Tourism destinations still lag behind

Santo Domingo.- Last year, Dominican tourist destinations received 4,994,309 non-resident visitors, an amount that represents 77.4% when compared to the 6,446,036 tourists who arrived in 2019, the year before the coronavirus pandemic.

However, the average hotel occupancy has not managed to recover at the same rate as the arrival of tourists, according to statistics from the Central Bank (BC).

From an average occupancy of hotel rooms of 71.6% in 2019, it fell to 40.5% the following year, when COVID-19 forced an almost complete paralysis of tourist activity between April and June 2020.

That year 2,405,315 non-resident visitors arrived in the country.

However, the improvement in the arrival of non-resident foreigners during 2021, the occupation of hotel rooms did not suffer the same fate. The figures indicate that last year it averaged 51%, an improvement of just 10.5 percentage points from 2020.

Dominican Republic in top 10 best places to retire

According to Travel + Leisure Magazine

The travel magazine Travel + Leisure published a list of the best destinations after retirement, considering factors such as the ease of obtaining residence, the health system, the climate, and the cost of living, among others.

As global travel has increased over the years, many seniors want to continue the adventure of exploring the world by retiring abroad. Others move to new places to stretch their retirement income or enjoy new experiences.

According to recent data from the United States Social Security Administration, more than 700,000 Americans receive their payments abroad.

Medical care, visa requirements, local culture, taxes, and living costs are all part of the decision to retire to another country. With so many considerations, it’s a good idea to get professional advice,  and advisers recommend spending at least several months in a potential retirement destination before you make a move,” said the magazine’s travel specialists.

In that sense, 10 of the best places to retire in the world, according to Travel + Leisure, are:

1- Panama

2- Portugal

3- The Dominican Republic because it is considered one of the least expensive Latin American countries for retirees, according to data from the magazine. In Santo Domingo,  the capital, the cost of rent is 90% lower than in New York, and the cost of living is 55% lower. Its location is another advantage for some retirees.

Most retirees purchase private health insurance as they are not eligible for government programs, and quality medical care at private hospitals is available at reasonable prices. Retirees can enter the country on a tourist visa and then apply for a retirement visa, which takes several months.

Most ex-pats live in the cities of  Santo Domingo and Santiago,  and there are beautiful resort towns like  Punta Cana, Puerto Plata, and Boca Chica. However, certain areas are not considered safe, so do your research before moving.

The list continues with:

4- Spain

5- Costa Rica

6- Malt

7- Ecuador

8- Mexico

9- Colombia

10- United States

Hotel chains celebrate love and friendship with discounts of up to 50%

Meliá and Iberostar are among the hotel companies with great offers in the DR

The traditional celebration generates dynamism in tourism

If there is something special about the Dominican Republic, as a tourist destination, it is in the way it welcomes visitors and celebrates with them each of its important activities since each area of ​​the country offers a differentiating and paradisiacal tourism that evokes sharing and enjoying among family, couple and friends the beauties of the island, obviously Valentine’s Day will not go unnoticed.

That is why hotel chains have developed great offers and promotions on the occasion of celebrating love and friendship, on February 14, and thus stimulate romantic getaways and/or meetings and gatherings between friends and family.

The offers range from discounts on lodging, spas, welcome cocktail, private check-in, romantic dinner with decoration, room service, exclusive drinks, among others.

Other options in which some hotels have ventured is to hold contests to obtain prizes for the special date, as compiled by arecoa.com.

Such is the case of Meliá Punta Cana Beach, which through its social networks invited people to compete in its Love Matters, offering a romantic dinner as a reward.

«Win a special Valentine’s dinner at Meliá Punta Cana Beach. Share your couple photo at Meliá Punta Cana Beach with the hashtag #LoveMatters and win a special Valentine’s dinner for two at the hotel and a special Valentine’s room service for a second winner.

