COVID-19

Public Health reports 806 new cases of coronavirus and 25 new deaths

https://eldia.com.do/salud-publica-repo … s-muertes/

In the last 24 hours, 4,666 tests were processed, of which 3,617 are performed for the first time and 1,049 are subsequent.

The organism presents a daily positivity rate of 22.28% and in the last 4 weeks of 27.47%.

We are beginning to see a clearer picture of covid19 across the country from the new testing regimes and reporting.

The test positivity has dropped from the highs at election time but remain at or about 20% which is high. The cases are spread all around the country. The hospitalization and ICU situation is under control with lower occupancies.

https://es-la.facebook.com/SaludPublica … mp;theater

The measures in place appear are holding their own with enough new cases daily and 20+% positivity but that involves continued curfew and closure of places where people congregate.

We can plan our lives to live with this less than ideal situation with daytime activity back to or even more than normal in most places, but one wonders how DR can relax much more. Ranieri suggested today that the curfew hours at weekends be relaxed to 8pm thereby allowing more domestic tourism.

Rainieri favors a reduction in the hours of the 'curfew' to boost tourism

https://www.arecoa.com/destinos/2020/09 … r-turismo/

The drop off in foreign tourists is huge:

Foreign tourism falls 87.4% in the Dominican Republic in August

https://www.arecoa.com/destinos/2020/09 … na-agosto/

Tourism worldwide is suffering and one wonders how many will want to travel this coming winter season.

If they would enforce the rules things might improve.

This is progress I think.  Slow progress

I understand about your mental health concerns.  However I would simply add that anyone considering travelling at the moment needs to think again.  Having just spend 5 1/2 months in DR and now back in Europe-there things aren't great either with second spikes everywhere.

Even with a vaccine, we are all in this together for the long haul.  So again everyone be safe and alert.  there's always someone who isn't.

Yes, it will be a long time - everywhere !

Like you , I left when the hospitals got full.... just before the election.

I am currently in Westchester county, NY state.
Life is quite normal , albeit w/ masks and distancing.... widely observed.

I'm returning to RD next week.
Things aren't perfect here yet but the hospital 'crush' seems to be over.
That's a good sign IMO

Good luck & stay safe.

That is key in DR - to keep the lid on the transmission rate and hospitals able to function.

As for the recovery of tourism, the governemnet is trying as best it can to promote the benefits of visiting as well as encouraging domestic tourism. But tourism looks set to be depressed worldwide for a long time. DR is just one of many destinations fighting for a diminished pool of potential visitors.The winter season will be watched closely. Will Canadians and Americans be travelling this winter to avoid the cold is the big question? I don't think Europeans will be travelling much now that the second wave is beginning to happen there. One also wonders if the economic situation will deter tourists as stimulus measures begin to drop out in many countries.

In other Caribbean countries they are seeing visitors who are prepared to book places that are more isolated from other visitors. Will the bulk AI market recover here?

I do agree with the new governements plans to develop tourism potential throughout DR:

Abinader plans to exploit tourism in each province with potential

https://www.arecoa.com/destinos/2020/09 … potencial/

I do think the country is so blessed with natural beauty and it is much more than a beach destination for hordes of tourists. To diversify now in covid19 times into other areas where lower density tourism could work along with eco tourism would be a good plan. The mountains, the north west and south west have great potential and Samana is still relatively untapped along with near Miches.

I have heard rumblings about people fleeing the US...
a family friend in particular is considering buying here from PHL.

Oddly, another friend (Cdn) has asked us to scout him a rental for 2-3 months this winter
Usually, he goes to California.... no more, wants to come here.

My house has been for sale for 2-3 yrs (to rebuild on other land) and in the past 6 weeks I had 2 different buyers looking - after zero activity before.

So, it may be that people are looking to get away from the bad situation in the US...
hard to say

Your AI point is well taken....
however, as we hear daily, there are so many people everywhere ignoring the Virus protocol that perhaps tourism will rebound faster than we think....

I hope so for the industry's sake..... it doom & gloom right now IMO

The search for houses rather than apartments is what I am hearing on other islands for rent and to buy.

Abinader tells journalists that surveys reveal 81% of the population agrees with the curfew

https://n.com.do/2020/09/10/abinader-di … -de-queda/

The President of the Republic, Luis Abinader, reportedly informed radio and television communicators during a meeting that the Government conducts surveys that indicate that more than 81% of the population agrees with the curfew measure, which limits circulation transit at a certain time.

The disclosure was made by journalist Diana Lora, who said that the president indicated that for that reason the restrictions implemented by the curfew will be maintained.

This is based on the fact that this restrictive measure, according to the government, has been working within the efforts to face the pandemic in the country.........

