At the proposal of the Cusco Regional Government, and in a joint effort between the Ministry of Environment (Minam), through the National Service of Natural Areas Protected by the State (Sernanp), the regional conservation area (RCA) Chuyapi Urusayhua was established this week.
Located in the districts of Echarati, Vilcabamba and Santa Ana, in the province of La Convención, Chuyapi Urusayhua seeks to ensure the conservation of the two ecoregions, six ecological floors and 12 ecological systems associated with the Urusayhua mountain and the upper part of the Chuyapi basin; as well as the biological diversity they harbor, guaranteeing the provision of ecosystem services for the benefit of local populations and contributing to the mitigation of climate change.
The park covers 80,190.78 hectares and conserves the ecoregions of the humid highlands of the central Andes and the Peruvian yungas, the latter of which is considered one of the most fragile ecoregions in Peru due to factors such as deforestation and forest fires.
The Chuyapi Urusayhua RCA is also home to three priority conservation areas for the country: the Cumpirushiato River-Cushireni River-Cirialo River, the Vilcabamba River, and the La Convención Valley Savannah Forest.
There are 936 species of flora in the area, 25 of which are in some state of conservation by national and international legislation, such as romerillo, walnut, cedar, and quina.
It is also home to 82 species of mammals, 412 birds, 30 amphibians, and 22 reptiles, among which species endemic to Peru and characteristic of the cloud forest have been identified, such as the cock of the rock, spider monkey, spectacled bear, puma, jaguarundi, dull guan, and blue-headed macaw, among others.
Their recognition also ensures the conservation of important ecosystem services such as air quality regulation, carbon sequestration as a climate change mitigation measure, water supply in quality and quantity by conserving headwaters, as well as the supply of medicinal plants and timber forest species for the benefit of local populations.
Five watersheds are located within this RCA alone: Cirialo, San Miguel, Cushireni, Vilcabamba and Chuyapi, the latter of which provides quality water to the population of Quillabamba, with more than 46,000 users of the drinking water network.
In addition to this natural wealth, Chuyapi Urusayhua also protects cultural values related to the Urusayhua mountain, which is considered the tutelary Apu of La Convención. The establishment of this new RCA was also supported by Conservación Amazónica (ACCA), the Provincial Municipality of La Convención, the Peruvian Society of Environmental Law (SPDA) and the Andes Amazon Fund (AAF).
Tag Archives: Peru
Major Changes to Peruvian Travel Rules Coming
The Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism (Mincetur) has announced that the mandatory quarantine for travelers entering the country will be suspended.
The head of Mincetur, Claudia Cornejo, said that this decision was taken in the last session of the Council of Ministers in view of a slight improvement in COVID-19 numbers.
The Council of Ministers also decided to suspend the PCR test requirement for travel to national destinations.
The date when these changes will occur was not reported, but likely will come in the next few days — probably no later than Monday. (Major changes to Peru’s COVID-19 measures should be announced in the next day or two, as well.)
The PCR test requirement will be maintained for travelers and tourists arriving to Peru from other countries.
According to Cornejo, Peru’s tourism sector reports losses of more than 70% at national level and she announced that a campaign for the reactivation of domestic and inbound tourism will begin in April.
COVID in Peru Through February
It’s been a week since I last reported on how COVID is progressing through Peru and the fact is that there really hasn’t been much of a change except a slight rise in patients in ICU units and an almost imperceptible decrease in deaths.
I’ve written enough about this in the past so I’m not going to bother this morning. With no real changes, it’s a bit disappointing to look at these graphs and seeing things not going down as was expected. I guess it’s still a good thing that they didn’t go up again, but there is no sign that they are starting to go down.
February was not a good month. The only reason is wasn’t the highest month for deaths in the past year is because there were only 28 days. The average of over 196 people a day who died in Peru thanks to COVID-19 was considerably higher than any previous month.
