Archive for September, 2021
The Third Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice (SCJ), through a change of criteria, considered that the mandatory tip provided for in Article 228 of the Labor Code should not be included in the bills for meals and beverages that are sold for consumption outside of the premises where they were purchased.
According to ruling 033-2021-SSEN-00765, the mandatory 10% gratuity shall only be applied to the bills of customers who consume meals or beverages in the stores or businesses that sell them. The ruling adds: “This regardless of whether such meals or beverages are transported by an employee of the business in question or whether the client has paid a third party, whether an individual or a legal entity, under any modality or route, whose economic activity is to transport meals or beverages produced by other businesses.”
The Third Chamber considered correct the position taken by the National Institute for the Protection of Consumer Rights (Proconsumidor) that the 10% legal tip should only be required when the act of consumption is carried out within the same establishment and not in cases of “delivery or take out”.
The resolution was issued by judges Manuel Herrera Carbuccia, Rafael Vásquez Goico and Nancy I. Salcedo Fernández.
The resolution revokes the previous judgment on the matter #0030-03-2020-SSEN-00121 dated 10 July 2020.
Source: DR1, DiarioLibre
Sep 13, 2021
Russian tourists are not wasting time booking their vacations in the Dominican Republic. With Azur Air, Nordwind, Royal Flights, the direct flights are back. Aeroflot is expected to begin flights starting 1 October 2021.
On 5 September 2021, a Nordwind flight landed in Puerto Plata’s Gregorio Luperon International Airport filled with sun-seeking tourists. Pegas Touristik sold the tour packages for the tourists who arrived on the Russian airline flight. 430 tourists arrived on flight NWS351 from Moscow’s Sheremetyevo International Airport on the SVO-POP-SVO route. The airline required the tourists to have had a PCR to test for Covid-19 72 hours before boarding.
The Nordwind Airlines aircraft was received with the traditional baptism by two fire trucks.
Stephanie Kfouri for the Ministry of Tourism, Puerto Plata Senator Ginette Bournigal and representatives of Aerodom Carlos Rodoli, director of the Airports of Puerto Plata and Samaná and Luis José López Mena, director of corporate communication, also attended the return of the Russian flight. Russians are the third-largest source market for tourists in Puerto Plata after the United States and Canada.
Nordwind has also scheduled flights to Samana’s International Airport.
Russian tourists can also again fly direct from Moscow to Punta Cana. As of 31 August, Royal Flights reinstated its charter flights to Punta Cana. The airline is working with the Coral Travel tour operator, reports Dominican ambassador in Russia, Hans Dannenberg. Dannenberg’s efforts have been key in reinstating the Russian flights and selling the Dominican destination to Russian tourists.
The first Russian airline to reinstate flights was Azur Air that began traveling to La Romana International Airport on 9 August 2021. Dannenberg says that Aeroflot should resume in October 2021. He expects a boom in the number of new cities from where travel agents will be selling packages to the Dominican Republic this year. He highlighted the importance of the new flights for trade in general between both countries. Exporters can take advantage of the cargo facilities offered by the returning flights to send fresh tropical produce.
Source: DR1, Ministry of Tourism
Sep 13, 2021
The Migration Agency (DGM) has consolidated Migration, Customs, and new Public Health forms in one, the e-ticket. This electronic ticket is required for the entry and exit of the Dominican Republic. It is obligatory as of 1 September 2021. The form is relatively easy to fill out. Once the data is entered, a QR code is generated that the traveler can print out or save on a smartphone.
Resolution DJ-009/2021 of the Ministry of Tourism ordered the implementation of the electronic ticket. The filing of the ticket is obligatory to clear Migration. Airlines will not book passengers that have not filed the ticket.
E-Ticket
The organizers of Master of the Ocean announced the event is taking place 14-18 September 2021 at Playa Encuentro, on the western side of Cabarete Beach in Puerto Plata. The annual “Four Sports – One Champion” sports event gathers elite athletes to compete in surfing, windsurfing, kitesurfing, and Stand Up Paddle. The event is promoted as “an exhibition of versatility, flow, style, and power.”
Marcus Bohm created the event 18 years ago. In its 17th edition, Master of the Ocean has the backing of the ministries of Tourism, Environment, Public Health and Defense, American Airlines, and Cabarete businesses.
Competitors are coming from 12 nations. Manuel Selman, who was among the top 20 in Tokyo 2020 is participating. Also Brian Talma, Barbados’ legendary Action Man. Marius Hermann is traveling here to represent surf and windsurf athletes from Sylt, a bustling watersports city on the north coast of Germany. Valeska Scheider, a German champion, has registered to compete. From France, Audrey Meyer is enrolled. Dominicans Papito Santana, Joselito del Rosario and Carlos David will compete for the Dominican Republic.
This year, each team has four competitors, one in each specialty. There will be an exhibition of wing foiling that combines kite and windsurf.
Those who fly the highest and best surf the waves of Cabarete will take home the title: Masters of the Ocean.
AT LEAST 10,000 USD IN PRIZE MONEY!
Source: DR1, Master of the Ocean
Sep 13, 2021
In the Dominican Republic, the first vaccines to arrive in February 2021 were of the AstraZeneca pharmaceutical company. These were used to inoculate health care providers. Subsequently, the Dominican government contracted for vaccines with Sinovac of China. And eventually, the batches of AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines have begun to arrive
Now the country has a surplus of vaccines. Donations of AstraZeneca vaccines have been made to Honduras (101,000) and Guatemala (304,000). Both countries have expressed their appreciation. A 100,000 AstraZeneca donation to Haiti, nevertheless, has been rejected by the Haitian government.
From the start, the Haitian government rejected a first batch of AstraZeneca vaccines that it would have received free of charge from Covax Initiative.
Now the Haitian government says that the same way it didn’t accept the AstraZeneca vaccines as part of Covax, it does not accept the vaccines donated by the Dominican government.
Source: DR1, DiarioLibre
Sep 13, 2021
The Ministry of Education accepted to postpone the contest to choose public teachers for the 2021-2022 school year. The Ministry acted on the recommendation of Xiomara Guante, president of the Dominican Association of Public School Teachers (ADP).
As reported in Diario Libre, the public school teacher union president asked Education Minister Roberto Fulcar to suspend the competition to choose public school teachers for the 2021-2022 school year.
The request is made after it was known that most of those who sat for the examinations failed the written test that is the first part of the assessment.
Guante had asked that the tests should be postponed for one or two days to give time for the National Commission to meet and analyze what has happened.
“So far, the ADP is not in a position to say what has happened because we have not gathered enough information, Guante said.
She said that what is known is that there were technological problems at the start and that reports are that a majority of those taking the test failed.
The Teacher Competitive Examination began this Wednesday with the evaluations of the applicants for the primary level in the 18 regional and 122 educational districts with massive participation.
Source: DR1, Diario Libre
Sep 13, 2021
