of the National Police of Peru (PNP), Orlando Velasco Mujica, to the post of general commander of the police

Peru and Cusco – COVID Crisis – Day 144

Posted on August 6, 2020 by Philip

Posted in Coronavirus, Cusco, Peru 1 Comment

Thursday, August 6, 2020

A new government cabinet has taken over in Lima, though almost all of the members returned to their previously held position. They key change is former Defense Minister Walter Martos taking over as President of the Council. (more details below)

There still is no word on whether the Council of Ministers will agree to Cusco’s request to go to a hard quarantine for 14 days beginning on August 10.

Once again Cusco’s Regional Health Directorate failed to publish a COVID report. This is really frustrating considering it’s a major epidemic that authorities are using to request a return to a full quarantine in Cusco.

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.

New Council of Ministers Sworn In to Lead Peru

President Vizcarra swore in a new Council of Ministers this afternoon after the previous Prime Minister, Pedro Cateriano, could not get a vote of confidence from Congress early Tuesday morning.

The new President of the Council of Ministers, Walter Martos, moves into the position after serving as Minister of Defense since last October.

Martos graduated in Military Sciences from the Military School of Chorrillos. He has a Masters in Military Sciences, Masters in Strategic Planning and Decision Making from the Army War College. He also has a Master’s Degree in Management and Development with a mention in Business Management and Administration along with a degree in Management and Development from the Army’s Scientific and Technological Institute.

He was Chief of Staff of the Army and Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces. He has been General Commander of Education and Doctrine of the Army. He has been Director of the Army Language Centre, Director of the Engineering School, Academic Deputy Director and Director of the Military School of Chorrillos. He was also General Secretary of the General Command of the Army and Director of the War College. In August 2011, he was appointed General Commander of the Northern Military Region.

Most of the Ministers stayed in their previous position as they were not required to resign as was Cateriano.

The new Ministers are General Jorge Luis Chávez Cresta (Defense), Carlos Eduardo Palacios Gallegos (Labor), Luis Miguel Inchaústegui Zeballos (Energy and Mines), and Rosario Sasieta Morales (Women).

The complete Council of Minister is made up of:

President of the Council of Ministers – Walter Martos Ruiz

Minister of Foreign Affairs – Mario Juvenal López Chávarri

Minister of Defense – Jorge Luis Chávez Cresta

Minister of Economy and Finance – María Antonieta Alva Luperdi

Minister of Interior – Jorge Eduardo Montoya Perez

Minister of Justice and Human Rights – Ana Cristina Neyra Zegarra

Minister of Education – Carlos Martín Benavides Abanto

Minister of Health – Pilar Elena Mazzetti Soler

Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation – Jorge Luis Montenegro Chavesta

Minister of Labour and Employment Promotion – Javier Eduardo Palacios Gallegos

Minister of Production – José Antonio Salardi Rodríguez

Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism – Rocio Ingred Barrios Alvarado

Minister of Energy and Mines – Luis Miguel Inchaústegui Zeballos

Minister of Transport and Communications – Carlos Estremadoyro Mory

Minister of Housing, Construction and Sanitation – Carlos Eduardo Lozada Contreras

Minister for Women and Vulnerable Populations – Rosario Sasieta Morales

Minister of the Environment – Kirla Echegaray Alfaro

Minister of Culture – Alejandro Arturo Neyra Sánchez

Minister for Development and Social Inclusion – Patricia Elizabeth Donayre Pasquel

New Changes in Cusco During the Quarantine

Diario Correo is reporting new restrictions are going into effect in Cusco during the current quarantine.

The markets of San Pedro, Cascaparo, San Blas, Rosaspata and El Molino II, will be open from Monday to Friday only from 6:00 to 14:00 hours. On Saturdays, they will not be open because they will be carrying out integral disinfection and cleaning campaigns.

Restaurants in the Cusco province may only operate through delivery. Shopping centres or shopping galleries will only be able to attend to the sale of basic necessities or essential services.

The Regional Operations Command COVID-19 established that the buses and colectivos must operate using 50% of available seats as well as maintaining the social distance with the use of mask and face protector.

These measure will continue through August 31.

[Note: When I walked through central Cusco in the early afternoon I couldn’t see any changes implemented.]

