They were barely making a living anyway with their street sales. Now with the quarantine, most street vendors are going home empty-handed. There is no government cash deposit helping them out. In fact, despite widespread propaganda by the government about it reaching 1.5 million poor Dominicans with cash emergency payments, most of the poor in the country are just going hungry.
The vendors say they are torn between exposing themselves to the Covid-19 by going out to sell something or not being able to feed their families.
“This thing of the coronavirus has hit us hard and now with the police arresting us. Tell me, what do I take to my three children? We are doing badly and they want to take us out of the street,” said Nolio Valdez, who was born in La Vereda de San Juan de la Maguana and relocated to Santo Domingo, making a living selling mobile phone items at Av. 27 de Febrero and Jimenez Moya.
On Manganagua Street in Los Restauradores, César Morel Caraballo has a household goods repair shop. He also does construction work and welding. “Everything is paralyzed. I have been out of work for more than 15 days,” he said. “I wish the President would find a way to make it possible for us to really benefit from the measures taken by the government, because we are very affected,” he said.
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Hoy
16 April 2020