The ‘best September’ for Dominican tourism

Santo Domingo.- The Ministry of Tourism reported yesterday that the recent September was “the best September” in all of history, with an arrival of tourists higher than in 2018, 2019 and 2020.

David Collado, Minister of Tourism, said that month registered the entry of 365,544 non-residents, which represents a recovery of 14% of the influx received before the pandemic, specifically in September 2019 and, in turn, 25% compared to the September 2020 figures, which represented the generation of about US$412 million to the country.

“This is an achievement that reaffirms that the recovery of the tourism sector is a fact and with it the rehabilitation of the jobs of our people.”

Caribbean tourism outperforms the rest of the world

Press Release

Bridgetown, Barbados (11 Oct, 2021) – As Caribbean tourism destinations continue their journey towards some semblance of normality, preliminary data from member countries of the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) reveal that the region outperformed the rest of the world in the first half of 2021.

During this period, international tourist arrivals to the Caribbean reached 6.6 million, representing a 12.0 per cent decline when compared to the same period last year. By the end of May arrivals were at 5.2 million, down 30.8 per cent for the corresponding period in 2020, considerably better than the global average of a 65.1 per cent decline. Of the main regions analysed, The Americas, which included the Caribbean, registered a 46.9 per cent drop, otherwise, no other region performed better than a 63 per cent fall in arrivals.

While the tourist arrivals continued to lag pre-pandemic numbers, the first half year performance was boosted by a second quarter spurt when overnight tourist visits to the Caribbean jumped between ten and 37 times greater than those in the corresponding months in 2020. In absolute terms, there was a steady improvement, as arrival numbers increased from one million in April to 1.2 million in May to 1.5 million in June, according to data compiled by the CTO’s research department.

Among the reasons for the strong second quarter was a rise in outbound travel from the region’s primary market, the United States, from which tourist visits reached 4.3 million in the first half of the year, a 21.7 per cent increase. Other contributing factors included the easing of some travel restrictions and an increase in airlift.

“These are encouraging signs that the hard work our member countries have put into adapting to the changing environment of the pandemic is beginning to pay dividends,” said Neil Walters, the CTO’s acting secretary general. “Even as we embrace a recovery mindset and the opportunities the pandemic has given us, we must continue to be mindful of the challenges we currently face and the potential challenges a dynamic situation like the pandemic can present. The Caribbean tourism sector is known to be one of the most resilient in the world.”

Coral reefs generate US$1.1B in Dominican East

Santo Domingo.- The recreational use of the beach, recreational diving, fishing and research related to coral reefs in tourist spots in the country generate more than one billion dollars a year for the Dominican economy.

In 11.2 kilometers of the coast of Punta Cana, these activities generate US$514.4 million per year; while in 34.7 kilometers of coastline in Bayahibe the economic benefit is US$575.5 million.

Moreover, in 17 kilometers of coastline in Samaná, the contribution per year is US$52.4 million, according to an economic valuation study of ecosystem services.

The total economic contribution collected by the study carried out as a pilot in the indicated spaces total US$1.1 billion annually.

These figures were presented by the Ministries of Environment and Natural Resources and the Ministry of Economy, Planning and Development, together with the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) within the “Triangular Project Development of an Innovative Financial Mechanism for the Conservation of Coral Reefs in the Dominican Republic.”

One million have already received the third dose of Covid-19

Santo Domingo, DR

One million people in the country have received the third or booster dose of the Covid-19 vaccine. In comparison, 4.9 million people have the complete two-dose schedule, equivalent to a little less than 60% of the total of 7.5 million over 18 years of age proposed for coverage.

Meanwhile, Covid-19 figures continue to increase in recent weeks in the country, with two new deaths and 517 new positive cases reported yesterday, bringing the number of active cases to 7,453 at present.

To date, the country has registered that a little more than six million people have received the first dose and 4,956,157 the second dose, thus completing the scheme, in which the country registers a more significant delay on the part of the population. Finally, in the third dose, 1,000,259 doses have been administered.

The VacunateRD portal records that 12,072,407 million doses have been administered since February of this year.

Two deaths and 517 cases
The country had two deaths yesterday and 517 new positive cases reported in the last 24 hours, placing the daily positivity at 14.39%; out of every 100 samples processed yesterday, more than 14 were positive for the virus.