The rules for participating in the promotion can be found on her Instagram account @melia.puntacanabeach and is valid for clients currently staying at the Meliá Punta Cana Beach during Valentine’s Day.

The Margaritaville Island Reserve Cap Cana and Nickelodeon Punta Cana, both of the Karisma brands, have more than 50% discount and early check-in at 12:00 at night, as well as discounts at their Spas.

Iberostar Costa Dorada in Puerto Plata has a day pass promotion for the entire month of February from 10:00 in the morning until 6:00 in the afternoon for US$75 p/p and a night pass from 6:00 in the afternoon until 2:00 in the morning for US$ 70 p/p. Both offers have different access to the facility.

Meanwhile, the other hotels of the brand in the country have other promotions that can be seen through their official website and travel agents.

Also, in Puerto Plata, the Viva Wyndham V Heavens, for adults only, has an all-inclusive offer and room service 24/7 from US$84; the offer is available for purchases until February 28, 2022.

Likewise, in Senator Puerto Plata with its “Fall in love with Senator Puerto Plata” promotion, you can enjoy up to 55% discount when staying a minimum of 2 nights in all room categories. In addition, 1 free pass to the Spa hydrotherapy circuit for 2 adults.

Valentine’s Day at Princess Hotels will be celebrated from February 11 to 14, 2022 (minimum 2 nights passing through these dates), where the Grand Bávaro Princes, Caribe Deluxe Princess, and Tropical Deluxe Princess, have great discounts on the different lodging options: single, double and triple with added values: Early check-in 11:00 in the morning, Late check out 2:00 at night according to availability. A bottle of cava in the room. 20% discount at the Spa per person, per stay: on massages, body treatments, and facials.

Barceló hotels in the DR, Mexico, Costa Rica, Aruba, Nicaragua have more than a 40% discount on lodging and other attractions of their brands.

The Intercontinental Santo Domingo has a therapy special for two at By Germaine de Capuccini that includes different types of massages, product discounts, and specific access to its facilities for RD$11,995.00. In addition, a complement to the experience in a couple’s cabin and romantic decoration for RD$2,695.00. Valid for reservations until February 18, 2022.

Homewood Suites By Hilton Santo Domingo invites you to enjoy a special atmosphere with live music on its Rooftop 107 for couples and friends with a 35% discount on bottles of selected wines and includes a courtesy tapa from the chef.

In Catalonia Santo Domingo with its promotion, we celebrate love! at the Sea Blue restaurant that includes a dinner on February 14 for two people from US$99, which includes a three-course menu, welcome cava, a bottle of wine, and live music.

Meanwhile, if you choose to celebrate Valentine’s Day at the Bahia Principe hotels in Punta Cana, La Romana, and Samaná, you can find offers of up to 15% off all-inclusive, free modifications and cancellations. (limited offer)

Tracadero Beach Resorts thus promotes a romantic getaway in its establishment:»This Valentine’s Day will not be just another night if you spend it at Tracadero, which for only US$125 per person fully covers food and beverages, you will enjoy an unforgettable evening with your beloved.”

The RIU hotels reconfirm that “the beach is the ideal setting to celebrate love and friendship” and invite you to take advantage of the specials at Riu Palace Punta Cana, Palace Bávaro, and Riu República with 10% discount on rates. Complimentary upgrade to the next room category subject to availability. Early Check-in at 10: in the morning with access to the public areas of the hotel. Late check-out at 3: in the afternoon totally free. Access to the wet area of ​​the spa free of charge + a discount of USD$35 for a couple’s massage harmony of the ocean.

Offers through travel agencies are also available, as is the case of Viajes Alkasa, who shows that the Sanctuary Cap Cana offers a 10% discount on the rate, upgrade in the room subject to availability at check-in time -in, 1 hour in hydrotherapy as a couple and a 30% discount at the spa.

