Quarantine a Convenient Restraint? Quarantine
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Quarantine A Convenient Restraint? Quarantine A Mayo 2020 Convenient Restraint? Quarantine A Convenient Restraint? Table of Contents 1 Venezuelan Context during the Pandemic.................... 3 From One Crisis to Another .................................................... 4 Healthcare: A Terrifying Scenario .......................................... 5 Begging for Food ....................................................................... 6 No Water, No Power, No Gas ................................................. 8 Economic Recession ................................................................. 9 An Oil Country with no Fuel .................................................... 11 Political Context during State of Emergency ...................... 12 2 Maduro’s Measures................................................................. 13 #StayAtHome. It’s an Order! ................................................... 14 Many Measures, Little Protection .......................................... 16 Propping Up the Economy with Devalued Bonds ............. 18 3 Virus and Social Control ...................................................... 20 Who Can Afford to Stay Home? ............................................. 21 Repression during the Quarantine ....................................... 22 Is Information the Real Virus? ................................................ 33 Lifting the Quarantine with no Fuel? .................................... 36 2 I Transparencia Venezuela Quarantine Venezuelan Context during the Pandemic 3 I Transparencia Venezuela Quarantine A Convenient Restraint? From One Crisis to Another Since 2015, Venezuela has endured a worsening The expansion of the CHE has been quite political, social and economic context, in the peculiar, because in recent years, Nicolás form of shortage of food and medicines, a surge Maduro has publicly stated that he advocates in crime rates, a booming informal economy, human rights, as set out in the Constitution, as institutional weakness, mass migration and well as the guarantees and duties of citizens and widespread poverty. This has been the result of the State in this area. Similarly, his administration government policies that have undermined the advances a social policy of inclusion, through rule of law and encouraged grand corruption numerous social programmes aimed—according and violation of fundamental rights, leading up to key government spokespersons—to support to the current complex humanitarian emergency and ensure exercise of these rights by the most (CHE) faced by the country, as recognised by the vulnerable groups. But, in spite of these efforts, United Nations and its various agencies such as the people and the nation are still suffering a the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian major economic and social calamity. Affairs (OCHA) and the World Food Programme. 4 I Transparencia Venezuela Quarantine A Convenient Restraint? Healthcare: A Terrifying Scenario The health care crisis is one of the most This grim picture shows also a proliferation of pressing issues in this complex scenario, and diseases, including some that were considered has been characterised by opacity in access eradicated, such as malaria, chagas disease, to public information on budgets and dengue fever, chikungunya, among others. A funds invested, the operation of health 2018 report by the World Health Organisation care centres, epidemiological bulletins, showed “decreases in all analysed regions, and disease indicators, among other except in the Americas, due precisely to the data. In addition, there has been an ongoing rise of malaria in Venezuela.” 1 In our country, deterioration of hospitals, due to low budgets, “the number of cases increased by 886%. precarious public services, a flight of human In 2017, 456 patients died, according to the talent, and a marked lack of medical and organisation.” 2 surgical equipment and supplies in the last The shortage of medicines—which stands at several years. around 80%,3 as reported by the Venezuelan Pharmaceutical Federation—is yet another factor exacerbating the crisis. 