Daily COVID Update from Minsa

Last night Peru’s Ministry of Health reported 7,734 new cases of COVID-19 — the highest daily total since May 31.

They also reported 221 deaths — the most in one day since the pandemic began.

The positivity rate for testing dropped a point to 29.1% from yesterday’s 30.4%.

There are 13 751 patients hospitalized by COVID-19, of which 1419 are in ICU with mechanical ventilation. So far 306,430 people have completed their period of home isolation or were discharged from a health facility.

Fires Near Historical Sites

Thanks to a joint action between forest firefighters from the National Service of Natural Protected Areas (Sernanp), an organization assigned to the Ministry of the Environment (Minam), and the participation of community brigades, forest fires in two natural protected areas, which have occurred in the last 72 hours, have been controlled in different areas of the country.

The first incident was reported in the Qollpani sector of Machu Picchu Historic Sanctuary’s buffer zone in Cusco. After many hours of uninterrupted work by the forest firemen (park guards authorized by Sernanp) and the collaboration of personnel from Cusco’s Decentralized Culture Office and Machu Picchu District Municipality, the incident, which affected approximately 70 hectares of pastureland, was completely resolved.

Similarly, Sernanp forest firefighters were able to put out another fire that spread in the Nor Yauyos Cochas Landscape Reserve, between the districts of Laraos and Alis, in Lima, affecting some 180 hectares of land. The intervention team worked together with community brigades from the area.

Currently, Huascarán National Park rangers are working with the Peruvian Army and personnel from the Ancash Regional Government to stop forest fires in the Ancash districts of San Marcos, Huari province, and Acochaca, Asunción province.

Other fires have also been reported in the Nor Yauyos Cochas Landscape Reserve in the Pachacayo sector, and the staff of the Túpac Amaru Agricultural Society of Social Interest (SAIS) has been involved in this incident.

In view of this situation, Sernanp has arranged for its specialized personnel to be fully alert through fire preparation, monitoring and liquidation actions, in coordination with local authorities and community brigades.

Misc News Highlights

Merly Fernández Ayque, 30, was arrested in Arequipa after being accused of selling false certificates that indicated she had tested negative for the new coronavirus. The woman was offering these certificates to public and private sector workers who need the document to continue working. The woman charged up to 1,350 soles per certificate.
Germany, through the German Embassy in Lima, has donated 24 ventilators to Peru.
Eleven district and provincial mayors have died after losing the fight against COVID-19, which they contracted while in office.
Doctors and nurses from the EsSalud Hospital in Huánuco held a sit-in today yesterday to denounce the lack of beds, medicines and protective equipment. The president of the Medical Corps, Rosulo Narciso Abad, said the facility is collapsed and only operates with 40% of the staff. “We are tired We are not made of iron. There are no beds, no nurses, technicians, no medicines, no PPE, no oxygen — we are abandoned,” he said.
After a medical evaluation and sampling of 80 vendors from the “Chacra a la olla” market in Chimbote (Ancash region), ten tested positive for the new coronavirus. Despite this, the market will not be closed, but the vendors who tested positive will be isolated.
Seven elderly people and two workers tested positive for COVID-19 at the “San Pedro” Joint Care Center for the Elderly, the Tacna Public Charity Society reported in a statement. This fact motivated the declaration of an emergency in the shelter to avoid the increase of infections.
Two hundred workers of the Regional Government of Ayacucho tested positive for the new coronavirus, reported the general manager, Ivan Cisneros Quispe.

Peru and Cusco – COVID Crisis – Day 143

Posted on August 5, 2020 by Philip

Posted in Coronavirus, Cusco, Peru, Uncategorized Leave a comment

Wednesday, August 5, 2020

There’s a chance that Cusco will return to a full quarantine starting on August 10. The request is being made to the Council of Ministers, but this is where it gets a little unclear.

At the moment, there is no Council of Ministers since Congress did not give the Prime Minister and the previous Council a vote of approval yesterday. Once the Prime Minister resign, President Vizcarra has 72 hours to appoint a new Prime Minister and a new cabinet. (I’m not sure that the outgoing Prime Minister has officially resigned yet as is immediately required, but he has given no indication that he won’t.)