He certainly seem far more proactive than the last lot.  Let's hope so for everyone's sake.

You'r right about Europeans not travelling to DR.  There's enough problems in Europe with Spain yesterday showing a new daily increase of 10,000 new cases.

The world has certainly changed and is still changing.

I get enquiries from americans looking to move here much more frequently now!  Canadian visitors will stay away as long as they have a two week reentry isolation mandate. Europeans will continue to stay away as well

Long term we do have to rethink our tourism models.

Actual numbers of new an fatal cases and positivity is becoming clearer with the new government reports:

https://es-la.facebook.com/SaludPublica … mp;theater

We are seeing, as expected, more cases again in DN and Santo Domingo and plenty of cases still in Santiago with a marked increase for Puerto Plata and cases in most places too.

Sadly these FB posts are horrible to try and read! 

And I agree we are seeing more of reality

The new administration is dealing with this virus in a better way.

We still have 20% ish positivity and they are sending out teams provincially and testing and yes there are cases showing up everywhere and so they can develop local action plans.

There appears to be no plans in sight to end curfew. This is a good island solution for DR, PR, Cuba, TCI, the Virgins and others.

https://m.noticiassin.com/ministro-admi … -de-queda/

It is working but the cases need to be flattened more.

They are promoting the required sanitary measures again and more clearly through media.

They are doing well for a latin country. The message is getting through more and more. I am seeing this in my daytime travels around the country.

I am hopefull with this new government and a more thorough approach.

I agree with most of your comments.

I also see the pushback starting.  New campaign on social media to stop the curfew!    I saw clearly the govt statement that there is no plan to change it.   Not sure people are going to accept it.  Time will tell.

The facts speak for themselves:

The first phase of curfew ended on 30th June and the second phase started on 20th July.

In those 20 days we saw the confirmed cases jump by 20,569 to an average of one thousand a day with and average of 17 deaths daily and a jump in active cases by nearly thirteen thousand to 27,402 from 14,729. along with an increase in positivity from 20% to 30%.

Only now after more curfew, the active cases are diminishing again and the positivity is dropping at times below 20% and the daily numbers are much lower with more testing too. The cases and positivity is still too high and the government knows it.

Curfew works well for DR now and the intelligent view from government is we need to keep the pressure on, whilst bearing down on where cases are happening through local measures and education.

A foolish view is to cease curfew and see another unsustainable peaking of cases as before and another need to damp down the virus. That would be another distaster.

I am hopeful that as the cases begin to diminish and the positivity drops to a much lower level, that the curfew can be eased. A good longer term outcome would be to have curfew between 10/11pm and 5am. And with that very few should have reason to grumble.

I  agree with you.  I think for  many the issues are with the lack of reporting and under reporting after the govt changeover. So many saw that as - oh its over!   Its safe to come out now.....

Clearly not.  I believe the curfew is very important and the additional measures wherever necessary are as well!

I now have a  34 year old employee in the hospital battling covid!   34 with no underlying health issues!

Read some news report of night partiers giving the authorities a hard time in SD....it was a Dominican publication....any accuracy to this...just wondering...

Absolutely true. It's been going on for many weeks.   I do think it's getting worse!

Maybe covid19 deaths have been significantly under reported in DR?

https://eldia.com.do/salud-publica-admi … -covid-19/

JCE reckons 3000 against reported 2000.

The Minister of Tourism, David Collado, expressed last Wednesday that he understands that the priority should be to lower the rates of COVID-19 infections, however, he said he agrees that curfew schedules be made more flexible, especially those Sundays, so that Dominicans who are in the interior of the country have time to return to their homes.

He indicated that the Government seeks to adopt measures to encourage domestic tourism, which will be announced next Monday.

He anticipated that among the plans to be executed are an alliance with private banks, in order to obtain financing for three months without interest, so that the middle class can begin to occupy the hotel rooms.

He reiterated that the goal of the Dominican Republic is to receive 400 thousand tourists by December 31.

It is recalled that the National Association of Hotels and Tourism (Asonahores) has also expressed itself on the subject, who suggested modifying the curfew schedule in order to stimulate internal tourism and facilitate the fluidity of traffic in the city of Santo Domingo, but without returning to aggressive social activity.

They consider that the schedule can be modified from 9:00 at night to 5:00 in the morning from Monday to Friday and from 7:00 at night to 5:00 in the morning on weekends, so that it is avoided obstruction in traffic.

https://www.arecoa.com/destinos/2020/09 … que-queda/

Well, that confirms the logical next step.

To extend until later the curfew start whilst maintaining the reason for the curfew during the night hours. Perhaps even later is needed to help the domestic tourists at weekends to say 8pm.