The number of people hospitalized in ICU care right now continues to increase as the number of available beds is slowly increasing. Otherwise, it’s certain that this number would be much higher. (Keep in mind that a year ago Peru only had about 100 ICU beds across the entire country.)
These charts below show the progression during the current second wave of COVID infection since December 1.
MTC Releases New Regulations for Land Travel in Peru
As of March 1, interprovincial transportation will be reactivated throughout the country with new provisions according to the alert levels of the provinces in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic. (From January 31 to February 28 the service had been suspended in provinces at the Extreme Risk level.)
Ministerial Resolution 180-2021-MTC/01 published today in the official newspaper El Peruano, establishes the new characteristics and conditions that the interprovincial passenger transportation service will have in the provinces with very high and extreme alert level.
Extreme Level Provinces
For trips longer than five hours departing from provinces with extreme alert level, the capacity will be 100% and passengers must present a molecular or antigen test with negative result for Covid-19, obtained at the latest 72 hours before boarding.
For trips of up to five hours, the molecular or antigen test will not be required. However, in this case, seating capacity will be 50%, using only the seats adjacent to the windows.
Very High Level Alert Provinces
In trips longer than five hours departing from provinces with a very high alert level, the capacity will be 50%; while in trips of up to five hours it will be 100%. It should be noted that in both cases passengers do not need to present the molecular or antigen test.
It should be noted that in all vehicles it is mandatory for passengers to wear a mask, face shield and fill out an affidavit stating that they do not have symptoms of Covid-19.
Among the sanitary safety measures that transportation companies must implement to provide the service are taking the temperature of passengers and ensuring that they keep a physical distance from each other within the facilities. They are also obliged to disinfect vehicles before and after the service, place polyethylene or similar material between seats to guarantee isolation among passengers, among other measures detailed in the sectorial guidelines for the prevention of Covid-19.
The MTC urges the population to use formal transportation to ensure sanitary safety and thus protect their health and that of their families.
New Peruvian Rules Explained in English
Yesterday the Peruvian government announced new rules hat will go into effect on March 1 for two weeks. I posted the provincial designations in Spanish last night, but here is a translation of everything in English.
Provinces Designated as Extreme Risk
Here is a list of the provinces in this group listed after the region in which they are located:
- Ancash (Huaraz)
- Ayacucho (Huamanga)
- Cusco (Canchis)
- Huancavelica (Huancavelica, Tayacaja)
- Huanuco (Huanuco)
- Ica (Ica, Chincha)
- Junin (Huancayp, Tarma, Chanchamayo, Satipo, Chupaca)
- Lima (Metro Lima, Callao, Huara, Barranca, Huarochiri, Huaral)
- Loreto (Maynas)
- Moquegua (Ilo)
- Pasco (Oxapampa)
- Puno (Puno)
- Tacna (Tacna)
These are the movement restrictions:
- Complete curfew on Sundays
- Daily curfew from 9 pm to 4 am
- Interprovincial land transportation limited to 40%
Capacity Limits and other restrictions:
- Casinos, gyms, theatres, art galleries – 0%
- Fiestas, events – 0%
- Outdoor art exhibits – 20%
- Stores in general – 20%
- Restaurants (inside dining with air circulation) – 30%
- Restaurants (outside dining) – 30%
- Restaurant delivery permitted from 4 am to 11 pm daily
- Banks and financial institutions – 40%
- Churches and religious institutions – 0%
- Libraries, museums, archeological monuments, cultural centers and galleries, botanical gardens, zoos – 30%
- Beauty shops, spas, barber shops (with reservation) – 40%
- Outdoor cultural teaching – 20%
- No gatherings in open or closed spaces
- Clubs and sports associations – 0%
- Beaches – 0%