A great deal of Congress’ disapproval with the previous cabinet was the perceived lack of focus on public health issues over business concerns. How that will influence any decision of the new Council in regards to the request of the Cusco authorities is uncertain.

Read below to see what they are proposing as well as the latest new on the drastic increase in COVID cases reported for Monday.

As always, I’ll be watching closely and will report ASAP.

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.

Cusco to Return to Full Quarantine?

Cusco’s regional government and the regional COVID-19 Command are requesting that Peru’s Council of Ministers return Cusco to a full quarantine for 14 days starting on August 10 in response to the rapid increase in COVID infections.

They are proposing:

Control measures will be strengthened in interprovincial, urban transport and in the markets and supermarkets of the city.
Markets will operate from 6 am to 2 pm.
Urban transport will be reduced to 50 % capacity but all units of all companies will circulate to avoid crowds in whereabouts.
Restaurants will only use delivery.
More intermediate care beds will be implemented.
The quick response of district health establishments will be strengthened and medication kits for Covid-19 will be delivered for detected cases that are mild and that keep quarantine at home.
Accamana hospital will be enabled to transfer patients in the last stage of contagion to relieve the city’s hospitals.
Many business that had reopened will have to close to 14 days.

Daily COVID Update from Minsa

The Ministry of Health last night reported 6,790 new cases of COVID-19 and 196 more COVID-related deaths.

The positivity rate remained a terribly high 30.4%.

There are 13,798 patients hospitalized with COVID-19, of which 1418 are in ICU with mechanical ventilation.

So far 302,457 people have completed their period of home isolation or were discharged from a health facility.

As before, Minsa has not reported any regional data in quite awhile.

COVID in Cusco

Cusco’s Regional Health Directorate released staggering numbers this morning as they reported 1,096 new cases of COVID-19 in the region. The number of newly reported deaths (12) was relatively low compared to previous days.

While the testing rose dramatically to the highest level yet reported during the pandemic, the positivity rate also rose for the third day in a row to 20.9%.

There still remains only one available ICU bed in the region.

Cusco Receiving Oxygen; Lacks Oxygen Bottles

Yesterday the regional governor of Cusco, Jean Paul Benavente Garcia, met with representatives of the Cachimayo company, in order to inspect the facilities of the medical oxygen plant, which is authorized to provide 120 to 150 balloons per day, equivalent to 1000 cubic meters per day.

“In a joint effort since July 21, Cusco has been provided with an average of 4,000 cubic meters of medical oxygen. That’s the equivalent of more than 500 bottles,” Benavente explained.

Also present at the inspection were the director of the Regional Health Directorate (Diresa), Dario Navarro, and the president of COVID-19 Command, Victor Del Carpio.

Benavente added that for the supply of medical oxygen to public and private hospitals, there must be previous coordination with Diresa. “There must be a management of the distribution of bottles for all citizens. The private company has protocols and if we respect them we will be able to have more capacity in the delivery. We have to do a more effective job,” he said.

Diresa’s director, Dario Navarro, recommended that the population “not” attend the Cachimayo plant to acquire oxygen, because it is distributed through the hospitals and clinics.

Navarro was emphatic in pointing out that Cusco does have oxygen, but the lack of availability is due to the shortage of this oxygen bottles. “We ask the people to join the ‘Breathe Cusco’ campaign by donating bottles or cash to buy the necessary bottles,” he said.

Officials and prosecutors are currently trying to retrieve bottles that were provided to the sick in their homes, but which are not being returned. Some are even being reportedly offered for sale on social media.

Minsa Figures for Cusco Far Lower Than Local Reports

La República interviewed Dr. Miguel Palacios Celi, dean of the Peruvian Medical Association, who said that this gap is a constant in the interior of the country, whose reality reveals “generally twice as many” cases as the Ministry of Health.

According to him, the Minsa is not taking into account the serological tests carried out in the regions, because they have not been bought by the central government, but by the regional governments.

Thus, there would be three types of tests, two of which would not be registered in the Minsa Situation Room. On the one hand, the official figure of the Ministry of Health; on the other hand, the one presented by the Diresa and, finally, the “hidden tests”, applied by the population in a private way, either through clinics that offer them or by their own acquisition.

However, Dr. Javier Ramirez, deputy regional director of health in Cusco, explained to La República that “all the tests are provided by the Minsa,” and said that the Diresa has no supply problems in terms of rapid tests or molecular tests.

