Briefing

VPN for Healthcare Heroes

Guaidó announced that the funds for the health workers’ bonus were available and the regime blocked AirTm; Over 100 NGOs expressed their concern for the situation of girls, teens and women during the pandemic

Naky Soto
An inhuman blockade.

Photo: Venezolano En Chile

  • The OFAC authorized on Thursday the release of the funds for the Héroes de la Salud bonus, proposed by Juan Guaidó. For the first time, resources of our assets recovered in the U.S. will be used to give a bonus to over 62,000 healthcare workers that registered to get electronic payment. The delays in the payment have been caused partly because the information of registered workers had to be verified yet, as soon as they announced the payment would be made on AirTM, Nicolás’s regime blocked the platform on all internet providers. Guaidó described anyone trying to block this $100 payment as “goddamned.” 
  • How to change your DNS and how to use a VPN have been explained before, but nevertheless Guaidó promised to send the information in the next few days so every worker can learn how to do it. The Superintendencia de las Instituciones del Sector Bancario de Venezuela also issued a warning against the AirTM platform, where they say this form of virtual account is “outside the controls established in the financial system.” They expect that banks will monitor these transactions, but they can’t stop the money from reaching medical personnel that the Health Ministry punishes with a monthly salary of $4 to $10 dollars. 
  • On Thursday, Nicolás’s vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, reported that there are 699 new cases of coronavirus, for a total of 37,567 cases they’ve admitted to. She also reported that 8 people died, for a total of 311 deaths they’ve admitted to. The decrease in the number of cases compared to the ascending figures of the past 16 days is significant and nobody explained why. Funnily enough, the report doesn’t show new cases in Carabobo state, where governor Rafael Lacava just announced he’s infected. 
  • The governor of Yaracuy assured that there are 484 people in hospitals waiting for the results of their PCR tests. The only labs authorized to process these tests are in Caracas and in Miranda state.
  • OBGYN Jesús García died of COVID-19 yesterday. Former minister Antonio “El Potro” Álvarez confirmed he was infected. On August 1st, Nicolás told him: “You’re in charge of the health of the Venezuelan people at the Caracas Poliedro.” He made it clear he was at the Fuerte Tiuna hospital, because other sources reported that he was at a private hospital. 
  • Over 100 NGOs expressed their concern for the situation of women, teens and girls during the pandemic, because it made the gender gap even worse. The pandemic doesn’t suspend the obligation of the state of guaranteeing access to maternity, sexual and reproductive health. Diverting all the health system’s attention and resources to only care for coronavirus patients can result in increases of mortality rates caused by other issues. NGOs expressed their concern for pregnant women  who have tested positive, who have been denied timely medical attention. They condemn the centralization of PCR tests, insisting that violence against women must be a priority and that the state has to allow humanitarian aid that includes specific services for women’s health. 
  • A group of members of the Tupamaro party protested in front of the TSJ, rejecting the imposition of a new ad hoc board and asking the ruling be revised, while a group of Patria Para Todos activists went to the TSJ to ask the party be intervened and a new ad hoc board be appointed, led by deputy Ilenia Medina.
  • By the way, the Constitutional Chamber of the TSJ ruled against a legal action of Constitutional protection against the paralyzation of the justice system during the pandemic, said NGO Acceso a la Justicia. This means that during these months of emergency, there won’t be open cases or investigations against people who remain detained or with precautionary measures beyond their scheduled dates.
  • Deputy Juan Requesens’s hearing on Thursday was delayed once more, said his lawyer Joel García. The hearing will be held on Monday, August 31st at 2:00 p.m. According to García, they are using the accused to “hold another trial for which they’ve done four hearings in August.” Requesens has been detained in El Helicoide for 744 days. 
  • Workers of Guayana’s basic industries protested for the two year anniversary of their collective contract violation and elimination of the salary progression in all offices of the Corporación Venezolana de Guayana. They say that these companies are finished: Sidor produces less than 15% of its installed capacity, Venalum works at 5%, and Ferrominera Orinoco at 10%.
  • The Venezuelan Chamber of Construction reported that 56.7% of its affiliated companies have paralyzed projects for the restrictions imposed by the pandemic. Before the pandemic, the construction sector had already reported a drop of  97% in the last eight years and the loss of at least 1 million jobs. The president of the CVC Mauricio Brin said that it’s urgent to qualify the construction sector as an essential area, because there are 80,000 jobs at risk today. Economist Asdrúbal Oliveros said that the consulting analysts for the Consensus Economics, the average drop of Venezuelan economy in 2020 will be 24.7%; the contraction of private consumption will be 26,1%; and inflation will close at 5,177%. November will mark our third year in hyperinflation and barely two years ago a new monetary cone started circulating, where they took five zeros from the bolivar, after they had taken three zeros in 2008. Our highest banknote was 500 bolivars. These are their equivalents: In August, 20th, 2018 you could buy $8 dollars with a 500 bolivar bill (59 bolivars per dollar). In August, 20th, 2020, you need 618 bills of those same 500 bolivars to buy one dollar (308,859 per dollar).
  • Colombian president Iván Duque denounced that Nicolás’s regime seeks to buy mid and long-range missiles through a deal with Iran: “The information we have is that they haven’t arrived yet, but these talks have been done under orders by (Vladimir) Padrino.” Today, Iran presented two new missiles of modified reach. On the other hand, Duque added that thanks to intelligence from international organizations, he knows that GNB officers are dealing weapons coming from Russia and Belarus with irregular armed groups on the borders. 
  • The government of Cape Verde denied sending two representatives to Caracas to negotiate with Nicolás the situation of Colombian citizen Álex Saab. Their communiqué emphasizes that they’re a “state with a rule of law, where courts are independent and guarantees of defense apply to every person.” 
  • Colombian Immigration reported that last night they were notified of the decision by Nicolás’s regime to “restrict access of their citizens to the country, starting tomorrow, through the Simón Bolívar International Bridge.” The reason? High number of people in Táchira state in isolation. It’s inadmissible, making a decision that affects so many Venezuelans, and having to be informed from the Colombian government and not the regime that closes its doors to the most vulnerable population.
Briefing

Naky Soto

Naky gets called Naibet at home and at the bank. She coordinates training programs for an NGO. She collects moments and turns them into words. She has more stories than freckles.

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