The 568th report issued yesterday by the Ministry of Public Health reports processing 6,472 laboratory samples in the last 24 hours, detecting 517 new positive cases, which brings the accumulated number of detected cases to 364,252. With the two recent deaths, the number of deaths from Covid-19 rises to 4,065 patients, for a lethality rate of 1.12 percent, and the mortality per million inhabitants is 389.05.

DR looks for business at France’s top tourism fair

Paris.- The executive director of the Center for Export and Investment of the Dominican Republic (ProDominicana), Biviana Riveiro, highlighted the opportunities offered by the Top Resa fair in Paris for the Dominican tourism sector.

Riveiro, along with a delegation from ProDominicana, was present at the inauguration of the Dominican Republic pavilion at the Top Resa Fair, the largest tourism fair in France.

The event brings together more than 3,400 professionals from the tourism sector who come together to assess trends, identify investment niches and establish contacts.

Canadian airline WestJet resumes flights between Toronto and Puerto Plata

OPERATION IS CARRIED OUT IN A BOEING 737-800 AIRCRAFT WITH A CAPACITY OF 174 PASSENGERS

Canadian airline WestJet resumed its services from the Gregorio Luperón International Airport in Puerto Plata to the Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ), marking the restart of tourist flights between Canada and the North Coast of the Dominican Republic.

Airports Dominicanos Siglo XXI ( Aerodom ) reported that the new WestJet operation would arrive every Tuesday from Toronto at 1:25 in the afternoon and leaves for the same city from Puerto Plata at 2:15 in the afternoon.

“With this flight, the operations of one of the main tourist source markets for the North coast of the country are resumed. Likewise, the possibilities for Dominican passengers to visit multiple destinations in North America are expanding,” added the airport company.

The new WestJet operation is carried out on a Boeing 737-800 aircraft with 174 passengers, 12 seats in the premium cabin, and 162 in economy class.

The weekly flight that has been inaugurated will have an additional frequency in November, offering direct flights to Toronto on Tuesdays and Saturdays, since as of December 16, WestJet will have a daily flight to/from Toronto airport.

Carlos Rodolí, an Aerodom representative in Puerto Plata, expressed his satisfaction at seeing the recovery in routes and the number of passengers that the Gregorio Luperón airport maintains.

“We are excited to welcome Canadian tourists again, so important to our area. We continually seek to offer more options to all those interested in flying through our airports. We hope that the commercial and tourist exchanges generated by this new route will contribute to the economic growth of our province,” he added.

Increased flight capacity to Dominican Republic

The Civil Aviation Board (JAC) authorized the airline’s Air Century, Dominicana Airways, the Canadian Sunwings, and the Russian Azur Air to expand their air operations to and from different destinations abroad.

The president of the agency, Dr. Jose Marte Piantini, explained that the Civil Aviation Board allowed Air Century to cover routes to and from Kinston, Jamaica, Medellin, Cartagena, and Barranquilla, Colombia, as well as Trinidad and Tobago.

Air Century will operate these routes from La Isabela International Airport with CRJ200 aircraft, with a capacity of 50 passengers, according to the report given by Marte Piantini to the journalists covering the source of the Las Americas International Airport (AILA).

JAC grants permission to RED Air to provide air transport services

The Board also authorized the airline Republic Airways to operate flights to the Dominican Republic from the Catey airport, Samaná, with Embraer 175 type airplanes, which have seating capacity for 76 passengers.

Likewise, the Canadian airline Sunwing Airlines will cover, in addition to Canada, other routes such as Antigua Island, Rio Hato, and Cancun, Mexico, arriving and departing from Punta Cana airport. The Civil Aviation Board report indicates that the airline could operate some 287 flights to the country.

The Plenary of the Board also granted special permission to the Russian airline Azur Air to operate flights from the international airport of La Romana, with modern aircraft types B767-300 and B777-300, respectively, according to the details.

José Marte Piantini expressed that the expansion of air operations by the four airlines is a demonstration of the confidence that the country generates in passenger air transportation.

“But this confidence also covers the tourism sector, where at this moment there are large investments and other sectors that generate hundreds of thousands of jobs,” said the official.

He said that the Dominican Republic continues to be a leader in Latin America and the Caribbean, both in passenger air transport and tourism and a reference in terms of modern airport structures.

