Archive for July, 2020
Santo Domingo, RD.- At the instructions of the High Level Commission for the Prevention and Control of Coronavirus, the rapid tests to detect the coronavirus that was being carried out at some airports in the country were suspended. The test began to be applied on Monday (July 27).
The management of the Corps Specialized in Airport Security and Civil Aviation (CESAC) made a report at 8:00 pm to personnel from Dominicanos Siglo XXI Airports (Aerodom) explaining that the measure would be evaluated for future application.
According to information provided to Diario Libre, hereafter they will randomly apply the test to a percentage of passengers entering the country.
“The processing time per passenger is a minimum of 10 minutes, a flight of 150 passengers with 5 test machines would take between 4 and 5 hours,” said José Luis López, director of Communications at Aerodom.
This Monday, July 27, Aerodom reported that it was carrying out the rapid test to determine if a person had COVID-19. Likewise, at the Cibao International Airport, located in Santiago, they were also conducting the test.
Testimonials
Some passengers who arrived today on flights from the United States and Europe told Diario Libre that they were subjected to the rapid test by a body of medical epidemiologists who were on duty at the José Francisco Peña Gómez terminal.
Francisca Escoto, who traveled on flight 1409 of the JetBlue airline, coming from New York, said that she was subjected to the process, together with her two teenagers.
Also, Perfecto Polanco, who arrived on Iberia flight 6501 from Spain, said that he and the other passengers on that flight went, first through a feverish monitoring process, and then they performed the test to leave the air terminal and enter to the country.
This Monday it was observed that members of the National Police and the Specialized Corps of Airport Security and Civil Aviation (CESAC) prohibited entry to the airport building for people who came to dismiss family and friends. These were left at a distance of 25 and 50 meters so that they could say goodbye to their loved ones.
Source: Detras del Rumor
July 29, 2020
The #DefensaCivilRD informs the Dominican population that only the use of public swimming pools, lagoons, and rivers will be prohibited at the national level. All beaches will be open.
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PUERTO PLATA.- As part of the priorities to face the complicated sanitary situation that affects the country and the world, the management of the Puerto Plata Tourist Cable Car announced that it will reduce its operations to just five days a week.
The Puerto Plata Cable Car will not operate on Mondays and Tuesdays of each week, but its activities will take place from Wednesday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., on weekends (Saturdays and Sundays), it will work from 8:30 in the morning to 3:00 in the afternoon.
As Rafael Núñez, who is the general director of the Puerto Plata Cable Car, explained, the new state of emergency established by the authorities forced them to propose different scenarios, always taking into account their priorities, the staff, the electronic and mechanical equipment, and the visitors.
“We made the decision to reduce our service hours to five days a week, since after the total closure of our Cable Car last March to comply with the official provisions to reduce the impact of the COVID-19 virus, it was last Friday 3 July we reopened our doors, “said Núñez.
He stated that the size of the ecological park at the top of Loma Isabel de Torres and the measures taken for the use of the Cable Car, guarantee that the funicular can be visited with all reliability and safety, always maintaining the required social distance.
He said that during the time the pandemic persists, they have chosen to divide the workforce into two groups with a monthly rotation scheme, which will allow half to keep working with full pay and the other half suspended with 50% of their salary.
Source: Puerto Plata Digital
July 23, 2020
The Monetary Board authorized the creation of a Quick Liquidity Facility (FLR), making RD $ 60 billion available so banks can channel credit to companies and households nationwide. The fund will stimulate production and save jobs in the context of the present health crisis, the Central Bank announced on 23 July 2020.
Of this amount, RD$40 billion is to be allocated in loans with an 8% interest rate per year. The funds are targeted to medical centers, tourism, exports, construction, manufacturing, and farming that have been affected by Covid-19. RD$10 billion is being made available for Dominican households through personal and consumer loans. Another RD$5 billion is available for micro, small and medium enterprises for debt refinancing and new credit with Adopem, Banfondesa, Ademi, Banco Agrícola as well as through specialized financing programs for small business available through Banca Solidaria.
