Coronavirus Updates - Dominican Republic

Well, I can tell you that the schools in the Punta Cana area are closing for the next month.  Some if not all schools are preparing learn at home packages for students to work from home on the computers.  Grocery stores are over-whelmed.  Airports are starting to limit flights.  You should practice cleanliness and safe contact with others.  Stay at home if you don't need to go out...try to read about do's and don't's on the internet if you can.  Stay informed.

This time will pass but we all need to remain calm and manage the situation.  We must have faith that we will come out of this fine, maybe a couple of scratches but we must remain positive and help one another.

My 2 pesos.

Here all that has been written about  the virus :

https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.p … 27&p=2

The La Romana cruise ship terminal closed last week. All restaurants in Casa de Campo are moving to take out only service starting today. 3000 employees in Casa de Campo go on half day work schedules starting today. Stores are empty and  significant layoffs are happening now.

The Punta Cana International Airport closed Terminal 2 yesterday. We are self isolating and have 30 days provisions in place. The virus is in Casa de Campo. Jenny Polonco, a business owner, brought it back from Spain last week and engaged in social dining here prior to her diagnosis.

On a more humorous note, I wonder if salons and cabanas are considered essential services in DR?

We want to know the numbers of the coronavirus COVID-19 in the DR

The Dominican Government announced last night a series of measures in order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, including the closure for 15 days of all borders, land, sea and air and the suspension of teaching in all schools and university students. However, the authorities fail to be transparent in handling data on the disease in the country.

The president yesterday sent a message to the nation, so that we work together and unitedly against this pandemic that threatens health and the world economy. But it failed to report on the real impact so far on Dominicans.

In the last press conference of the Ministry of Public Health, on Monday 16, the few data that were obtained were virtually extracted from the Minister Rafael Sánchez Cárdenas by journalists.


It reported the first case of local transmission of coronavirus. It was the lady who came from Italy in early March to a neighbor in the municipality of Villa Riva. In addition, there were three more people on surveillance.

Positive cases of the COVID-19 coronavirus were also said to have increased by 10, from 11 to 21.

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The first death of a person with coronavirus was reported in the Dominican Republic. Minister Sánchez Cárdenas stressed that in this case the deceased person had a picture of tuberculosis and HIV.

In addition, it was learned that they are “one hundred and one peak”, a figure that only exists in the Dominican Republic, the cases that are being followed up in the country.

Since then, at least one new case has emerged, the most recent, that of the son of the executive director of port authority, Víctor Gómez Casanova, and two possible cases of minors in Santiago. The president of the Sports Circle of the Armed Forces and the National Police, Colonel Kalil Haché, is another suspicious case.

President Danilo Medina yesterday asked Dominicans not to broadcast false news, especially those that are disseminated on social networks. But his government has done little to make the coronavirus figures transparent.

To put in context, Spain revealed this Wednesday the cases amount to 13,716 and 558 are deaths, representing an increase of 18% daily in new positives. Colombia, where the first coronavirus case was released after the first Dominican case, 65 confirmed cases are already reported.

But in the Dominican Republic we do not have any official information about what happened to the 62-year-old Italian citizen who was the first positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus, reported on February 23; nor of the Villa Riva citizen who came from Italy and who must be in the Doctor Ramón de Lara hospital. Much less of the father and the child who were in the same hospital.

In the absence of transparency, when on social networks they shout that someone died in the Doctor Ramón de Lara hospital, the media have no way to deny or verify the information that the authorities later call false.

In addition, and most importantly, Dominicans want to know the COVID-19 coronavirus figures in the Dominican Republic.

The solution could well be a daily technical report on cases issued every day at the same time, in which the Minister of Health does not have to be present.

https://www.diariolibre.com/actualidad/ … LH17764528

WELL SAID DIARIO LIBRE

This is the translation of an article in Listin Diario just now:

Private laboratory charges 5,500 pesos for coronavirus testing in the country

After the announcement by President Danilo Medina about the authorization of certified laboratories to do the coronavirus test (COVID-19), so far two formally offer the service.

