Government to increase salaries in the construction sector; COE reports 10 deaths in the last 24 hours, bringing the total to 26 during the holiday; construction sector urges revitalization; approximately 23,000 foreigners arrived in the Dominican Republic on Good Friday, according to the Minister of Tourism; COE increases the number of provinces on alert due to a trough to 13; Dominican Republic activates epidemiological alert for skin infection detected in Haiti; Ministry of Education calls on students to return to classrooms today, Monday; Return by road proceeded normally; Dominican visas in Haiti: 3.7 billion pesos of pure discretion; project seeks to require grocery store deliveries to use electric motors; femicides mar Holy Week 2022; Holy Week 2022 vacationers leave a sea of garbage in Las Terrenas
Government will increase wages in the construction sector
The government, through the Ministry of Labor, will announce a salary increase for construction workers today, Monday, April 18. This sector generates 421,483 jobs, according to official data from the first quarter of 2021. President Luis Abinader will lead the announcement alongside the Minister of Labor, Luis Miguel De Camps, as reported by the Office of the President. The event announcing the salary increase for the construction sector is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. at the Ministry of Labor.
COE reports 10 deaths in the last few hours, bringing the total to 26 during the holiday weekend
A total of ten people have died in the last 24 hours, according to the Emergency Operations Center (COE) in its third bulletin released yesterday, Sunday. These ten deaths are in addition to the four from Good Friday and the twelve from Holy Saturday reported in the first and second bulletins, respectively, for a total of 26 fatalities. Of the ten recent deaths, two were due to drowning and eight to traffic accidents, four of which occurred outside the designated security perimeter.
The construction sector urgently needs to be revitalized
The Dominican Confederation of Micro, Small, and Medium-Sized Construction Companies (Copymecon) advocated for the implementation of mechanisms to stimulate construction and prevent a standstill in the sector. The president of this association, Eliseo Cristopher, said that in recent weeks, inflation levels, fueled by increases in imported raw materials, are causing concern within the sector.
Around 23,000 foreigners arrived in the Dominican Republic on Good Friday, according to the Minister of Tourism
Last Good Friday, 23,000 foreigners arrived in the Dominican Republic, according to Tourism Minister David Collado, who toured the country's beaches and resorts to verify the order, tranquility, and security of national and foreign visitors during Holy Week.
COE increases to 13 the number of provinces on alert due to trough
The Emergency Operations Center (COE) has increased to 13 the number of provinces under alert for potential flooding of rivers, streams, and ravines, as well as urban and flash floods, due to the influence of a trough. Monseñor Nouel, La Vega, María Trinidad Sánchez, Monte Plata, Santiago, and Hato Mayor are under yellow alert. Santo Domingo, Santiago Rodríguez, San Cristóbal, El Seibo, Sánchez Ramírez, and San José de Ocoa are under green alert.
In the Dominican Republic, an epidemiological alert has been activated due to a skin infection detected in Haiti
The Ministry of Public Health (MSP) stated that the entity's Department of Collective Health and Epidemiology "activated the epidemiological alert" in border health centers, after Haiti reported that a "highly contagious" similar to scabies was detected in several areas of that nation.
Minerd calls on students to return to classrooms today, Monday
The Ministry of Education of the Dominican Republic (Minerd) announced in a message to the media that classes will resume today, Monday, April 18, in all public and private schools across the country, at all levels and modalities. The Ministry, headed by Minister Roberto Fulcar, also urged parents to send their children to school during regular class hours.
In2021, public investment in the Cibao region fell by 76.3%.
Between January and April 2021, public investment in the Cibao region decreased by 76.3% compared to the same period of the previous year, according to the "Economic Overview of the Northern Region," a study prepared by the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic (BCRD). During this period, the government invested RD$882.7 million in the North, representing 6.0% of the total invested nationwide, the document states.
The return trip on the road went normally
At 4:05 p.m. yesterday, the first convoy of vehicles traveling on the Duarte Highway, organized by the General Directorate of Traffic Safety and Land Transportation (Digesett) of the National Police, arrived at the toll plaza. The convoy was intended to provide security for thousands of vehicles returning from the Cibao region after the Easter holiday. The vehicles were escorted by brigades from Digesett and the Ministry of Public Works. The convoy began in downtown Santiago de los Caballeros and ended near kilometer 25 of the Duarte Highway in Pedro Brand.
Dominican visas in Haiti: 3.7 billion of pure discretion
At least $79.5 million, or about 3.7 billion Dominican pesos according to the exchange rate for the years under investigation, was collected by the five Dominican consulates in Haiti from visa issuance between 2015 and 2020, according to an investigation prepared by this newspaper. Of this amount, only $11.6 million entered the Dominican treasury, according to certifications from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Mirex).
Project aims to have grocery store deliveries use electric motors
The National Council of Merchants and Business Owners of the Dominican Republic (ConaceRD) announced that it will soon launch a project to supply electric motors to small grocery stores and other micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises. The so-called "Green Project" aims to contribute to achieving national goals for mitigating climate change, explained the organization's president, Cruz Rojas, according to a press release.
The Church preaches against corruption
With their faces uncovered and free of masks, at least a large portion of those present, the Catholic faithful gathered last Friday at the Cathedral of Santo Domingo to hear the Sermon of the Seven Last Words. This year's sermon addressed topics such as abortion, informal work, the relationship of Christians with the Virgin Mary, harassment, wrongdoings, youth apathy, and public service. The seven speeches, delivered by seven representatives of the Catholic Church, revealed the problems facing the country today.
Femicides cast a shadow over Holy Week 2022
Holy Week, a religious time traditionally associated with reflection, contemplation, and healthy family life, turned into a tragic week for many families this year due to the murders, femicides, and suicides that occurred during these days of rest. In an event that shocked Dominican society, Reina Margarita Pérez Mella, 73, was brutally murdered on the afternoon of Holy Thursday, stabbed 25 times by her former son-in-law, Ricardo Antonio Leonor Abreu. During the crime, the assailant also seriously wounded her 19-year-old stepson, Gustavo Enrique Guerra.
San Cristóbal is the province with the most public investment projects approved in the first quarter
The Ministry of Economy, Planning and Development reported that 40% of public investment projects approved by the government in the first quarter of 2022 were for housing and community services, and 22% for sports, recreational, cultural, and religious activities. Regarding project costs, 79% of the total approved amount was allocated to the health sector, according to a report prepared by the Ministry's General Directorate of Public Investment
Easter holidaymakers in 2022 leave a sea of garbage in Las Terrenas
Many of the people who visited Las Terrenas, a municipality in Samaná, as a tourist destination during Holy Week 2022, apparently not only dedicated themselves to having fun, but also spent part of their time littering public spaces. Videos circulating on social media show how parks, beaches, streets, and avenues were inundated with plastic cups, empty alcohol bottles, broken boxes of all sizes, and various crates of alcoholic beverages discarded after being used as seats.
Sources: Listín Diario, Diario Libre, Hoy, El Día