1 https://cronica.uno/oms-las-americas-registro-aumento-de-malaria-por-repunte-en-venezuela/ 2 Ídem. 3 https://www.laprensalara.com.ve/nota/12151/20/02/fefarven-reporta-80-en-porciento--de-escasez-de-medicamentos 5 I Transparencia Venezuela Quarantine A Convenient Restraint? Begging for Food As for the food sector, Maduro’s policy focuses for months. In the midst of the quarantine on the purchase and sale of subsidised food declared due to the COVID-19 pandemic, under the Local Supply and Production residents of the state of Anzoátegui4 have Committees (CLAP) social programme, whose protested the lack of CLAP food promised by haphazard design and massive implementation the mayor, while communities in Valera,5 in the have been marked by discrimination and state of Trujillo, have reportedly not had access corruption. Four years after the programme to food at regulated prices for several months. was conceived, the CLAP programme has fallen The School Food Programme only delivers food short of their goal ensuring right to food, as to one school in the municipality of San Rafael established by the Committee on Economic, de Trujillo,6 which can be extrapolated to get an Social and Cultural Rights, namely: availability, overview of the situation in many other regions stability, accessibility, sustainability and of the country adequacy. In addition, a considerable decline has The CLAP programme has historically been been witnessed in the agricultural sector in involved in irregularities in the sale of food recent years. Aquiles Hopkins, president of by the government in various communities that agriculture and livestock producers federation have not been able to access subsidised food FEDEAGRO, said that “between 2008 and 2017, 4 https://elpitazo.net/oriente/vecinos-en-soledad-anzoategui-cierran-acceso-en-el-puente-angostura-por-alimentos/ 5 https://elpitazo.net/los-andes/habitantes-de-valera-cocinan-con-lena-durante-la-cuarentena 6 https://elpitazo.net/los-andes/un-mes-sin-comida-tienen-cuatro-escuelas-de-carvajal-en-trujillo/ 6 I Transparencia Venezuela Quarantine A Convenient Restraint? production of corn fell by 65%; rice by 68%; of timely attention to the productive sector, sorghum by 95%; sugar cane, 62%; coffee, expropriation of agricultural property, price 70%; potatoes, 88%; tomatoes, 53%; onions, controls with no consideration for production 77%; bell peppers, 69% and oranges, 41%.”7 costs, a surge of imports, insufficient funds These indicators are a clear proof of the lack in state-owned banks to fund agricultural activity, inconsistent supply of fertilisers, Entre el 2008 y el 2017, agrochemicals, spare parts and other inputs. According to research carried out by la producción cayó: Transparencia Venezuela on state-owned companies, –65% Maíz “in the last 19 years, agricultural raw materials and food have been handled –68% Arroz as proselytising instruments of political domination by the ruling class. In this –95% Sorgo sector, probably more than in any other, the military has dominated bureaucracy –62% Caña de azúcar and concentrated supervision and command.”8 –70% Café –88% Papa –53% Tomate –77% Cebolla –69% Pimentón –41% Naranjas 7 https://www.elimpulso.com/2018/05/30/fedeagro-sector-agricola-venezolano-registra-caida-sostenida-en-los-ultimos-11-anos/ 8 https://transparencia.org.ve/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Capi%CC%81tulo-3.-Rehenes-de-la-Gran-Corrupcio%CC%81n.-TV-1.pdf 7 I Transparencia Venezuela Quarantine A Convenient Restraint? No Water, No Power, No Gas Another variable to consider in Venezuela’s rankers include Ciudad Bolívar (southern humanitarian emergency and the current Venezuela) with 19.2%, Barcelona, in eastern quarantine due to the pandemic, is the collapse Venezuela, with 15.5% and the capital of public services. Irregular supply of water, Caracas with 9.5%.10 cooking gas, electricity and urban waste Given the above scenario and with the disposal is commonplace, especially in rural declaration of the pandemic, the OCHA notes parts of the country. The latest measurement in its latest report that “nationwide, failures in of water supply service by the Venezuelan public services such as electricity and water Observatory of Public Services (OVSP) shows that have been reported, especially in the states only “16.7% of households have a continuous 9 of Bolívar, Carabobo, Cojedes, Guárico, water supply. In terms of electricity, the OVSP Lara, Falcón, Portuguesa, Táchira, Trujillo highlights that “cities that report the highest and Zulia. These service interruptions pose frequency of blackouts every day, according to challenges for people in their efforts to data from December 2019 are San Cristóbal follow the COVID-19 preventive hygiene (Táchira) with 81%, Maracaibo (Zulia) with recommendations in their communities.”11 77% and Barquisimeto (Lara) with 75.5%. These are followed by Barinas (Barinas) with 57.4%, Punto Fijo (Falcón) with 37.9% and Porlamar (Nueva Esparta) with 25.5%. Lower 9 http://www.observatoriovsp.org/ovsp-solo-un-167-de-los-hogares-recibe-agua-de-manera-continua/ 10 http://www.observatoriovsp.org/ovsp-revela-importantes-frecuencias-de-interrupciones-del-servicio-electrico/ 11 https://www.humanitarianresponse.info/sites/www.humanitarianresponse.info/files/documents/files/20200402_ven_covid-19_flash_update_no2.pdf 8 I Transparencia Venezuela Quarantine A Convenient Restraint? Foto: EFE Foto: Economic Recession Economically, the COVID-19