According to Listín Diario, Reference is offering the test at a cost of RD $ 5,500 pesos, while Amadita does not give a price by phone and says that it works with certain guidelines.

The breakdown of this reference price is divided into RD $ 4,500, which is for taking the sample and testing, and RD $ 1,000 for home service, which is mandatory. In other words, the tests are only done at home.

On the other hand, when asked if this test is covered by health insurance, a representative of this laboratory commented that "regardless of what the president said last night, even the ARS has not authorized this test to be covered."

Other laboratories

Of five of the country's main laboratories, only two and with certain difficulties are offering the coronavirus diagnostic service, while the others coordinate and await authorization from the Ministry of Public Health.

From Amadita they indicated that they are only offering the service to those who have been previously indicated by a doctor, while adjusting with the authorities of the Ministry of Health the range of the service and the rates.

"In the next few hours we will be informing what the prices and availability of the service are," a representative told Listín Diario.

Other important laboratories such as Patria Rivas, Corominas, and Cortina González, still do not have authorization.

The Ministry of Public Health conducts free tests on suspected patients.

Thanks, excellent post and very worrying times.

Ducketts

AGAIN i do not see the need for two threads. I am merging them. Lets keep it in ONE PLACE please.

Hello everyone!  Can anybody tell me what IS open in Santiago?  My printer died and I need a new one ASAP?

wishinguwell wrote:

Hello everyone!  Can anybody tell me what IS open in Santiago?  My printer died and I need a new one ASAP?

I am not sure if any stores selling electronic goods will be open from tomorrow but perhaps one of the big hypermarkets selling food will be keeping their other retail parts open.

I would have thought easy to find Carrefour, Plaza Duarte  on km11 of Duarte going into Santo Domingo would be quicker from Bonao - a one hour drive with little traffic which will be the case tomorrow. It has a respectable selection of electronic goods. http://www.carrefour.do/ contact them to find out.

Planner/Admin - this is the site I inadvertently opened after other thread stated it was closed and a search found nothing else. SOmehow, what appeared to be the first thread I tried to open showed up and hence =, another thread. This can be deleted or merged or whatever - more than more thread is as you say, not required and can be confusing.....

No there is another one honey!

Curious about planning to move to the DR. As you know, we put a down payment on a condo in  Las Terrenas in February. We had planned to start the path to move there by the end of June. Then this happened. From what I understand the country is considering not allowing international travelers to enter or reenter until the end of the year or next year. Do you know what the actual facts are at this time. And should be consider cancelling our contract to purchase under the Act of God clause? I realize that is a loaded question. But contracts here in the USA are beginning to come due and we are mystified as to how to proceed. Full year, 6 months, Give notice, put our house up for sale... Etc. Any suggestions or solid information at this time?

I would cancel your contract and not go ahead.

You can always buy again if you're brave enough.  Las Terranas , Cabarete & Sosua see gluts of property for resale and the new builds of course are down to almost zero.

I first came to DR in 2014 with the full intention of buying.  The more I looked into the markets the more I didn't like what I saw and today I am so pleased I didn't buy.

Anyway that's me.  Good luck with your decision process.


Ducketts

Again I have asked that this thread be closed.  Keep the covid in one place.

Tigerink - you have asked your question multiple times. Asking again won't get you a different answer.  We don't know what the future holds.  We don't know how soon things will re open.  They will re open.  We don't know when!

It seems people always panic and sell. Now would be a good time to buy at bargain prices. When this pandemic runs it's course, things will return to normal.

That wasn't exactly what I was asking. But that's ok., I am very happy here in my own home country where we are doing fine in our house. Thank you and I sincerely wish you all well. Regards "The Tig"

Curious on where we can see updates on the travel restrictions?  We have a trip planned for November (fingers crossed).  If anyone can point me in the right direction we would so appreciate it.

Thank you and everyone stay safe!  Waiting for "normal" to happen again.