Tourism leader among the top 10 most powerful Dominicans

FRANK RAINIERI IS ON THE LIST OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL IN LATIN AMERICA

 Bloomberg Line included characters from 18 countries in the region.

Frank Rainieri, a pioneer in Punta Cana, is the only tourism leader in the Dominican Republic on the list of “The 500 most influential people in Latin America,” ​​made especially by Bloomberg.

“Grupo Puntacana has taken advantage of the avalanche of Americans already vaccinated to attract them to this destination in the Dominican Republic, thus reactivating the main economic activity in the country. That has been the main challenge for Frank Rainieri, creator of the Dominican tourist group, even now that he has passed the baton to his son, Frank Elías Rainieri. Recently, Punta Cana received certificates of compliance with the protocols against Covid-19 granted by the government. With this, the destination is preparing to attract more travelers from North America in the next winter season,” the publication indicates.

Also on the list are: Carlos José Martí, Casa Brugal, Banco Popular, Felipe Vincini, Félix Gárcia Castellanos, Héctor Rizek Llabaly, Grupo Corripio, Grupo Estrella, Miguel Barletta, among others.

The editorial team of Bloomberg Línea included among the 500 in Latin America people from 18 countries in the region, highlighting, due to their population and economy, businessmen and women, entrepreneurs, philanthropists, athletes, and officials from Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, the Dominican Republic, and Colombia.

Among the criteria used by Bloomberg Line reporters and editors to create the list are concepts such as job creation, activities to face the pandemic, innovative projects successfully detonated, and the influence to support philanthropic initiatives and promote public policies in favor of recovery.

The list will be a live entity, which will be modified depending on the characters’ actions and the arrival or incursion of new players to the great arena that is Latin America.

Dominican Republic to grow 9.1%, but watch deficit

Santo Domingo.- After 2020 in which the local economy fell -6.7%, the World Bank projects that the Dominican Republic will grow 9.1% this year.

However, its chief economist for Latin America and the Caribbean, William Maloney, warns that the government of Luis Abinader has to pay attention to the deficit and the total debt of the country that the pandemic has caused.

He told Diario Libre during the virtual presentation yesterday of a recent regional report of the agency, that the Dominican Republic is an example of good investment in the purchase of anticovid vaccines, despite its weight in the budget.

“Obviously it cost a lot (the country) to buy vaccines, the deficit has increased because of that. However, the returns on this investment are very profitable. Obviously, at this point we have to watch what is happening with the deficits and with the total debt, but this was clearly a good investment “

Air Canada resumes flights between Montreal and Samana

Monday, October 4, 2021, the Dominican Republic received at the Presidente Juan Bosch International Airport the first Flight of Air Canada with its route Montreal, Canada-Samana, after closures due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“All our Canadian passengers are welcome to the beautiful destination of the Dominican Republic,” Said Aeropuertos Dominicanos Siglo XXI (Aerodom) in its social networks.

It is recalled that last September, the Canadian authorities lifted the restrictions on flights to the DR and vice versa after operations were affected by the pandemic.

According to the Dominican ambassador to Canada, Michelle Cohen, expectations are high after guaranteeing the best levels of biosecurity to tourists in a joint effort of the Dominican government and the private sector.

First post-pandemic Aeroflot flight lands in Dominican Republic

With flight SU156 of the Russian state airline Aeroflot, which arrived with 193 passengers on board, the most prestigious Russian airline, they officially restarted operations to the Dominican Republic.

The flight, which took off from Moscow, was seen off by a team of officials of the Dominican Mission in Russia together with a group of professional Dominican dancers who study and reside in that country, who energized the people at the Sheremetevo Airport terminal in Moscow to the rhythm of bachata and merengue.

Similarly, a delegation composed of senior executives of Grupo Puntacana received upon arrival the Deputy Marketing Director of Aeroflot, Alexander Pikov, who during a small ceremony in the VIP lounge of the Punta Cana Airport pronounced his words of satisfaction after having fulfilled what for his company was an essential goal of resuming routes to the DR.

The emblematic Russian airline resumed flights to our country after withdrawing in March 2014 due to the pandemic. It will operate with a frequency of three weekly flights in Airbus 350 aircraft.