For Ramirez, the reason for the gap is a deficiency in updating the systems. He explained that the Regional Health Directorate reports daily the number of tests performed, whether rapid or molecular, as well as their results, to the government’s NotiWeb and SISCOVID systems.

“Each health facility has an entry code and feeds the system. What is published about us is what happens daily,” he said. However, the official figures do not demonstrate the reality that they report, which is why Diresa Cusco has presented its claims to the Ministry of Health.

La República contacted Alcedo Jorges Melgarejo, former technical coordinator of the Ministry of Health and current Regional Director of Health in Pasco. Jorges confirmed that the tests are provided by the State and by public and private companies, and that all are screened by the Diresa, so it is not related to the gap.

He also said that there cannot be a deficiency in updating the system, since this is done online and in real time. “Now we load a case into the system, and it is immediately seen throughout the country,” he added. However, he clarified that the explanation the Ministry of Health has for the gap refers to the type of result given by the screening tests.

“When you take the screening, you can get IgM positive, the combination of IgM and IgG positive, or just IgG positive. He explained that, in the first case, the test detects the active phase of the disease, that is, the person was infected a little over a week ago. In the case of positive IgM and IgG, it means that the person is in the second or third week of infection. However, the positive IgG result shows that the patient had the disease more than three weeks ago, so that he or she is no longer contagious.

For statistical purposes, continued Alcedo Jorges, the regions aggregate all results into the system. However, “the Minsa does not load the cases that are only IgG positive,” since they are infections that are not in the active phase.

In addition, he said that the health agency also does not report the results of “captive populations,” that is, the tests that are performed on workers in public institutions or private companies, “under the premise that it is in the context of economic recovery, and they measure the prevalence in the common population, transmission in the streets.

Finally, according to the last declarations of the Minister of Health, Pilar Mazzetti, “one can work in health when one has correct and complete figures”, and later she added: “There is a very important gap, in relation to this gap we have to act”.

Dean Miguel Palacios detailed the double importance of the Government presenting reliable figures on the coronavirus pandemic in Peru. First, “real data allows you to make real, reasonable proposals. And, on a second level, the truth allows the population to regain confidence in the State. “Now there is no trust because people think they are being lied to,” he said.

“We [the Peruvian Medical Association], who are making proposals for the pandemic, are interested in knowing the real data, because you cannot make proposals with false data, the proposal falls,” Dr. Palacios added. This point was also supported by representatives of the Regional Health Directorates of Cusco and Pasco.

“When you see the [former] premier who says there’s a ‘small outbreak’, he’s reading I don’t know what data, because even the Minsa is worried about the promotion,” said the dean of the Medical Association, emphasizing the misjudgment that people in charge of health policy planning could have.

Palacios Celi questioned the effectiveness of the targeted quarantines, noting that the institution is about to ask the central government to resume a general quarantine for 15 days, with a mechanism similar to that of a national census.

The purpose would be “to lock up the entire population and activate teams that go house to house doing the tests – molecular, of preference – to diagnose the positive cases, immediately treat them, isolate them and have a behavior in front of their contacts,” he explained. In this way, “the transmissibility of the virus would be cut off.

Javier Ramírez, deputy director of Diresa Cusco, said that given the situation in the imperial region, the government had been asked to return to quarantine. However, after the approval of Supreme Decree 135, phase 3 of Reactiva Peru was maintained. This allows businesses to continue to operate and people to continue to circulate, so these would not be “effective measures”.

“In the end, the only thing that is helping us is the immobilization from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m., which decreases the amount of movement of people, and on Sundays. But as we can see, the city in the other schedules from Monday to Saturday is constantly moving,” added Dr. Ramirez.

Minsa Distributes 51 tons of Supplies

Continuing with the actions taken by the Ministry of Health (Minsa) to confront Covid-19, the National Center for Strategic Health Resources (Cenares) sent more than 51 tons of medical supplies to Metropolitan Lima and 17 regions of the country on August 3.

The cargo transported by land included a total of 975,705 units of personal protective equipment (PPE), including N-95 type disposable masks, N-95 type nasal respirator, 95% filtering efficiency disposable masks, three-fold surgical disposable masks, jackets, aprons, pants, disposable masks, gloves, boots and disposable caps, polycarbonate protective glasses and polycarbonate masks.