I sense the importance to generate more domestic tourism. It is hard to see much of a recovery of international tourism this coming winter season. Covid19 remains at high levels in the Americas in total and it is getting worse in Europe.

It is not just DR that matters for tourism. They can introduce supportive measures as much as they want, but the virus has everyone worldwide reassessing their plans both economically and travel wise.

The high end market and villa rentals will be resiliant as people look to enjoy vacations without risks to health. But the whole air travel experience comes with a risk factor especially the longer journeys.

I would be in favor of  changing curfews in the big cities to a bit later  during the week to  alleviate these traffic nightmares!   2 hours to cross the  city if you do it anytime past 4pm!  Its just horrendous.

The  traffic getting back into Santo Domingo on Sunday  night is brutal as well. two hours to get across the bridge if you try this anytime after  3pm on Sunday.

Puerto Plata province had 73 new cases reported today peaking a new high above the 20 to 50 range of recent. It is clearly a hot spot in the country and that doesn't bode well for relaxation of curfew soon in that zone.

https://es-la.facebook.com/SaludPublica … mp;theater

La Vega, Santiago and Puerta Plata seems like the vicinity besides Santo Domingo area.

Sosua is in not in a good way with covid19 according to the MoH report today:

There were 19 new cases the past week, 2 deaths making a total of 103 deaths since March. It is a small town and one could guess it is linked to the sex tourism.

https://es-la.facebook.com/SaludPublica … mp;theater

Interesting as they are trying to spin it as if the tourist areas have NO issues! 

And now with local tourism you know  the folks in SD and Santiago are taking the virus to the other areas again!   

DOMINICAN TODAY

Santo Domingo.- The Dominican Government published this Monday, for the first time, a COVID-19 medical bulletin focused on the tourist areas of the country, to expose the low incidence of the disease in these regions and try to promote the reactivation of this economic sector, the main one in the country.

The bulletin, prepared by the Ministry of Public Health, highlights that in the last week 36 new infections were registered in the five main tourist regions of the country.

Since the start of the pandemic, 227 people have died in these regions from the coronavirus, of which two were registered in the last 24 hours, specifically in the Cabarete and Sosúa area, in the north of the country.

The Punta Cana region, the country’s main tourist pole, had 5 new infections in the last week, according to the bulletin data.

The document highlights that tourist areas accounted for 0.8% of all infections during the week, “which shows a much lower level of risk in these locations.” In addition, the bulletin provides data on rapid tests carried out on passengers at airports, with two positives among 1,829 tests carried out between September 4 and 20.

THE STRONG IMPACT OF TOURISM

Tourism suffers a strong impact due to the pandemic and has registered drops close to 88% in both July and August, the first months after the reopening of borders.

Nearly 54,000 foreign tourists arrived in July and 50,000 in August, compared to the nearly 400,000 a month in those months of 2019. To encourage tourism, the Dominican Government has offered tourists, until the end of the year, insurance free health that covers any medical emergency.

COVID-19 IN THE REST OF THE COUNTRY

Across the country, the Ministry of Public Health reported 7 deaths and 494 new cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours on Monday, a number of infections that show a slight downward trend. Since the arrival of the pandemic in the country, last March, 108,783 infections and 2,054 deaths have accumulated throughout the Dominican Republic.

The Dominican authorities have practically doubled the number of beds available for COVID-19 since the beginning of August when the health system came under greater pressure due to the increase in infections derived from the measures to reactivate the economy.

Currently, 901 people are hospitalized for COVID-19, of which 226 are admitted to intensive care units (ICU) and 124 of them require mechanical ventilation.

The hospital bed occupancy rate is 26%, while ICUs are at 41% of their total capacity, which currently amounts to 562 beds.

Since last July 20, the Dominican Republic reapplied the state of emergency and the curfew, which has variable hours depending on the different provinces of the country.

The Government also maintains the prohibition of operating nightclubs, casinos, and other activities that involve crowds of people, and has also decided that the school year will be held virtually.

You bet the cases are low in PC......
fewer visitors, less population = less cases

But wouldn't that be the same for Puerta Plata, Sosua etc?

Punta Cana is a resort zone. The workers live in Veron and to a lesser extent in the main provincial town Higuey. It is a big low density province by and large.

Puerto Plata has larger population and concentrated in a particular zone but with a transient population.

I bet Higuey and all the North Coast PP resort towns don't follow the required rules. And so the virus spreads. Safer in PC imo.

Well I won't be coming back anytime soon.

Well I won't be coming back anytime soon.

The issues in punta cana are going to get much worse. 

