September, 2020 | Nice People Networking

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Tourist Information on Covid Regulations in the Dominican Republic – Update Sep 2nd

INFORMATION UPDATED AS OF SEPTEMBER 2, 2020:

As of July 30 and until September 14, all who wish to enter the country will be asked to have a negative result of the PCR test (or Polymerase Chain Reaction, for its acronym in English) of the five days prior to your arrival date. If this result is not available, government personnel will carry out a quick test at no additional cost to the passenger. In the same way, an evaluation of the health condition is made upon arrival and, those people who present symptoms of COVID-19 or whose test result is positive will be isolated in centers authorized for their care. The rapid test provides reliable results in less than 10 minutes through a blood serology test. Children under the age of five and crew members are exempt from the test. As of September 15, a rapid breath test will be applied that the authorities will randomly perform on between 3% and 10% of travelers upon arrival in the country, keeping the exceptions mentioned above. The test will also be applied to travelers with symptoms. Also starting on September 15 will be granted temporarily, free of charge and until December 31, 2020, to all tourists visiting a hotel, during the check-in process, a traveler assistance plan that, in addition to coverage of emergencies, includes COVID-19 tests and costs for long-stay and flight changes. All persons entering the Dominican Republic must complete, in addition to immigration and customs forms, a Traveler Health Affidavit in which they attest that they have not presented symptoms in the last 72 hours and provide their contact information for the next 30 days. The health declaration will be delivered to the passengers for their signature by the airport personnel, or by the airline.

From August 9 to September 27, a curfew is established from 7:00 pm to 5:00 am from Monday to Friday and from 5:00 pm to 5:00 am on Saturdays and Sundays in Santo Domingo , National District, Santiago, San Cristóbal, La Vega, Puerto Plata, Duarte, San Pedro de Macorís, La Romana, San Juan de la Maguana, La Altagracia, Azua, Monsignor Nouel, Sánchez Ramírez and María Trinidad Sánchez; and every day from 8:00 pm to 5:00 am in Espaillat, Peravia, Barahona, Monteplata, Valverde, Hermanas Mirabal, Monte Cristi, Samaná, Bahoruco, Hato Mayor, El Seibo, Dajabón, Santiago Rodríguez, San José de Ocoa , Elías Piña, Independencia and Pedernales.

During the curfew hours the circulation of international passengers and operators of private or commercial vehicles that are transferring them, as well as employees of the maritime and air transport sector duly identified, in transit to or from ports and airports, will be allowed; and of employees or contractors of the hotel industry exclusively during the exercise of their work functions.

From the 1st of July, the country restarted the tourist operation, with the opening of the country’s borders by land, sea, and air. Measurements include:

- Reactivation of commercial flights to and from the country’s airports.
- Reopening of hotels, adhering to strict protocols to offer a safe environment, which includes all cleaning measures and promotes social distancing, as well as the use of contact-free technologies.
- Activities in bars and nightclubs, as well as national and international events and public, cultural, artistic, and sporting shows, are suspended.
- Physical distancing and the use of masks are mandatory in all public spaces such as banks, supermarkets, and offices, among others.
Public transport operates with modified schedules and physical distancing of at least 1.5 meters, reducing its capacity to 60%. OMSA services (buses) and the Santo Domingo Metro will operate from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm from Monday to Friday and from 6:00 am to 4:00 pm on Saturdays and Sundays. On Sundays, the buses operate from 7:00 am to 4:00 pm. The Cable Car operates from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm Monday through Friday, from 6:00 am to 4:00 pm on Saturdays and from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm on Sundays.

The private collective transport of passengers, shopping centers, and gambling companies operate normally in the allowed hours, except casinos. Every commercial establishment that operates in closed spaces must ensure a physical distance of 1.5 meters, in addition to the proper use of masks, as well as compliance with the rest of the new sanitary regulations established by Public Health.

Indoor gyms are operating under strict sanitary protocols. The land border (to the west of the country) remains closed, except for the transport of goods. Religious services are allowed, with a small number of people.

Establishments that sell food and alcoholic beverages to the public, such as grocery stores, cafeterias, groceries, and warehouses, as well as restaurants, must operate depending on the curfew schedule in the town where they are located. Restaurant employees or contractors providing home delivery may circulate until 11:00 P.M. during the curfew exclusively in the exercise of their job duties. Some restrictions such as restaurant hours do not apply to hotels. For more information, contact your hotel directly.

The use of public swimming pools, lagoons, and rivers is prohibited nationwide. All the beaches are open, maintaining social distancing. Public parks remain open for recreational purposes and outdoor exercise. The Dominican Republic has a robust health system that has been able to identify the cases present in the country. For more information on COVID-19 in the Dominican Republic, please go to the website of the

Ministry of Public Health (https://www.msp.gob.do/web/) or download the COVID-RD mobile application, available at the App Store and Google Play, which works as a passport for tourists with which, through a QR code, the visitor can report their condition and have access to a series of services and information.