Likewise, the agency invites you to enjoy stays at Hyatt Zilara Cap Cana and Hyatt Ziva Cap Canawith a 10% discount on the rate, 15% discount at Larimar Spa, and 20% discount at the hotel’s Sirena Store, among others.

Anyway… there are plenty of offers, discounts, and amenities for locals and foreigners to enjoy and celebrate love and friendship in most of the country’s hotels, as the holiday generates dynamism in tourism.

In the event that the hotel of your choice is not among those mentioned, you can access the official website and/or social networks to find out in detail about the offers available for Valentine’s Day.

The promotions previously featured by this digital outlet are subject to changes in availability; they do not apply for promotions and/or special packages; not combinable with other offers/discounts; some have a deadline to access them and are valid while supplies last.

Abinader prefers US $10 billion from tourism instead of 10 million visitors

Joel Santos, the tourist adviser to the Executive Power, explained that the government is working to obtain at least 10 billion dollars in income from the tourist area and does not emphasize receiving 10 million tourists, “as past authorities did.

“The number of tourists that come does not give you a global idea of ​​the impact of tourism on the economy, but the income from tourism does. In other words, the government of President Luis Abinader, instead of 10 million tourists, prefers 10 billion dollars in income from tourism each year,” he emphasized.

Accordingly, the also former president of the National Association of Hotels and Tourism ( Asonahores ) said that the key to the success of the Dominican tourism sector amid the Covid-19 pandemic had been the speed and caution with which they have been adopted regarding the opening and closing of borders and the reactivation of the local tourism sector by the Presidency of the Republic.

Santos explained that the estimates are because the tourism cabinet is very productive and proactive and has coordinated very well with the health cabinet, while together with the private sector, they have worked in harmony with the government, according to Acento.

Cement production grew 23.4% in 2021

Santo Domingo.- The production capacity of the local cement industry has made it possible to respond to the rapid growth of the construction sector, one of the engines of the national economy and post-pandemic recovery.

The latest report from the Central Bank indicates that the construction sector registered an annual growth (January-December 2021) of 23.4%, placing it among the three sectors with the greatest contribution to the growth and economic recovery of the country along with tourism services (39.5 %) and manufacturing in free zones (20.3%).

According to information provided by the Dominican Association of Portland Cement Producers (Adocem), the expansion of the construction sector was reflected in the increase in cement production, which reached 6.5 million tons versus the US$5.17 million tons produced in 2020.

Gold, still Dominican Republic’s export king

Santo Domingo.- The most important exported product by the Dominican Republic continues to be gold, reaching US$1.8 billion in January-December 2021.

Gold represents 15.5% of everything exported last year, with Switzerland being the main destination for this product, which has allowed that country to displace Haiti as the second export market. Much of the gold extracted in the world is refined in that European country.

The second product is medical instruments and devices with US$1.1 billion exported last year.

They account for 9.4% and 8.9%, respectively, of total Dominican exports.

The data was provided by the president of the Dominican Association of Exporters (Adoexpo), Elizabeth Mena, in a press release.

The executive highlighted that 2021 was the year in which the country achieved the highest volume of exports in its entire history, reaching an amount of US$11.8 billion, representing a year-on-year growth of 20% compared to 2020.

Zoé Saldaña enjoys the Dominican Republic with her whole family

Santo Domingo, DR

The renowned actress Zoé Saldaña is enjoying her country, the Dominican Republic, with her whole family.

With a song by Juan Luis Guerra, a Dominican flag, and a video where she traveled some of the country’s roads, it was the publication that the “Avatar” star shared with her eight million followers on Instagram.

In other videos circulating on social networks, you can see her husband, Marco Perego, and their three children on the beach, also spending time with the actress’s relatives in the country.

Despite having a great career in Hollywood, with multiple successes in her catalog, the actress does not forget her roots and is always aware of what is happening in the country.

So much so that in mid-2020, the famous one expressed her desire to return to making movies in the Dominican Republic, of which she only has beautiful experiences.