In addition to the load, 25,000 rapid tests for Covid-19, 25,000 retractable disposable lancets, 277 medical kits consisting of adult and pediatric pulse oximeters, and 175,050 medicines, including ivermectin, hydroxychloroquine sulfate, azithromycin, as well as products for injection, such as rocuronium bromide, dextrose, propofol, atropine sulfate, vancomycin, water for injection, vasopressin, and compound sodium lactate solution.

Medical supplies were delivered to these regions: Amazonas, Áncash, Apurímac, Cajamarca, Callao, Cusco, Huancavelica, Ica, Junín, La Libertad, Lambayeque, Lima Region, Pasco, Piura, Puno, Tacna and Ucayali.

In Metropolitan Lima, a total of 327,020 pieces of personal protection equipment and 7,830 medicines were sent to the Arzobispo Loayza National Hospital, San Juan de Lurigancho Hospital, Cayetano Heredia National Hospital and the Directorate of Integrated Health Networks – DIRIS Lima Centro, Lima Este and Lima Norte.

Nine New Care Center Established in Cusco

Nine fixed care centers for cases of COVID-19 are being implemented by the Regional Health Directorate (Diresa) of Cusco in this city and in the capital of the province of Quispiscanchis where the diagnosis, treatment and timely follow-up of patients will be carried out.

According to Diresa’s deputy director, Javier Ramírez, this will prevent people infected with the virus from reaching hospitals in a critical situation and often ending up dying.

This measure has provided for the mobilization of inputs, such as rapid and molecular tests: in addition to drugs such as ivermectin, azithromycin and others, to the first response health centers.

Ramírez indicated that at these points, screening will be done to differentiate between common colds, respiratory infections and COVID-19, diseases that have similar symptoms.

The health centers that will start with care for mild patients with COVID-19 are San Jerónimo, San Sebastián, Santa Rosa, Ttio, Belempampa, Manco Ccapac, Wanchaq, Urcos and the hospital in Tupac Amaru.

Misc News Highlights

Acción Popular congressman leaves open the possibility of asking for Martin Vizcarra’s resgination In an interview with RPP Noticias, Jesus Arapa said that this path would be a “sanction” if the government “continues to make a mistake in carrying out a policy…”
The Ayacucho region recorded the highest number of cases of coronavirus in one day. According to the official report of the Health Directorate, 275 new infections were reported in the last 24 hours, and in this same period of time eight people died from the disease.
The governor of the Cajamarca region, Mesías Guevara, announced told RPP Noticias that the first medical oxygen plant in the department will be inaugurated next weekend with the support of the Yanacocha mining company.
The medical staff of the Hospital II de EsSalud in Huánuco will be holding a sit-in this Wednesday. They denounce the lack of implementation of the ‘white hospital’ for COVID-19 patients in the region and demand the installation of 20 ICU beds, the sending of specialist doctors, personal protection equipment, medicines and medical oxygen bottles.
Health workers who care for COVID-19 patients demand payment of their wages. A group of 500 workers (nurses, nursing technicians, medical technologists, among others) claim that the Regional Government of Lambayeque owes them 4 to 5 months of their wages.

Peru and Cusco – COVID Crisis – Day 142

Posted on August 4, 2020 by Philip

Posted in Coronavirus, Cusco, Peru Leave a comment

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.

Peru and Cusco – COVID Crisis – Day 141

Posted on August 3, 2020 by Philip

Posted in Coronavirus, Cusco, Peru Leave a comment

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.

Peru and Cusco – COVID Crisis – Day 140

Posted on August 2, 2020 by Philip

Posted in Coronavirus, Cusco, Peru 3 Comments

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.

Peru and Cusco – COVID Crisis – Day 139 (Part 2)

Posted on August 1, 2020 by Philip

Posted in Coronavirus, Cusco, Peru Leave a comment

Saturday, August 1, 2020

As of this afternoon, no new rules and regulations have been provided as to how the provisions of Cusco’s quarantine will be enforced.

I’ve been out a couple of times today and everything seems to operating pretty much as it was yesterday before the announcement.