All these local tourism initiatives will be driving up the spread yet the numbers may not reflect it.  Local tourists go home  three days later.  When they   get diagnosed it will
be attached to their home location and not punta cana!   There is no contact tracing here, no notification of spread

Once workers start getting infected you may see a rise in punta cana rates.

From experience I can tell you a weekend in some hotels in punta cana is a free for all!   There was not a lot of rule enforcement

Revised curfew from next Monday has been confirmed by the President and will be the same throughout the country. The headline is partially incorrect for many regions because the curfew starts earlier at weekends in places like Samana.

Abinader confirms curfew hours will be reduced


https://noticiassin.com/abinader-confir … -de-queda/

SANTO DOMINGO.-  President Luis Abinader confirmed this Wednesday what was announced yesterday by Public Health: the curfew hours will be reduced by two hours and will be equal throughout the country.

Starting Monday, the new hours will be from 9:00 PM to 5:00 AM, Monday through Friday, and on weekends from 7:00 PM to 5:00 AM.

The measure will come into effect from the expiration of the current curfew, so a new decree from the president is expected in which it expands the measure that restricts mobility.

The measure was taken, said yesterday the Minister of Health, Plutarco Arias, counting on the responsibility of the population and could be varied if the necessary measures to avoid contagions are not respected.


Pragmatic move imo.

It allows the people in Santo Domingo plenty of time to get home after work without the serious traffic jams that have been encountered into curfew.

It allows the weekend domestic tourist a couple more hours to get home and in doing so they can stay at the resorts until mid afternoon.

It doesn't affect the bulk international tourism at AIs.

It maintains nightime control on Dominicans especially at weekends when they party and socially mingle and spread virus. It has reduced the weekend hours in some provinces badly affected such as Barahona.

I strongly disagree with you Planner.  In PC, businesses, especially larger businesses are following the rules of separation, masks, checking your temperature before entering mandatory hand sanitizer etc.  also there is a lot of private security in the PC area.  If the cases do increase, it will affect those not in compliance which is the lesser not the greater.  In PC many of our residential areas are gated and rules are in place and are being enforced.  We don't have the flocking on the streets like they do in many other areas of the country.  Of course, there is always the exception.  Maybe in PC we have more tourists and more exposure to a variety of germs hence we probably have also developed stronger immune systems.

I for one am not worried about life in Punta Cana.  I suggest working on your immune system and stop worrying about those things you have no control over...IMHO

DominicanadaMike, I was just talking to an old friend about his and mine immune system. We both worked in NYC in the worst condition imaginable. In the subway tunnels, crack houses, homeless, well you get the idea. After retiring I worked in a trauma center in a very poor area. To this day I never get sick, nothing other than a dull headache after a night of drinking. And that is usually cleared up after 40 or so miles on the bike.
I do think it is related to being exposed to everything when I was younger. But I still take precautions. Washing hands, social distancing and avoiding crowded area when possible.

DominicanadaMike -  I can only tell you that the workers in the resorts are being exposed to the  LOCAL TOURISTS who flock there from Santo DOmingo.

Those workers will spread the virus. That is my concern!  No idea about the stores etc in Punta Cana honey. I do know what is going on inside the resorts on weekends - not all of them of course!

Lennox -  I seriously hope this helps the traffic situation in the capital. It is  really bad!

Hey Planner,  the problem with COVID is that there is too much propaganda and very little statistical based evidence that has any real scientific value.

For example, doesn't anyone wonder why the death rate is low in the DR compared with other countries?  It could be as simple as the fact that we tend to eat foods that are healthier, fresher and with less chemicals than many other countries.  But there is no evidence to confirm it and even worse, no one seems to care.

We know that children under the age of 10 are less prone to getting the virus.  Why?  Is it because of the development of their bodies immune system?  As we get older we start pouring junk into our bodies, become less active, are less exposed and hence our immune system becomes weaker.  Our bodies are created with everything we need to self heal.  It's just that we have tampered with them too much.

Testing is a farce.  If you have contracted the virus and your immune system beats it off and you never have a symptom you can still test positive for COVID.  The dead residue is still in your system for some time.  Are you a danger?  Are you in danger?  I don't think so but you still tested positive.

Don't let all of this number mumbo jumbo go to your brain.  Be realistic, be logical, use common sense, look around you, see what is happening and then decide.  There will be more deaths related to panic and economic malfunction than there will be to COVID.

Is there a danger?  Of course there is.  How much danger is another question.  Probably less than waking up in the morning with no coffee...

This virus will take its course and will still be around this time next year.  We have to learn to live with it for now...and no exposure isn't the answer either.

IMHO

I will disagree with you on MUCH of this.  Absolutely  not correct. But we are not having this discussion on here.