For MITUR, the well-being and safety of visitors is a priority, so it will continue working in coordination with the other relevant authorities to continue strengthening the country’s preventive measures against the coronavirus. For more information visit the Traveler Information Center: https://drtravelcenter.com/es

Read this in Spanish: https://www.godominicanrepublic.com/es/prensa/coronavirus/

Source: www.godominicanrepublic.com

Sep 12, 2020

12-09-20

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Bikini Bar on Sosua Beach

03-09-20

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Indotel director: Public schools need to rely on radio and TV programs

The new director of the Dominican Telecommunications Institute (Indotel), Nelson Arroyo threw a bucket of ice water on those dreaming about digital learning being the standard. Arroyo says the reality is that the prevailing poor connectivity is making virtual learning difficult for this school year. He said the focus should be on distance learning programs via radio and television for the rest of the year. He said digital learning will be complementary in most public schools for the start of this school year.

President Luis Abinader had announced the 2020-2021 school year will begin on 2 November with online classes, radio, and TV instruction. The government is investing heavily in providing laptops, notebooks, and tablets to public school teachers and students. Abinader has expressed high hopes the Covid-19 situation would push the country to reduce the digital divide.

When asked about Arroyo’s opinion, Vice President Raquel Peña said the government is working intensely to make digital learning possible for this school year.

Source: DR1, N Digital

Sep 3, 2020

03-09-20

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Senasa reaches out to those that are not on medical plans

The government has said that all Dominicans that are at present uninsured will be affiliated with the Senasa medical plan. The goal is for universal coverage of citizens. This means an estimated two million people that at present do not have insurance will be affiliated from now to December 2020. For hundreds of thousands, the insurance is free.

To apply the person must have a Dominican identity card, or a Dominican birth certificate or marriage certificate if the request is to be added to another family member plan.

Hoy newspaper reports on the difficulties in affiliating such a large number of people. In its coverage of the event attended by President Luis Abinader that marked the start of the procedures, Hoy observes the agglomeration of people and the lack of physical distancing.

The SeNaSa has almost 4 million affiliates in plans where the people are not charged. The plans offer coverage at most Dominican public hospitals.

Vehicle drive permit-issuing postponed to November

The Tax Agency (DGII) announces renewals of the vehicular drive permit will start in November, and not in September as usual. The DGII did not announce whether the rates would be the same. In 2019-2020, vehicles with registration up to and including 2014 paid RD$1,500 and vehicles from 2015 onwards paid RD$3,000. In 2019, the DGII listed 1,374,321 vehicles needed to renew the permit.

Source: DGII

03-09-20

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Citizens ask Chamber of Deputies to allow three exceptions to abortion

Civil society groups are protesting the decision of the president of the Chamber of Deputies, Alfredo Pacheco (PRM-National District) to exclude the three abortion grounds from the Penal Code that today criminalizes abortion with no exceptions. Pacheco has said the passing of the Penal Code is a priority of his.

Corporate lawyer Mary Fernandez, representing a group of concerned citizens, delivered a petition for the including of the three grounds for abortion in the bill. She said in just four days, more than 2,067 signatures were collected.

Pacheco surprised the nation when he excluded the three exceptions from the Penal Code submitted again for approval in the Chamber of Deputies when sessions resumed after the change of government. Pacheco argued this would enable the important collection of crime legislation to pass faster. He proposes the abortion clauses be heard separately. Those against the motion say this makes it even more unlikely the grounds for abortion would pass.

Representatives of civil society have been urging the legislators to act to guarantee the life and health of women. They stress that this is a fundamental right that must be preserved and no particular interests, be they political or religious, can intervene.

Fernández explained that the request does not force anyone to interrupt a pregnancy, but rather it seeks to preserve women’s lives. She stresses the right to abortion does not apply in the case of birth of special children. The grounds for abortion would be the risk to the mother’s life, when the fetus is unviable, and when the pregnancy has resulted from rape or incest.

Conservative sectors, primarily religious entities, strongly oppose decriminalizing abortion. At present, abortion in any form is a crime, with jail sentences for the mother and the assisting physician.

Those that are against the approval of the three exceptions say approving these will covertly legalize abortions in the country. Women’s health advocates do stress that today the wealthy can travel abroad for safe abortion, while the poor need to risk their lives in unsafe conditions.

The Penal Code has more than a decade pending approval primarily due to the discussions on abortion. On two past occasions, the then PLD-majority Congress passed the bill without the abortion grounds, former President Danilo Medina vetoed the bill requesting the inclusion of the exceptions.

A bill with the exceptions was recently sent for review by a Senate committee.

Source: DR1, Acento

Sep 3, 2020

03-09-20

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