All businesses that were operating yesterday are open today as well. The mall is open. Restaurants are operating as before. Buses are mostly full, but with everyone wearing face shields as well as masks now.

I continue to talk to many business owners and employees. All say the same thing — that they are awaiting guidance from local officials.

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.

If you missed this morning’s Part 1 Update, you can read it here:

Peru and Cusco – COVID Crisis – Day 139 (Part 1)

COVID in Cusco

Cusco’s Regional Health Directorate reported very disturbing news this afternoon. They reported 573 new cases of COVID-19 and 27 more deaths in the previous 24-hour period.

The positivity rate rose to an unheard of rate of 58.7%, though there was relatively few tests reported.

No hospitalization information was provided.

Updates on Travel

Just as I was about to post this, I learned that tomorrow (Sunday) will be the last day that people can travel to and from the quarantined provinces and regions.

“From Monday they will require a pass for transfer between cities, as interprovincial travel will be suspended “, said Minister of Transportation and Communications, Carlos Estremadoyro.

He also said that the other activities restarted in Phase 3 of the economic recovery will continue, but it will not be possible to restart new activities in these regions.

Passengers traveling to or from the cities of Cusco, Juliaca, Ilo and Tacna should arrive at the airport 5 hours as Minsa will be conducting random screening for COVID-19 for those passengers who have scheduled flights to or from those cities.

This afternoon LATAM representatives in Cusco told me that they would no longer be flying out of Cusco after Monday. As Sky Airlines and Viva Airlines are operating out of Cusco, I can’t confirm that the airport will be shut down after Monday. (Sky is not offering any flights on their website, but Viva is selling tickets from Tuesday on.)

Consumer Price Index Rose by 0.61% in July

Andina News reports that last month the Consumer Price Index (CPI) at the national level increased by 0.61%, with a cumulative variation of 1.64% and the annualized one of 2.15%, reported the National Institute of Statistics and Information (Inei).

This result is due to the rise in prices recorded in all major consumer groups. Transportation and Communications increased by 0.96%, Food and Beverages by 0.89%, Housing Rentals, Fuel and Electricity by 0.84%, Health Care and Conservation by 0.44% and Other Goods and Services by 0.09%.

Furniture and Fixtures (0.03%) and Clothing and Footwear and Education and Culture (0.01%) also increased.

According to Inei, a total of 23 cities where the consumer price index is calculated showed price increases last July. The highest variations were registered in Arequipa (2.41%), Piura (1.63%), Cajamarca (1.59%), Huancavelica (1.58%) and Trujillo (1.05%).

Cities with negative results were Moyobamba (-0.50%), Iquitos (-0.24%) and Chachapoyas (-0.05%).

Misc News Highlights

The Archbishop in the Piura announced that churches will be reopened, but no masses will be held. In a communiqué, the ecclesiastical authorities of Piura informed that only the faithful will be allowed to enter for prayers or private visits. No masses, sacraments or other public acts of worship will be held.
More than 80 tons of garbage in Lambayeque has not been collected due to lack of personnel. Neighbors complain about the contamination, and the provincial mayor, Marcos Gasco Arrobas, says it is due to lack of personnel and broken machinery.
Authorities in Madre de Dios have established rigid control measures on people entering the region. They say that so far is that most are trying to reach mining areas. For now, only residents with ID cards and a negative COVID-19 test result are allowed to enter.
About 594 children under 17 were infected with COVID-19 in the Junín region, according to the Regional Health Directorate. According to the registry, there are 292 cases of children between the ages of 5 and 11 and 302 cases from the ages of 11 to 17.

According to epidemiologist Luis Zuñiga Villacresis, this increase is due to citizens not complying with basic recommendations to avoid contagion, including the correct use of masks and social distancing.
The Ministry of Health (Minsa), in coordination with the Regional Health Directorate of Huánuco, announced that 140 new rapid response teams (RRTs) are already providing guidance, counseling, detection, clinical evaluation and treatment of Covid-19, at home, in the region.

Peru and Cusco – COVID Crisis – Day 139 (Part 1)

Posted on August 1, 2020 by Philip

Posted in Coronavirus, Cusco, Peru 3 Comments

Saturday, August 1, 2020

I’m going to do two updates today as there’s a lot of information that needs to be posted first thing this morning for my neighbors in Cusco.