On his side, the Dominican ambassador to Russia, Hans Dannenberg, announced that part of the crew and a professional film crew hired by Aeroflot would remain in the country for the next few days recording content on some tourist attractions of our country to be broadcast on the networks and entertainment units onboard Aeroflot aircraft.

Dannenberg also explained that Aeroflot could become the natural bridge to connect Dominicans who wish to travel to countries with which our country has already signed visa waiver agreements such as Korea and Japan and other destinations in the Middle and the Far East.

Aeroflot is Russia’s largest and most prestigious airline company, serving 146 destinations in 52 countries.

Tourism: sector grew 26.6% Jan.-Aug.

Santo Domingo .– The Minister of Tourism, David Collado, on Sunday said the tourism industry continues to recover steadily and only the hotel, bar and restaurant sector grew 26.6% in the January-August period, double the average of the economy.

He recalled that the sector was the most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, but has already been recovering as a result of the strategies implemented by the Tourism Cabinet and the global opening process.

He said that growth is also consistent with the recovery of formal jobs in the sector, in purchases from other sectors and the payment of taxes.

BEACHES IN DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

White sand beaches that seem to endlessly run into the horizon, punctuated with slim coconut trees reaching the skies: it’s what the Dominican Republic is best known for. South to east, and north, you will keep busy finding your favorite plot of sand along our 1,600-kilometer (1,000-mile) sandy coastline. Over 200 beaches—many of which remain uncrowded and undeveloped—line the Caribbean and the Atlantic coastlines, ranging from a brilliant white to a handful of black sand stretching southwest. Visit Punta Cana’s world-renowned 48-kilometer (30-mile) stretch, but also consider Samaná’s world-ranked beaches such as Playa Rincón. On the north coast, you’ll be spoiled for choice, from Playa Cabarete to Playa Grande, or Playa Punta Rucia. Go off-the-beaten track to Playa El Valle, or Playa Frontón—reached by boat—sure to leave you speechless.

Caribbean-facing beaches are safe year round, while our northern coastline requires more attention to weather conditions before swimming. Sundays are family beach day for Dominicans, and you’ll find plenty of food and music.

Dominican Republic manages US$70 million investment to rebuild and expand cruise ports

DURING THE COUNTRY’S PARTICIPATION IN THE INTERNATIONAL SEATRADE CRUISE GLOBAL

The Dominican Republic is also committed to cruise tourism; hence the Dominican Port Authority (APORDOM) managed private investments of around US$70 million in reconstruction and expansion of the country’s ports.

This was reported by the director of Apordom, Jean Luis Rodríguez, who heads the DR delegation at the Seatrade Cruise Global international fair in Miamisince last Monday 27 and concluded last Thursday, 30 September 2021.

Rodríguez explained that it seeks to increase investment in ports, the arrival of new shipping companies to the DR, and the frequency of cruise ships.

He reported that he held meetings with the primary agents of the cruise sector to whom he presented the development and potential of Dominican ports for the reception of cruise ships, according to El Hoy.

“With our participation we bet on conquering many more investors for Dominican ports and tripling the cruise ship connections, and thus bet on the dynamization of the economy,” he said.

The schedule of topics he addressed highlights the potential of Dominican ports for the calling of cruise ships, the search for new investors, work on new strategies to attract post-pandemic cruise ships, as well as maintain the participation of the local productive sectors (artisans, agricultural, and commercial) within the cruise industry.

The fair was considered one of the most important in the industry, which brought together on that occasion more than 900 exhibitors from 127 countries around the world and around 11 thousand professionals.

First plant to process and use sargassum on Dominican Republic coasts installed

ALGEANOVA IN ALLIANCE WITH THE PUNTA CANA GROUP FOUNDATION

As a result of the economic and social problems represented for the tourism sector by the voluminous arrival and accumulation of sargassum on the Dominican coasts, the company AlgeaNova, which is dedicated to the application of marine technologies to combat the invasion of sargassum, installed the first multipurpose plant for the transformation, use, and valorization of sargassum in the country.

“The sea has an unexplored potential and opens a horizon for the emergence of a new industrial sector around the use and valorization of sargassum that reaches the coasts of our country in strict respect for environmental treaties,” said Manolo Despradel, general manager of AlgeaNova.