Through an interview with Dominican journalists through the Zoom platform, Zoé said that, if she has not returned to Creole cinema,  has not been due to lack of interest, but rather due to time, since when she shot the only film she has made in the country, “La maldición del padre Cardona,” (“The curse of Father Cardona”) she has not stopped shooting one film after another.

The gringos cannot set the pace of tourism in the Dominican Republic

The United States is the primary source market and the most coveted by the tourism industry in the Dominican Republic. That is an obvious fact because it is verified by all the meters: they are the leaders in quantity and the first in quality.

Gone are the days when British and German tourists were the first to occupy the ranking of clients arriving in the eastern part of the country. Today that is the history of tourism and, although it must always be kept in mind, you cannot live in the past.

The reality is based on objective data and well-founded and contrasted statistics, constantly at odds with the points of view and analysis of politicians and authorities of any party. These usually handle these references according to their convenience, most of the time without rigor.

Taking for granted that the US market is the most desired because it is profitable, the Dominican tourism industry cannot always be stressed with the threats of the gringos: what if the deaths, what if the insecurity, what if the COVID…

Since we are talking about statistics, the percentage of deaths from alcohol, citizen insecurity, and viruses is much higher in the United States than in the Dominican Republic. The COVID numbers in the USA, for example, are alarming.

The Americans demonstrated their strength as a country by being the first to manufacture the most reliable vaccines in record time. However, they are the ones that lead the infections in the most prosperous countries, the most opposed to vaccines and the most opposed to the third dose—lessons, then, the minimum.

A powerful lobby in the USA is what the tourism industry and the country need to counteract the intimidating offensive of the northern neighbor. It is vital or more than any other promotional activity. We need the gringos but without them setting the pace for our industry.

Dominican economy to grow 6%, inflation and all

Santo Domingo.- In an analytical document prepared by technicians from the Central Bank, it is recognized that the deceleration of inflation in the country has occurred at a slower rate than expected.

However, it is projected that the momentum shown by domestic demand, the recovery of tourism, the high flows of foreign direct investment and the revitalization of public investment will contribute to the Dominican economy growing up to 6.0% in 2022.

In the document “Monetary policy rate: main tool of central banks,” the institution’s technicians explain that, in Latin America, most central banks have had to increase their interest rates more rapidly to face high inflationary pressures and depreciation of their currencies, as well as to avoid potential capital outflows.

Dominican Republic diversifies: historic flow of tourists outside the US and Canada

The DR captured 245,301 tourists outside of North America in January

Public and private sectors work to recover industry

The president of the Association of Hotels and Tourism of the Dominican Republic ( Asonahores ), Rafael Blanco Tejera, highlighted the tourism results in January and is optimistic about the development of the year 2022.

“Outside of tourists from the United States and Canada , our country received more tourists than ever from the rest of the world, which tells us that we are on a very good path and that we are efficiently diversifying the tourism promotion of our destination,” he said.

He explained that the Dominican Republic managed to register a historical maximum of 245,301 foreign tourists from countries other than the United States and Canada.

The head of the largest tourism union in the country highlighted the figures presented by the Ministry of Tourism ( Mitur ) with an arrival of more than half a million tourists last month, which represents a growth of 159% compared to 2021 and an equivalent to 95 % of tourist arrivals compared to 2020, a remarkable achievement that projects a year of great results for the sector.

“January started off on the right foot and from Asonahores what we will do is continue working hand in hand with the authorities to continue with this wave of good news for our country,” Blanco Tejera said in a statement.

For the tourism executive, the sector’s recovery is a reality. Moreover, the trend and projections for February and the rest of the year are highly positive, so he anticipates that this sector will positively impact the economy’s recovery in 2022.

Blanco Tejera congratulated the Mitur team for the work they have been carrying out for this recovery, as well as the closeness they have had with the private sector to make a joint effort that allows the Dominican Republic to be the destination in the region with the best results in terms of arrival of tourists after the pandemic caused by Covid-19.

