Labor unions, officers of the Ministry of Labor, representatives of the leading religious churches, and Dominican big business met on Monday, 11 May 2020 at the Presidency to listen to recommendations regarding the gradual phasing of a reopening of the Dominican economy.
Media reports have been highlighting that every day more people seem to have returned to work or resumed regular daily activities. Public Health Minister Rafael Sanchez Cardenas confirmed that several government departments had called for employees to get back to work.
Dr. Sánchez Cárdenas again observed in the 11 May 2020 press briefing that the curfew does not apply during the day. Curfew is from 5pm to 6am. “The recommendations are still that people avoid unnecessary outings, that these be only for work or for the essential,” he said.
Dr. Sánchez Cárdenas corroborated that in recent weeks every day more people are seen commuting. We also observe more and more people are using masks, he said.
He said the Ministry right now is concentrating on locating asymptomatic persons and positive cases to direct these to domiciliary care or government isolation centers. He said the Ministry is supervising sanitization and fumigating of homes where persons have tested positive.
The opening will be slow, progressive, as more sectors will be approved by the governmental coronavirus commission to restore their activities, he said.
In her morning summary of news, Altagracia Salazar on 12 May 2020 summed up what the government had offered to labor, religion and business sectors. She said the labor sectors would get an extension in June and July of the Fase supplemental income program that awards up to around RD$8,000 in payments to employees that have been suspended by the companies. The religious groups will be allowed to reopen their churches, with the compliance of protocols. Big business will have access to RD$20 billion in low-cost loans, the result of the Ministry of Hacienda making a RD$40 billion bond placement under the National State of Emergency plan. Of the total, the Pension Plan providers (affiliates of the larger banks in the country) purchased RD$20 billion. This was divided in equal parts by por AFP Crecer, AFP Popular, AFP Reserva and AFP Siembra.
Follow the story in Spanish:
Ministry of Public Health press conference
El Caribe
Hoy
N Digital
Presidencia
Diario Libre
Altagracia Salazar – Sin Maquillaje
El Caribe
12 May 2020