Since 2011, the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico have seen a significant increase in the accumulation of sargassum on the coasts due, among other causes, to global warming, deforestation, and the excessive use of chemical fertilizers, a perfect combination for the growth of this algae.

“When decomposing on the beach, sargassum produces a putrid smell, which can cause allergies and respiratory problems to those who come into contact with it; not to mention the damage it causes to the various coastal ecosystems, which is why it is so important to prevent it from reaching the beaches,” he emphasized.

The technologies implemented by AlgeaNova consist of the placement of floating barriers to retain sargassum in the sea; the collection of live and fresh sargassum behind the barriers to prevent it from reaching the beaches.

After a floating barrier is installed, a large amount of sargassum accumulates behind it; at that time, sargassum harvesting barges are used to remove it and take it ashore, where it is harvested. Precisely, for its prototype barge, AlgeaNova received the Applied Technology Award from the National Intellectual Property Office (ONAPI).

“The collection of sargassum before it lands on the beaches becomes an ecological and economic necessity of the first order. For this reason, we have made alliances with international companies interested in the use of sargassum,” said Frederick González, sales manager of AlgeaNova.

The multipurpose facility can convert sargassum into high-quality organic compost that reconditions agricultural soils and stimulates crop growth, replacing petrochemicals and reducing the CO2 that is released into the atmosphere.

Also, disposable and compostable dishes are manufactured, which replace plastic and foam, and biogas to use in the production of electrical energy and replace hydrocarbons, according to a statement.

“Our organic compost has been achieved through an alliance with the Canadian biotechnology company ‘Grogenics,’ supported by the University of Montreal and the Punta Cana Group Foundation, who collaborated with us to develop organic compost from sargassum, which has 60% sargassum and has become a tool with a high social impact. But, the most ambitious thing is to extract methane from the decomposition of sargassum and then clean it to convert it into electrical energy,” González said.

Currently, AlgeaNova barges, barriers, and technologies collect thousands and thousands of cubic meters of sargassum quickly, easily, and without environmental impact.

“Our barriers have unparalleled advantages: their anchoring system, their weight, their volume, the ease of disassembly at sea, storage on land and putting in place, make it a reliable and effective product. We are the only ones who can propose to uninstall and store several kilometers of barrier, with just 3 or 4 days of warning of an imminent hurricane, using only a small group of technicians,” he concluded.

ANEX Tour: 20 weekly flights to La Romana its biggest operation in Dominican Republic

FROM RUSSIA AND UKRAINE THROUGH ITS AIRLINE AZUR AIR

 The tour operator manages to double its capacity in the Caribbean country

 Its charter flight schedule will start in October

The tour operator ANEX Tour reported that the 20 weekly flights from Russia and Ukraine to the Dominican Republic are confirmed for the winter season 2021-2022. All of them will be made by the airline Azur Air to La Romana International Airport.

Charter flight scheduling will begin in October, with routes from four new regions of Russia and Ukraine, doubling the number of tourists brought to the country from those nations before the pandemic.

ANEX, which is among the leading tour operators for the Dominican Republic in the Russian and Ukrainian markets, said that to the current flights from Moscow, Yekaterinburg, and St. Petersburg, new routes would be added from the Rostov, Kazan, Ufa, Novosibirsk regions.

It will be, said ANEX Tour, “the largest charter flight program made from these markets to Dominican airports,” which confirms its business leadership.

“Now we will reach more regions of Russia to be able to promote tourism to the country and make it more accessible and comfortable with direct flights,” the company says in a press release.

ANEX Tour will have daily flights from Kiev and Moscow, two flights every 11 days from St. Petersburg and Yekaterinburg, and one flight every ten days from Kazan Rostov, Ufa, and Novosibirsk. All include business class and catering services.

Russia is one of the most important international markets for Dominican tourism. From 79,668 Russians received in 2010, it went to 217,082 in 2019. Ukraine contributed 5,531 tourists in 2010 and reached 29,769 in 2018. In 2021, 50,998 Ukrainians transported mainly by ANEX Tour had been received, representing 15% of Europeans arriving in the country by air.

“Our main goal was to double our 2019-2020 pre-pandemic winter capacity for the 2021-2022 winter season and we are proud to achieve this goal,” highlighted ANEX Tour.