Gov. starts US$506M metro line of 7.3km

Santo Domingo.-  The Dominican Government has begun the construction of Line 2C of the Santo Domingo Metro, which, together with the announced Santo Domingo Train, is one of the major projects that seeks to reduce  traffic.

President Luis Abinader, together with Rafael Santos Pérez, executive director of the Office for the Reorganization of Transport (Opret), broke ground Tuesday for the work that will be ready in 24 months -according to projections- and which will cost around US$506 million.

Of that amount, US$110 million will be for the construction of a side road and US$396 million for the extension of Line 2C, which will be made up of five stops, distributed over 7.3 kilometers.

Of that length, 800 meters will be below ground through a mining tunnel connected to the María Montez station, and 6.5 kilometers will be an elevated span.

Humpbacks expand their Dominican playground

Samana.- The visit of humpback whales, one of the natural tourist attractions in the Dominican Republic, extends to the shores of the municipality of Miches, where nature lovers can enjoy such a fascinating spectacle.

These marine giants, which arrive every year from the beginning of January to the end of March, move from the front of La Gina de Miches bay, Loma Redonda, Costa Esmeralda and the Club Med area, further boosting tourism in the area, say hikers.

Edy Hernández, president of the company “La Carpia Tours” said that since 2018 the company obtained the first license for the observation of humpback whales in the Miches area.

The scenarios that make the Dominican Republic a ‘movie destination’

The Dominican Republic has become one of the favorite places for film productions, and in the video published by William Ramos, two beaches are presented that have been the scenes of famous movies.

Both beaches are in Samaná: Playa el Valle and Playa Ermitaño, which have been the setting for the productions: the movie Tiempo and the series Survivor.

Cap Cana confirms it will have the first Marriott St. Regis hotel in the Dominican Republic

The luxurious resort will have 350 hotel rooms.

Sanitary measures stand out, and infrastructures boost tourism.

Jorge Subero Medina, executive president of Cap Cana, indicated that the Dominican Republic continues to gain ground with the incursion of exclusive hotel brands that choose to develop their properties in the country, particularly in the destination of Cap Cana.

In that sense, it reconfirmed the development of a St. Regis Hotels & Resorts of the  Marriott International Hotels chain in the Punta Espada golf course area.

“It is a very exclusive project since it is the first time that the brand will arrive in the country and there will be some 350 rooms that will be added to the country’s lodging portfolio that will once again put Cap Cana in another position,” he added.

The complex would be the brand’s first in the Dominican Republic. In Central America and the Caribbean, the hotel company has two St. Regis hotels, one in Mexico and Puerto Rico.

The brand combines classic sophistication with a modern sensibility, committing to delivering exceptional experiences at more than 40 luxury hotels and resorts in the best destinations around the world.

Due to the development of the hotel and the recent inauguration of the Margaritaville by Karisma, Subero Medina explained that the three qualities for which the Dominican Republic remains the preferred tourist destination to invest in hotel developments are: the vaccination program to control the Covid pandemic -19, maturity as a country and hotel infrastructures.

“RD has spectacular hotel infrastructures which are being used and have been part of the hard work that we Dominicans have been doing for many years,” he added.

Meanwhile, and without neglecting the good deeds with which the country’s tourism continues to recover, the director said that there are still some other needs, such as a second line of beach and diversifying the complimentary offer.

«There is always one or another need, and putting a second beach line into production is one of them because the first line has matured and we need another one because we have to expand. In addition, we have the challenge of adding complementary elements that serve as a plus to the hosting offer,» he said.

Abinader reinforces the Tourism Cabinet

Santo Domingo, DR

President Luis Abinader ordered the expansion of the Tourism Cabinet, an entity whose objective is to design and propose public policies related to the tourism sector to stimulate its development and guarantee its strengthening.

