2020 – Page 51

The Ministry of Public Works has announced major roadwork to improve the Duarte Highway that connects the north with the south. The works will be carried out from Km. 9 in Santo Domingo to Santiago, some 155 km. From January 2019 to August 2020, there have been 1,202 road accidents with 283 deaths reported. During …

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The Ministry of Hacienda reports the Dominican government spent RD$101.94 billion to combat Covid-19 from April to mid-October 2020. Of the total, the Presidency of the Republic spent RD$51.73 billion and the Ministry of Public Health RD$5.9 billion. The current annual budget for Covid-19 had been set at RD$74.57 billion. This means there is a …

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Two more high-ranking government officials have tested positive for Covid-19 in the past 24 hours. As reported, these are Deputy Minister of Public Health Fernando Ureña. Public Health Minister Plutarco Arias had tested positive last week and is recovering. Edith Febles, a journalist who had interviewed Dr. Arias has also now tested positive. Ureña was …

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The Ministry of Public Health’s Epidemiology Department Coronavirus Bulletin #221 reports 316 new PCR confirmed cases. 2,775 first PCR tests were carried out in time for the deadline of Bulletin #221. The previous 14-day average is 3,474 tests. The 24-hour positivity rate is at 11.39% and the 4-week positivity rate continues to decline and is …

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President Luis Abinader committed to continue with past government works to clean the waters of the Ozama and Isabela Rivers that border Greater Santo Domingo. He committed to continuing the relocation of the families that live on the rivers’ banks and its tributaries. The work had been begun in the previous Medina administration. Abinader toured …

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President Luis Abinader spoke with satisfaction of the achievements of his government in combatting drug trafficking. In the first two months of his government, he said the authorities have doubled the drugs that have been seized in Dominican territorial waters He made the remarks when stopping at the Naval Base at the southern end of …

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President Luis Abinader signed the Inter American Press Association’s Declaration of Chapultepec and Salta at the Presidential Palace on Friday, 23 October 2020. The signing commits the new Dominican President to guarantee freedom of press and speech in the Dominican Republic. The 53-year old Dominican President Luis Abinader believes free press makes his government better. …

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Central Bank Governor Hector Valdez Albizu forecasts the country will rebound and post a 6% annual growth in 2021, a very impressive number for sure in these Covid-19 times. According to Valdez Albizu, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is saying that the Dominican Republic will be the country in Latin America to turn around, overcoming …

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The Ministry of Education (MINERD) has set 2 November 2020 as the kickoff date for the 2020-2021 school year. Just how classes this year will go is still somewhat fuzzy at best. However, the government has lined up over 150 radio stations and 100 local TV channels for the beginning of the classes. This is …

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The Senate has begun the selection process to choose the five members of the Chamber of Accounts (CCRD). The Chamber of Accounts is the government entity in charge of auditing government operations. At the close of the applications’ deadline, the media reports that lawyer Aura Celeste Fernández and Participacion Ciudadana long time member Cándido Mercedes …

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