- Deliveries from pharmacies and boticas permitted 24 hours
Provinces Designated as Very High Risk
Here is a list of the provinces in this group listed after the region in which they are located:
- Loreto (all provinces except Maynas)
- Amazonas (all provinces)
- Ancash (all provinces except Huaraz)
- Apurimac (all provinces)
- Arequipa (all provinces)
- Ayacucho (all provinces except Huamanga)
- Cusco (all provinces except Canchis)
- Huancavelica (Castro Virreyna, Huaytara, Angaraes, Acobamba, Churcampa)
- Huanuco (all provinces except Huanuco)
- Ica (Nazca, Palpa, Pisco)
- Junin (Junin, Yauli, Jauja, Concepcion)
- Moquegua (Mariscal Nieto, General Sachez Cerro)
- Pasco (Pasca, Daniel A. Carrion)
- Puno (all provinces except Puno)
- Tacna (Tarata, Jorge Basadre, Candarave)
- Tumbes (all provinces)
- Lima (Cajatambo, Canta, Canete, Oyon, Yauyos)
These are the movement restrictions:
- No private vehicles allowed on Sundays
- Daily curfew from 9 pm to 4 am
- Interprovincial land transportation limited to 50-100% (MTC will give details later)
Capacity Limits and other restrictions:
- Casinos, gyms, theatres, art galleries – 0%
- Fiestas, events – 0%
- Outdoor art exhibits – 30%
- Stores in general – 30%
- Supermarkets, markets, boticas, and pharmacies – 50%
- Restaurants (inside dining with air circulation) – 30%
- Restaurants (outside dining) – 40%
- Banks and financial institutions – 50%
- Churches and religious institutions – 20%
- Libraries, museums, archeological monuments, cultural centers and galleries, botanical gardens, zoos – 40%
- Outdoor cultural teaching – 40%
- Clubs and sports associations – 40%
- Beaches – 0%
Provinces Designated as High Risk
Here is a list of the provinces in this group listed after the region in which they are located:
- Madre de Dios (all provinces)
- Ucayali (all provinces)
- San Martin (all provinces)
- Piura (all provinces)
- Lambayeque (all provinces)
- La Libertad (all provinces)
- Cajamarca (all provinces)
These are the movement restrictions:
- No private vehicles allowed on Sundays
- Daily curfew from 10 pm to 4 am
- Interprovincial land transportation – no restrictions
Capacity Limits and other restrictions:
- Casinos, gyms, theatres, art galleries – 30%
- Fiestas, events – 0%
- Outdoor art exhibits – 50%
- Stores in general – 40%
- Supermarkets, markets, boticas, and pharmacies – 60%
- Restaurants (inside dining with air circulation) – 50%
- Restaurants (outside dining) – 50%
- Banks and financial institutions – 60%
- Churches and religious institutions – 30%
- Libraries, museums, archeological monuments, cultural centers and galleries, botanical gardens, zoos – 50%
- Clubs and sports associations – 40%
- Beaches – no restrictions
Please note that these are the only areas where the government made announcements and changes. International flights, domestic flights, and land border restrictions and rules have not been changed.
Peru’s New Measures Against COVID Announced
A press conference just concluded after today’s meeting with Peru’s Council of Ministers to announce new measures in the country’s fight against COVID-19 from March 1-14.
Prime Minister Violeta Bermúdez opened the press conference by saying “We can notice a slight slowdown in the number of infections and deaths…In Apurímac the contagion has been slowed down much faster than in Metropolitan Lima…We have decided to make a readjustment in the provinces with extreme risk.”
“This effort for two additional weeks will allow us with the immobilization during the nights that the deceleration (of contagions) continues,” she continued. “It is encouraging to know that 14 provinces are out of extreme risk.”
The Prime Minister announced that “53 provinces are at high risk, 119 at very high risk level and 24 provinces at extreme health risk…we have no provinces at moderate risk.”
“Considering the social and economic context and the need to reduce mobility, we have decided to adopt a set of specific restrictive measures,” she continued. “Mandatory social immobilization during the nights from 9 pm to 4 am…In some activities such as visits to archaeological monuments or restaurants, a minimum capacity.”