The measure was arranged through decree number 46-22, in which President Luis Abinader chairs the entity.

It is also made up of the Ministers of Tourism, who act as its general coordinator, Public Health, Defense, and Foreign Affairs. The Tourism Cabinet was created by decree 498-20. Its powers include coordinating the design of public policies for the tourism sector articulating plans and projects related to the tourism sector with member institutions.

Also, establish the actions that its members must execute derived from the agreed plans and projects and that are inherent to their functions and attributions, establish the communication strategy and plan to be executed as a consequence of any action that affects the tourism sector, promote the participation of the private sector linked to the area for the preparation, coordination, and execution of public policies and ensure the correct implementation of duly approved policies, programs, and plans.

In its article 4, the decree indicates that the Tourism Cabinet is made up of the following people.

The Cabinet will be attached to the Ministry of Tourism. From now on, it will also be made up of the Commander General of the Dominican Republic Navy, the Director-General of the National Police, the president of the National Directorate for Drug Control (DNCD), the Director of the Export and Investment Center of the Dominican Republic, the directors of Customs, of the Specialized Body of Airport Security (CESAC). In addition, the Civil Aviation Board (JAC) president, the directors of the Civil Aviation Institute (IDAC), the Airport Department, the Tourism Police, whose members will perform their duties on an honorary basis, will also be involved.

The Tourism Cabinet will hold regular monthly sessions to achieve the goals set for developing the tourism sector after being called by its general coordinator, the Minister of Tourism. However, it may meet extraordinarily as many times as deemed necessary.

Boeing builds US$200M repair shop in Dominican SW

Santo Domingo.- The company Aeropuertos Dominicanos Siglo 21 (Aerodom), which manages six terminals in the country, had a 2021 where it managed to recover 80% of the air traffic that it registered in 2019 and looks upbeat at the local future of this industry, to which you are making or will make investments.

Aedorom intends to soon make investments in the runway of the Gregorio Luperón Airport, located in Puerto Plata, in addition to the remodeling it has done in the Las Américas terminal (AILA), according to the company’s CEO, Mónika Infante.

“In (the airport of) Puerto Plata we are going to do a major work in May, which will last 10 days in its first phase and the runway will be closed. It is a necessary work to maintain the runway, but also to increase its capacity and receive larger aircraft, ”she said.

During his participation in the Free Dialogue, Infante explained that in the case of AILA, the company works in the Central Atrium, a commercial plaza where the passenger, after doing his migration and security check, can walk and visit the six restaurants that It will have several new stores and a recreation area.

She announced that the work will be finished in March, although it is planned to be inaugurated the second or third week of April. She specified that this work exceeds US $ 15 million.

She added that at the María Montez airport, located in Barahona, work is being done on the installation of a Boeing aircraft repair shop, whose construction would take 36 months at a cost of US$200 million.

530K tourists arrive in DR, a 129% jump

Santo Domingo.- The Minister of Tourism, David Collado, revealed that in January 2022, 530,956 non-residents arrived in the country, 129% more than the previous year, of which 82% were of Dominican origin.

He also indicated that despite the cancellation of flights from the United States to the Dominican Republic due to snow storms that affected the US East Coast, non-resident arrivals remained above half a million tourists.

Collado explained at a press conference that these indicators show that the country continues to lead the arrival of tourists in the Caribbean, however, despite the omicrom variant and the tightening of the measures, the consequence was that the arrival of Canadians in the country was affected.

Likewise, he indicated that this misfortune did not prevent non-residents from the rest of the world from registering an all-time high of 245,301, excluding the United States and Canada.

Due to economic growth, Dominican Republic will be in the top 10

The economic growth of 12.3% exhibited by the Dominican Republic in 2020 will place the country in the top 10 in the world in the line of most significant growth, predicted the Minister of Economy, Planning, and Development, Miguel Ceara Hatton, who also said that something similar would happen with the balance compared to 2019, thanks to the 4.7% that was achieved.