There is a great deal of uncertainty about what is going to happen. This is a direct result of the last-minute imposition of the quarantine without allowing local and regional authorities the time to prepare and adapt.

Expect a lot of details regarding the implementation to be coming out in the next 48-72 hours. (There are some very interesting rumors going around among some media sources which may or may not turn out to be accurate. As always, I won’t report any of them until confirmation.)

I’m about to go out and see what I can learn about what’s actually going on in the city on the first day of the new quarantine period. Please understand if I’m unable to answer questions quickly while I’m out.

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.

Cusco’s COVID-19 Command Regulations for the Quarantine

Last night Cusco COVID Regional Command listed the following orders regarding implementation of the quarantine in the Cusco province:

The military and police will resume control of social mobility while maintaining monitoring of approved economic activities in phase 3 of Economic Reactivation.
Curfew will last from 8:00 pm to 04:00 am the next day and social immobilization will be respected on Sunday all day long.
For urban transport, the capacity will be inspected to be 50 % and all must wear a mask and face protector.
Air transport will be carried out with restrictions and health control upon arrival of passengers at the airport.
Markets will be open Monday to Friday from 6.00 am to 2:00 pm.
The number of people on the streets will be limited by the military.

Note that the section about the airport says that there will be “restrictions and health control upon arrival of passengers” without any details about what those will be. It’s possible that a quarantine will be required as was done for people arriving by bus during the first quarantine period.

While the airport may be open, flights are already being cancelled — including my flight to Lima next Friday.

Also, the “monitoring of approved economic activities in phase 3 of Economic Reactivation” is a very open statement. There is an interpretation of this that previous approved service activities will still be allowed with restrictions and limitations.

As for what will happen with restaurants, barber shops/peluquerias, laundries, etc. — I expect more information on those to be released soon.

Sadly, I spoke with several dozen different business owners yesterday and absolutely none any idea what was going to happen and didn’t know where to get guidance.

Cusco Deputy Governor on Hospital Collapse

La Republica reported this morning that Cusco’s deputy governor, Delia Condo, made a dramatic plea to President Martín Vizcarra to help stem the tide of contagion and death from the new coronavirus.

“From Cusco I make an emergency call, because our hospitals have collapsed. We urgently need beds in the Intensive Care Units (ICU), intensive care specialists, and more beds for moderates,” Condo said.

The head of COVID Regional Command, Victor del Carpio, said last week that the virus’ R factor of reproduction had escalated from 1 to 1.5 and in the provinces of Santa Anta (La Convención) and Cusco it reached 2. Before yesterday the death rate rose 2.06%.

The large Regional and Antonio Lorena hospitals of the Regional Health Directorate and Adolfo Guevara Velasco of EsSalud are packed with patients with COVID-19. There are huge queues in the access areas. A patient must wait between four and ten hours to be treated.

Last Tuesday, three patients arrived dead at the COVID Service of the Regional Hospital. In just two days (Monday and Tuesday), 11 died of coronavirus. Their bodies are piled up in the nosocomial morgue. At the Adolfo Guevara Velasco Hospital, 11 patients died in one day. “The situation is quite critical,” warns Victor Manchego Enriquez, manager of the Cusco Healthcare Network of EsSalud.

Manchego, however, warned that they are expanding the beds for hospitalization. The transfer of the use of the private clinic Oxigen Medical Network to transfer non-COVID patients will help in this regard. Thus, the insurance hospital will be used exclusively as an establishment for insured persons infected with coronavirus.

Deaths occur because there are no longer any ICU beds to care for critical patients and there is a shortage of medical staff. At EsSalud, all 18 beds are occupied. Seven patients are on mechanical ventilators and 11 are fighting for their lives with oxygen bottles.

There are also no ICU beds left at the Regional Hospital, and only six remained at the Modular Hospital of the 100 for moderate patients until Wednesday. A patient must wait in a wheelchair until a bed is released. Almost always, says a health worker, a bed is available when a patient dies. Sometimes ironically a death can save another life.

A family member of a patient at Regional complains that doctors have begun to decide who lives. “If it’s ICU or critical not yet, but in triage, if we see that the patient is asymptomatic or not serious, we tell him to go home. We’re not giving him the attention he should have. We are prioritizing serious and moderate patients who require hospitalization,” denied Enrique Arana, head of the COVID service.