Bermudez made a special point to address false reports regarding the government’s acquisition of vaccines by noting, “To state clearly and emphatically that it is false that the Executive Branch has not signed any contract for the acquisition of vaccines.”
She also noted that some areas have been declared under a state of emergency due to severe weather events.
Here (in Spanish) are the new risk designations and the new measures to be applied beginning March 1 (Monday). Be sure to click on each graphic to see a larger size. [Note: These are corrected versions of what I posted earlier. The Council of Ministers left Arequipa off. There may be other corrections so check again.]
Óscar Ugarte, Minister of Health, reported that there is a trend towards a reduction of new cases. This can be seen in the reports of the Ministry of Health….There is a growth trend in the second wave that was almost vertical in previous weeks and what we are seeing is a slowdown.”
Ugarte continued by saying, “However, we have a critical situation at hospital level, in the demand for oxygen, in the use of ICU beds and this is notorious…We have very serious effects on the situation of people who are hospitalized and those who require ICU.”
The most important thing is how we reinforce the attention to people so that they do not reach serious extremes,” he said. “We are going to reinforce the first level of attention.”
As of Monday, the imports of oxygen from Chile began arriving with 40 tons per week that Peru imports from Antofagasta.
Rates of Transmission Across All Peruvian Regions
Today Open-Covid-Peru released data on the Rates of Transmission (Rt) for each region of the country as well as for each individual region. The rates of transmission in most regions are dropping, but not all are seeing a decrease.
The Rt number is the average number of people that a person with COVID-19 will infect. Several regions are now under 1, while some are climbing. Peru itself has a Rt number of 0.9.
Anything under 1 means the increase in contagion is going down. Anything above 1 means contagion is increasing. The lower the number the better.
As of 4:30 this Wednesday afternoon, the Council of Ministers are still meeting to analyze data and determine what measures will be instituted across the country going forward.
As soon as an announcement is made, I’ll report on it.
Second Ferry Coming to Iquitos Next Month
The citizens of Loreto will have a second ferry at their service in March of this year. The Ministry of Transport and Communications (MTC), through the operator of the Iquitos-Santa Rosa river route, is about to conclude the transfer to the capital of Loreto of the Amazonas II Ferry.
The Amazonas II ferry, designed and built in a European shipyard, will cover the 486 km route between the capital of Loreto and the border town of Santa Rosa.
The implementation of this new ferry service is part of the MTC’s commitment to improve river transportation conditions in the region and to have environmentally friendly and sustainable transportation for the Amazon.
The MTC promoted the acquisition of the second ferry, which will ensure that the river transportation service on the Iquitos-Santa Rosa route meets the needs of the citizens and guarantees the continuity of the service.
“The objective is to provide safe and dignified transportation for the citizens of the Amazon. The new vessel has all the necessary equipment for a comfortable and safe trip for users,” said the head of MTC, Eduardo Gonzalez.
The Amazonas II ferry, like the Amazonas I ferry, will connect the main cities and communities located along the 486 kilometers of the route between Iquitos and the border town of Santa Rosa (adjacent to the triple border with Colombia and Brazil). The intermediate towns of Indiana, Pebas, San Pablo and Caballococha will also be served.
The second ferry will be used in situations that prevent the first ferry from providing services. Thus, the citizens of Loreto will have at their permanent disposal a safe and efficient means of transportation, which is subsidized by the MTC.
This Amazonas II is valued at 4 million euros and will have a capacity for 300 passengers. In addition, it has rafts and life jackets for travelers, digital information system for navigation and real time location, and adequate environments for luggage storage and displacement of passengers in need of medical attention.
The MTC will continue to subsidize the 200 tickets on the Iquitos-Santa Rosa section so that Loreto citizens can travel and have access to more alternatives for work, education and health.
The Amazonas I ferry resumed service on October 29, 2020, after interprovincial transportation was suspended to prevent the spread of Covid-19. From that date until January 31, 2021, it carried 12,206 passengers.
