Update – people look for their economic support

President Nayib Bukele promised $300 USD to people affected by the COVID19 pandemic. First, they said people should log in to the webpage emergencia.covid19.gob.sv. He later said that some people attacked the website and, because of that, it was not working. They created another one: covid19-elsalvador.com, which, after warning you that it might be a phishing scam, took you to a form. If people were not able to log in or if they wrote down their ID number and they did not appear as beneficiaries, they were encouraged to go to local centers (CENADEs) and explain their situation to be included.

 

 

That obviously did not go well.

 

After a week of quarantine, people made lines outside these places looking for a response. There was no such thing as “social distance”. Some people stayed overnight and last night’s rain did not make them leave.

 

 

 

Many were waiting outside the office in Santa Ana this morning:

 

This morning Bukele realized where this was heading and he, finally, included a phone number for the many hundreds of Salvadorans that do not have access to unlimited Wi-Fi.

 

Bukele made a surprising announcement around 8:30 in the morning: “The CENADEs are too crowded, the crowds are a risk of contagion for you, your life and that of your family. Arriving early, late, today, tomorrow or the day after tomorrow does not make any difference, since the list will be updated until Saturday, so for the health of the population, I have decided to CLOSE THEM. YOU CAN MAKE YOUR CLAIM ONLINE, FROM ANY CELL PHONE WITH INTERNET, EVEN IF IT IS BORROWED. If you cannot do it online, starting at noon, we will enable a free, unlimited phone number where you can make your claim without risk of leaving your home. I REPEAT: FOR YOUR OWN GOOD, AS OF THIS MOMENT, ALL CENADEs ARE CLOSED. “

 

The Order Maintenance Unit (UMO) of the National Police (PNC) came to reinforce security at the CENADE perimeter in the Flor Blanca neighborhood, while people still hoped that they would be attended to, despite the fact that Bukele ordered closing. They expressed their discontent with the president’s decision. Most of them are vendors. (X)

 

 

 

The Medical Association of El Salvador regretted this Monday (03/30/2020) that “the home quarantine has been broken” by “the improvised consultation mechanism” that the Government set up to deliver the $300 subsidy in the face of the COVID emergency.

The union of doctors stated that this situation has put the population of El Salvador at risk, and therefore requested promptness in “correcting the mechanism for consultation and delivery” of this financial compensation. (X)

 

In the community of Las Anonas only 15 persons appear as beneficiaries. Members of “La Sabana” (also in the Lower Lempa region) have also appeared as beneficiaries.

Our friends from CCR report that a big group of people early this morning went to Chalatenango looking for this support. They also tell us that most people in Arcatao appear as beneficiaries (sometimes even two people from the same household). Those not selected appear not to be receiving their agricultural package, having their electricity registered under someone else’s name or not getting gas subsidy. The CCR team is trying to gather all these names to try to find a way to support them while encouraging them to stay at home.

 

 

 

Chalatenango today
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