Source: DR1, N Digital
July 23, 2020
President-elect Luis Abinader tweeted on Thursday, 23 July 2020 that he will be naming former president of the Senate, 62-year old Jesús Vásquez Martínez, his minister of Interior & Police. He replaces Ramón (Monchy) Fadul.
Abinader also named Mercedes Perez Ceballos as deputy minister for social management and citizen education.
Vásquez Martínez is a four-time senator (1994-2010), representing María Trinidad Sánchez province. He was previously provincial governor for the province from 1982-1985. He served as consul general to Venezuela from 1985 to 1986. He presided the Senate from 2003-2004.
He was initially indicted in the Odebrecht bribery case but later removed from the case.
He served as secretary-general of the Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM), before handing the position to Carolina Mejía.
He has a degree in Political Science from Cork Institute, International Seminar on the FTAA, Miami; Regional Integration, Chile; International on the Hague International Court, Rome, Italy; Productivity and Development, Taiwan.
Vásquez was part of the National Commission for Assessment of Personnel that was in charge of preselecting and organizing those that would be named to the Abinader administration come 16 August 2020. Others on the commission were Luis Valdez, Kimberly Taveras Duarte, Nelson Arroyo, and Yadira Henríquez.
The Abinader cabinet is shaping up as follows, in order of announcement of the appointments:
Ethics and corruption Office director: Milagros Ortiz Bosch
Minister of the Presidency: Lisandro Macarrulla
Foreign Relations Minister: Roberto Álvarez Gil
Education Minister: Roberto Furcal
Spokesperson for the Presidency: Milagros Germán
Governor of the Central Bank: Hector Valdez Albizu
Economy & Planning Minister: Miguel Ceara Hatton
Hacienda Minister: Jochi Vicente
Superintendent of Banks: Alejandro Fernández Whipple
National Budget director: Jose Rijo Presbot
CEI-RD director: Biviana Riveiro
Economic advisor to the President: Pedro Silverio
Legal Advisor to the President: Antoliano Peralta
Energy & Mines Minister: Antonio Almonte Reynoso
Administrative Minister of the Presidency: José Ignacio Paliza
Defense Minister: Major General Carlos Luciano Díaz Morfa
Head of the Health Cabinet: Vice President-elect Raquel Peña
Public Health Minister: Plutarco Arias
Deputy Minister for Collective Health: Ivelisse Acosta
Executive director Public Procurement Agency: Carlos Pimentel
Tourism Minister: David Collado
Public Works Minister Deligne Ascención
Youth Minister: Kimberly Taveras Duarte
Interior & Police Minister: Jesús (Chu) Vásquez
Public Administration Minister: Dario Castillo Lugo
Source: DR1, Listindiario
July 23, 2020
JetBlue and American Airlines have announced a new strategic alliance for managing traffic on the US East Coast. JetBlue and American Airlines serve the Dominican Republic from several gateways in the eastern United States.
The partnership means customers will have more choice across the two airlines in domestic and international networks. The relationship will also accelerate each airline’s recovery as the travel industry adapts to new trends under Covid-19.
The agreement calls for reciprocal codeshare flights on more than 60 routes operated by American Airlines and 130 by JetBlue, as well as loyalty benefits for passengers. Codesharing allows customers to book a single itinerary combining flights from both airlines, which will result in a one-stop check-in experience and seamless flight connections from origin to destination.
Source: DR1, American Airlines, JetBlue
July 19, 2020
Aerodom announced the opening of Terminal A at the Las Americas International Airport to double the physical space for arrivals and departures. The announcement came after Public Health Minister Rafael Sanchez Cárdenas acknowledged in the Thursday morning Covid-19 press briefing breaches in the physical distancing protocols at the main Santo Domingo airport.
Aerodom issued a statement saying that the opening of Terminal A in addition to Terminal B “will reduce the number of people in the arrivals area and will enable physical distance rule that must be maintained at all times,” said airport spokesman, Luis Jose Lopez.
Aerodom says their airports have handled over 50,000 travelers from and two the Americas and Europe since reopening on 1 July 2020.
Source: DR1, Listindiario
July 19, 2020
