Briefing

Quarantine Flexibilization Starts on Monday

16 health workers have died of COVID-19 and chavismo has admitted to 9,465 cases; Two inmates died of tuberculosis

Naky Soto

Photo: El Diario

  • Nicolás’s Communications minister Jorge Rodríguez said on the phone that there are 287 new cases of COVID-19 in Venezuela (for a total of 9,465 cases). He said that 230 of those are local cases, 116 in the Capital District. However, the “partial flexibilization” plan will start on Monday. Being coherent never killed anyone, but you know them. Rodríguez also reported four more deaths, for a total of 89. 
  • Fidel Madroñero, PSUV militant with a TV show in state media, tested positive for COVID-19 after he took the PCR test. Journalist Federico Black reported that on Madroreño’s Instagram, there’s a picture from three days ago where he’s hugging Nicolás’s son and Miranda governor Héctor Rodríguez. 
  • According to Médicos Unidos de Venezuela, 16 health workers have died in the country so far: 11 doctors, four nurses and a biomechanical technician. 
  • The CNE president imposed by the TSJ, said that starting Monday and until July 26th, the Electoral Registry will be updated in 551 centers all across the country. Electoral journalist Eugenio Martínez said that even when the CNE is trying to prove that they’re complying with sanitary protocol to avoid contagion, out of 15 recommendations, CNE is only upholding five. Experts suggest extending the deadlines so there’s less crowding, but they want to get it done in 13 days. Over 100 civil associations expressed their concern for calling elections amid a pandemic, disregarding the rules, guarantees and guidelines in our Constitution. 
  • The National Assembly is still campaigning for the release of deputy Renzo Prieto, arbitrarily detained four months ago in a protest. His colleagues warned that Prieto has severe health conditions, and the IACHR and the OAS secretary general Luis Almagro demanded to be informed about his state. Prieto is in an unknown facility, with no medical attention and his family hasn’t been allowed to see him. 
  • The UN Working Group for Arbitrary Detentions demanded Nicolás’s regime the immediate release of General Héctor Hernández Da Costa, former head of the GNB’s Anti-Drug Command, detained on August 13th, 2018, for his alleged participation in an attack against Nicolás. 
  • Deputy Carlos Valero denounced that over 800 Venezuelan migrants are enduring deplorable conditions a couple of feet away from the Tienditas Bridge, because of the collapse that resulted from the measures imposed by Nicolás’s regime. “The sanitary checkpoint in Tienditas has collapsed,” said the deputy. 
  • Two inmates in Carabobo died of tuberculosis and malnutrition, said the Observatorio Venezolano de Prisiones. Both of them were in the Ciudad Hospitalaria Enrique Tejera (CHET) and they are now “in the long list of victims of inaction that Venezuelan prisoners endure,” said the OVP. Tuberculosis’ mortality rate is higher than coronavirus’ and it’s associated with poor sanitary conditions. 
  • Jorge Luis Hernández Villazón, AKA “Boliche”, is the Colombian citizen who ended up helping in the capture of Alex Saab, accused of being Nicolás’s middleman, waiting in Cape Verde to be extradited to the U.S. for corruption and money laundering charges. Federal sources said to El Tiempo that Boliche gave valuable information about Saab, that could lead to the arrests of eight people involved in approaching authorities for large sums of money. The relation between Saab and Boliche started in 2017, when the latter offered services of the company Hernández De Luque Brothers, LLC, in Weston, Florida, as mentioned by Bruce Bagley, former professor of the University of Miami.  
  • After he admitted to moving around 2 million dollars property of Saab to the United Arab Emirates and Switzerland, he said that Boliche was the middleman, and that he knew that he had been betrayed. Three of Bagley’s accounts were used for moving the money to the U.S., in exchange for 10% commission that would later put Bagley in jail for several years. Two days before Saab was captured, El Tiempo got a hold on Boliche in Miami, but before they asked the first question he hung up. Sources say that he knows about Saab’s failed attempts to block U.S. persecution against him and that he also knows where the money moved through Bagley is. In fact, it’s assumed that he’ll be one of the key witnesses against Saab and his accomplices if the extradition happens. 
  • There have been over 12.8 million cases and over 568,014 coronavirus deaths in the world, according to Johns Hopkins University. The WHO reported on Sunday a record-breaking figure in the number of cases, 230,370 in the last 24 hours. The U.S. has had 3.3 million cases and 135,174 deaths. Only Florida registered over 15,300 cases, which is a new record for the entire country, becoming the new epicenter. Brazil, the second most infected country in the world, has had 1.8 million cases and 72,100 deaths, but there are also two new outbreaks of measles and yellow fever. Peru has had 326,326 cases and 11,870 deaths, Mexico registered 295,268 cases and 34,730 deaths and Colombia has had 150,445 cases and 5,307 deaths.
  • There was an earthquake at 11:08 a.m. on Sunday, with an epicenter 11 kms north-east of Biscucuy, Portuguesa state, a 5.2 magnitude in the Richter scale. It was felt in the western and central states, where Portuguesa is located. No material damages, or injuries were reported.
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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