A Morning Hike Above Cusco
Yesterday morning I decided to get out of Cusco for a bit and head up into the mountains above my apartment. Despite the heavy winds and light rain that blew in and forced me back down the mountains, it was still a lot of fun getting out and being able to put my mask in my pocket for awhile.
I even got to so some filming with my DJI Mavic Air 2 drone and my little DJI Pocket 2 video camera to make this short film so you can get an idea what it’s like hiking up there:
The scenery is breathtaking. Every day I have to remind myself just how lucky I am to live in a place so beautiful. This really is my backyard!
[Be sure to click on each pic to see a larger version!]
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COVID After 3 Weeks in February
Last night Peru’s Ministry of Health released the final’s days report through the first three weeks of February and, while there are clear signs of leveling, it’s coming slower than expected.
The expected prevalence of the Brazilian P1 variant is starting to cause real devastation in Loreto again — a place where mask wearing and social distancing have never been popular among a great number of people in the region. (Massive Carnival celebrations earlier in the month involving thousands of people across the city of Iquitos will certainly result in increased problems for a region already suffering from lack of oxygen, hospital beds, and ICU capabilities.)
Hospitalizations
It appears that hospitalizations have finally started to peak across the country, but it’s going to take another week before this trend is clear.
ICU Care
The country’s continuing inability to meet the demand for ICU beds is aggravated by a shortage of personnel trained to work in these specialized units.
Unfortunately, while it looks as if there is steady leveling of patients admitted to ICU units across the country, this is just a reflection of the lack of beds available. There simply is no room to increase these numbers to fill the demand that exists.
Positivity Rates
This is the most disappointing area when looking at the data for the past week. While there was a precipitous drop in testing positivity rates in the first half of the month, the past week has seen a leveling off of the percentage of positive tests despite continued massive testing programs compared to previous months.
Indeed, there is even a very slight rise in positivity rates. Though it’s likely statistically insignificant right now, the data shows, at the very least, that the spread of COVID across Peru is no longer slowing down and may be starting to rise again.
Deaths
One somewhat surprising (and encouraging) area is the number of deaths that appears to have leveled off and is starting to go down.
This is usually what’s known as a “trailing indicator” — meaning it shows changes after other data begins to show trends. It’s not clear why the number of people dying is going down despite hospitalizations remaining so high, but it’s possible that the new variants spreading in Peru are not as deadly as the original virus.
Unfortunately, the Brazilian variant is perhaps the least understood thanks to the Brazilian government’s “head in the sand” approach under President Bolsonaro to dealing with COVID over the past year. (It is clear, however, that the Brazilian variant can re-infect those who have already recovered from the original COVID virus.)
Sadly, February still is easily the worst month regarding the number of people dying in the country. Peru is averaging 194.4 deaths a day through the first three weeks of this month. Previously, at the height of the first wave of COVID, the daily average of deaths was lower during June (175.6), July (188.4), and August (190.8).
What Does All This Mean?
On Wednesday, Peru’s Council of Ministers will meet to go over all the data. It’s likely that this is the extent of the nationwide data that will influence their decisions of the designations of risk levels across the country.
That means they will be looking at exactly what I’ve presented above as it’s extremely unlikely that one more day’s data will be enough to have an effect in their decisions.
The current designations and the corresponding rules and regulations are set to expire on Sunday. An announcement is expected on Wednesday afternoon or evening regarding new changes that will go into effect on Monday.
I think it’s very clear that there won’t be many changes — especially in the country’s largest population center of Lima.
Unfortunately, I don’t have access to the detailed data for specific regions that they are looking at. Anecdotal evidence suggests that at least one region (Loreto) may be raised to the “Extreme Risk” level and go back into another strict quarantine.
I don’t expect too many provinces to see their designations dropped and most will remain at their current levels.
What will be interesting is to see if the administration will make adjustments to how they are targeting efforts to reduce contagion. There is a great deal of pressure for different focuses allowing for increased economic activity to operate in areas that had previous been completely shut down again.
As they say, stay tuned.
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