Briefing

Chavismo Reports 159 New Cases of COVID-19 in Three Days

Steep curve, as expected and protests everywhere, for lack of public services and gas. And we could also lose Citgo

Naky Soto

Photo: France24

  • In the last 24 hours, 77 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed, 159 more cases or 25% more, in merely three days. The total of cases is 618. Barely a week ago, the Academy of Physics, Mathematical and Natural Sciences warned that the number of positive cases until now didn’t match an epidemic scenario and estimated underreporting of cases was between 67% and 95%. The Academy was threatened because of this report. Delcy said that out of 77 new cases, 64 are “imported,” five because of contact with travelers and 8 from local contagion. She said that until Monday, 41,933 have returned to the country and 220 of those have tested positive. It was approved that people walking through borders endure a mandatory two-week quarantine without moving to their states. They also issued a mandatory curfew at the Páez municipality in Apure state, to reinforce the sanitary ring. 
  • Deputy José Manuel Olivares said the regime kept quiet about the death of four Venezuelans from COVID-19 and that mortality has increased by 40% in the country. Venezuela is today the least efficient country in COVID-19 diagnostic capabilities, he said in the video. According to Olivares, two patients died at the Los Andes University Hospital, one pregnant woman at Barinas state’s Luis Razetti Hospital, a 14-year-old at Apure state’s Pablo Acosta Ortiz Hospital died this month. These patients aren’t even considered, no post-mortem tests are done on patients with potential cases, said Olivares. 
  • Nicolás’s Health minister, Carlos Alvarado, said before the WHO’s 73rd Assembly that sanctions “seek to obstruct effective combat against the pandemic.” He assured, ignoring recent data, that they have managed “to keep the curve flat.”
  • The U.S. Supreme Court rejected Venezuela’s appeal to maintain control of Citgo Holding Inc., leaving the country in danger of losing its main asset. The court won’t revise the Third Circuit’s decision allowing Crystallex International Corp to confiscate stock in Citgo, to honor an arbitration decision by 1.2 billion dollars. The judges denied Venezuela’s request where it said the Third Circuit’s decision threatened the foreign policy efforts of Trump’s administration. Crystallex remains solid after CIADI determined that Chávez expelled them from their operations in Las Cristinas in 2008, which led them to sue. In 2016, Crystallex won and a federal court said in 2019 that Citgo stock could be confiscated for compensation. Before Citgo stock can be auctioned, the mining company needs to obtain a license issued by the Department of Treasury. 
  • On Monday, there were protests for basic services in almost every state of the country, small protests in residential areas. It’s cynical and rude that ruling chavismo celebrates in states like Lara or Nueva Esparta that water distribution will get better with imported water tanks. 
  • Dozens of people with tuberculosis protested for treatment outside the 3rd Sanitary District office in the Capital District: “We want treatment, we want treatment!” they yelled while they blocked traffic. 
  • DirecTV will be ceasing operations in Venezuela effective immediately, to comply with U.S. sanctions.
  • Jorge Rodríguez accused the CIA and the State Department of being behind the incursion in Macuto Bay. He presented videos and audio recordings of former officer Cliver Alcalá, deputy Hernán Alemán, and Venezuelan and American officers detained. He said that he obtained footage with Alcalá and Alemán because they have infiltrated the Colombian Armed Forces, a very serious accusation. From what Alemán said, he concluded that he was in a meeting in the American Embassy in Colombia, where the ambassador put him in contact with the CIA to finalize details of the plan. With this tape, Rodríguez challenged James Story to contradict Alemán. He also called Alcalá and Alemán “convicted psychopaths”, projecting, much? Jorge Rodríguez said that this footage is available to Jordan Goudreau’s lawyers, who’s allegedly being sued for breach of contract. Alcalá said that Guaidó signed the contract with SilverCorp and that J.J. Rendón was wired $300 million to finance the operation. He also said that the plan would be several months long, to detain Maduro, other chavistas and purify the Armed Forces. Jorge Rodríguez accused Fundación Futuro Presente  of being a cover to finance Operation Gedeón and accused Yon Goicochea of directing it, who responded he hasn’t been part of the foundation since 2009. 
  • There are testimonies by Antonio Sequea Torres and Víctor Pimienta: Sequea Torres assures that a fellow by the moniker of “Doble Rueda” helped in the Colombian Guajira and Pimiento said that he got $1,500 weekly from Alcalá. In the new videos by Luke Denman and Airan Berry, Denman insisted his plan was to take control of the airport and wait for a flight to bring Maduro to the U.S.. Berry said that they trained military and police officers and that they dealt with Doble Rueda.
  • Deputy Julio Borges, foreign relations commissioner, sent a letter to Antonio Guterres to decry how Nicolás’s regime wants to involve and blame the opposition for Operation Gedeón, and Colombia and the U.S., pretending to be “the victim instead of the offender.”
  • GNB officers detained Juan Acosta Ysea in Falcón state, allegedly part of Operation Gedeón. 
  • The Iranian government announced at the UN that they’ll take measures against the U.S. if Washington’s “sea piracy” threatens its oil tankers when they’re transporting gas to Venezuela. Admiral Craig Faller said that Iran wants to help Venezuela because they want to gain ground in Latin America. He said that the U.S. is investigating Hassan Rouhani’s support to Middle Eastern terrorist groups and Nicolás’s regime. 
  • Gustavo Marcano, advisor to the Venezuelan Embassy in the U.S., tweeted that the AN hasn’t authorized Iranian ships to enter our waters: “It’s illegal and it’s part of Maduro’s narco-terrorist operations.” The message was unwise enough to be criticized, but Nicolás’s allies took the opportunity to spread the message that if there’s no gas, it’s the opposition’s fault. Juan Guaidó asked everyone to remember the obvious: “There’s no gas in the country with the highest oil reserves in the world because the dictatorship destroyed PDVSA. Our duty is ousting this corrupt regime and we won’t rest until we have accomplished it. We won’t stop protesting. We’re together.”
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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