The president of the medical corps, Diomedes Arias, denounced that after the collapse of the services, a team of professionals were physically and psychologically attacked by relatives of patients with COVID-19.

COVID in Cusco

The Regional Health Directorate finally released COVID data for June 30 (which is not two days old). They reported 309 new cases of COVID-19 and 10 more deaths.

Unfortunately, they did not release any data about the hospital situation which La Republica reports is completely out of ICU beds and has collapsed.

The positivity rate for the previous day’s testing did, however fall dramatically to 11.3% after reaching 30.2% the day before.

Daily COVID Update from Minsa

The latest Ministry of Health report on COVID came out in the middle of the night around 1:30 am. The number of COVID-19 cases continues to rise rapidly as 7,243 new cases were reported. Fortunately, the number of deaths dropped from the previous day to 195.

Also, the positivity rate dropped to the lowest in 6 days, though it still is very high at 24.1%.

There are 13,577 patients hospitalized with COVID-19, of which 1,414 are in ICU with mechanical ventilation. So far 287,127 people have completed their period of home isolation or have been discharged from a health facility.

Minsa once again did not report totals from individual regions which is probably good as there have been serious discrepancies between what they have reported and what the individual Regional Health Directorates have been reporting. (Minsa’s totals have been dramatically less.)

Here is a chart I found showing some very interesting details about what has been reported directly from the regions as well as cases per 100,000 which is quite telling. I didn’t confirm all of the regional figures, but I checked several at random and they were all accurate.

Sunday, August 9, 2020

Daily COVID Update from Minsa

COVID in Cusco

Peru’s Ombudsman Asks for National Agenda to Fight COVID

“Respiro Cusco” Campaign Collects More than 370,000 Soles

ScotiaBank Reports Signs of Recovery in Some Sectors

Peru Reports Trade Surplus in June

Champions League Quarterfinals

Misc News Highlights

Saturday, August 8, 2020

Peruvian Football’s Liga 1 Suspended

Government Considering Return to Stricter Measure in Lima and Callao

Daily COVID Update from Minsa

COVID in Cusco

Cajamarca Hospitals Collapsing

Peru Making Plans to Purchase COVID Vaccine

Misc News Highlights

Friday August 7, 2020

Martos and Cabinet to Request Congressional Vote on Confidence on Tuesday

Martos on the Resumption of Quarantine

Daily COVID Update from Minsa

COVID in Cusco

Misc News Highlights

Thursday, August 6, 2020

New Council of Ministers Sworn In to Lead Peru

New Changes in Cusco During the Quarantine

Daily COVID Update from Minsa

Fires Near Historical Sites

Wednesday, August 5, 2020

Cusco to Return to Full Quarantine?

Daily COVID Update from Minsa

COVID in Cusco

Cusco Receiving Oxygen; Lacks Oxygen Bottles

Minsa Figures for Cusco Far Lower Than Local Reports

Minsa Distributes 51 tons of Supplies

Nine New Care Center Established in Cusco

Misc News Highlights

Tuesday, August 4, 2020

Congress: No Vote of Confidence in the Administration

Daily COVID Update from Minsa

COVID in Cusco

GPC and The Tourism Industry

Cable Car Access Coming to Choquequirao

US Repatriation Flight August 14

Misc News Highlights

Monday, August 3, 2020

Peru Prioritizing Acquisition of COVID Vaccine

Police Checkpoint Between Cusco and Pisac

Peru’s Prime Minister Goes Before Congress

Daily COVID Update from Minsa (Today)

Daily COVID Update from Minsa (Yesterday)

Misc News Highlights

Sunday, August 2, 2020

Daily COVID Update from Minsa

COVID in Cusco

La Convención Getting New Oxygen Plant

National Library Begins Free Digital Book Lending

Misc News Higlights

Saturday, August 1, 2020

COVID in Cusco

Updates on Travel

Consumer Price Index Rose by 0.61% in July

Misc News Highlights

Saturday, August 1, 2020

Cusco’s COVID-19 Command Regulations for the Quarantine

Cusco Deputy Governor on Hospital Collapse

COVID in Cusco

Daily COVID Update from Minsa

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