ANEX thanked the “full support” it received from the ministries of Foreign Affairs and Tourism, the Civil Aviation Board(JAC), La Romana Airport, and the Embassy of the Dominican Republic in the Russian Federation.

“We are grateful to have partners from all segments of the tourism industry who support us and who choose to be part of the growth of tourism with us investing and growing in the Dominican Republic. We value their full support and believe in joining forces,” the ANEX Tour statement reads.

Almonte says government will bet on renewable energies

The government will cease reliance on “unstable, expensive and polluting” plants.

Santo Domingo, DR

The Dominican government is committed to increasing the production of renewable energies to face the uncertainties of the future in terms of clean energy supply and accomodating society’s growth and welfare.

This was stated by the Minister of Energy and Mines, Antonio Almonte, during the opening of the Energyear Caribe 2021 congress, which seeks to encourage nations to produce renewable energies.

The official said that the current administration has proposed to promote the production of renewable energies. However, to meet the energy demand of the population, they have to resort to unstable, expensive, and polluting plants.

“Yesterday there was a presidential decree for the signing of some 10 contracts that will be signed for the initiation of new renewable energy projects,” he revealed, according to a press release from the institution.

He indicated that the Dominican Republic has embarked on the path of promoting the use of renewable sources, particularly with the approval in 2007 of Law No. 5707 on Incentives for the Development of Renewable Energy Sources and their Special Regimes, which will be modified to adapt it to new technologies and regulations.

“Perhaps we are not a big enough land to properly exploit biomass, but we are a country with conditions for a greater exploitation of solar resources, we can also greatly expand the use of wind energy,” said the minister.

The Vice-Minister of Energy Saving and Efficiency, Alfonso Rodríguez, said that they deposited the draft bill for energy saving and efficiency in the National Congress which includes electric mobility, to encourage business people to save and use energy efficiently.

He explained that the distribution networks are very saturated by the energy demand, so this new legislation would be giving a tax incentive to companies that invest in energy-saving and efficient equipment.

“With these new legislative modifications, which would be the new legislation on energy saving and efficiency and the new legislation on renewable energies, we understand that we are going to refresh what would be a true set of regulations, focused on making a true energy transition in the country,” Rodriguez pointed out.

New air routes include Tampa, Fla.

Santo Domingo.- The Civil Aviation Board (JAC) heard the request to amend the Certificate of Economic Authorization (CAE) number 22 of Dominican capital airline RED AIR, SA, authorizing new international routes, as reported by José Ernesto Marte Piantini , president of the JAC.

In the request to amend the Certificate of Economic Authorization, the national air operator RED AIR, requested to regularly fly the routes: Santo Domingo / Tampa / Santo Domingo; Santo Domingo / Medellín / Santo Domingo; Santo Domingo / Cartagena / Santo Domingo and Santo Domingo / San José, Costa Rica / Santo Domingo, which represents the expansion of services and options available to users.

RED AIR will use 4 Aircraft McDonell Douglass model aircraft, MD-81 and MD-82 series, with a capacity of 12 seats in business class and 137 in economy class, for a total of 149 seats on each route.

Power companies expect up to a 10% growth

Santo Domingo.- The demand for electricity in the country is estimated to grow significantly, between 8% and 10% this year, reported the Dominican Association of the Electricity Industry (ADIE), when making a comparison of the variable with 2020 , taking into account the rapid economic growth and the heat wave that affects the country.

The ADIE indicated that this situation also occurs in a scenario with an upward trend in the prices of generation fuels and certain levels of shortages, as a result of the global economy taking off, demand for hydrocarbons greater than projected by large consumers, delays in investments in the sector and problems in the logistics chain, as a result of the global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

4.5-magnitude earthquake registered in Dominican Republic

Epicenter was in Hato Mayor

According to the United States Seismological Service, an earthquake of magnitude 4.5 on the Richter scale was registered last night at 8:15 p.m., with a depth of 116.1 kilometers, with an epicenter in El Puerto, in Hato mayor.

It was felt in Greater Santo Domingo and various localities of the East, South, Southeast, Northeast, and central regions of the Dominican Republic.

As of press time, no damage had been reported from the earthquake, which was felt in homes and offices, including some people who went out into the streets and parking lots of buildings.