“At least in Latin America, we are the country with the highest growth. Those are the figures. There is nothing more to say,” said Ceara Hatton.

When questioned about what former President Leonel Fernández said that the Central Bank is manipulating public opinion, the Minister of Economy reacted in defense of the country’s leading banking entity, explaining that it is only publishing growth statistics as it always has done and that they are very clear.

It is recalled that Fernández described as an illusion that the people are told that the country had a growth of 12.3% since it is a statistical rebound and a bubble is being created.

The president of the People’s Force also cited that inflation for 2021 was 8.5%, twice what the Central Bank set, so the people are feeling the economic crisis to which the government never refers.

Central Bank’s monetary policy rate reaches 5% per year.

The  Central Bank of the Dominican Republic (BCRD) decided to increase its monetary policy interest rate by  50 basis points this Monday, going from  4.50% to 5.00% per year. In this way, the rate of the permanent liquidity expansion facility (1-day repos) increases from 5.00% to 5.50% per year and the interest-bearing deposit rate (Overnight) from 4.00% to 4.50% per year.

The monthly variation of the consumer price index (CPI) in December was 0.73%, while the year-on-year inflation at the end of 2021 was 8.50%. On the other hand, year-on-year core inflation, which excludes the most volatile components of the basket, reached 6.87% in December 2021, reflecting second-round effects on production associated with supply shocks.

This decision is part of the monetary policy normalization plan being implemented by the Central Bank to moderate price shocks. It contributes to the convergence of inflation to the target range in a context of highly dynamic economic activity.

Covid-19 is not gone, but is on the decline

Santo Domingo, DR

According to the data registered by the National Health Service (SNS), the hospital centers in Santo Domingo have presented a lower concentration of patients in the Covid-19 Unit in their different premises.

These are the cases of the hospitals Doctor Francisco Moscoso Puello, Doctor Luis Eduardo Aybar, and the Cardio-Neuro-Ophthalmology and Transplant Center (Cecanot), which have had low figures for their admitted and discharged patients.

The hospital network for Covid-19 reports 1,487 beds where there are only 184 in use, in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) with several 316 beds available but 94 occupied.

Until yesterday the Moscoso Puello had 11 patients admitted for Covid; in the ICU area, there are three, six in generic internment, and two in the center emergency.

Vaccination and tests
At the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (UASD), a security staff member explained that the PCR and antigen testing center located in that academy was closed on January 28 since it will work temporarily.

What will remain normal is the VacúnateRD point. Dr. Arsenia Lugo, the supervisor of this point, declared that “this week the visit of adults in search of inoculating themselves with their third and fourth doses has been the guideline, but the one that predominates is the laying of the third, the one that is most apply are Pfizer and Sinovac.”

The doctor said that pregnant women with less than three months of gestation who decide to carry out their inoculation must be referred by their obstetrician and do not present setbacks in their health. “Only 1% of pregnant women have come to get their vaccines,” said Lugo.

In the case of children between the ages of 12 and 17, two doses of the Pfizer vaccine are applied.

Along the same lines, at the Juan Pablo Duarte Olympic Center, where both vaccination functions and the nasal swab are also carried out, they continue with their usual functions.

In the words of Dr. Carla Morel, “we have had good attendance, today a little lower than in previous days, but appointments have been made more frequently. The presence of young people has been felt a lot today (yesterday).”

Morel clarified that there are all kinds of services in this vaccination center, from the first to the fourth dose of the biologicals used to prevent the coronavirus that causes the Covid-19 disease.

The virus broke out in China in December 2019 and then spread to Asia, Europe, America, and Africa, leaving millions infected and dead. The first case in the Dominican Republic was detected on March 1, 2020.

A US$60M industrial center for the North region

Santo Domingo.- What they have called the largest and most important shopping center in the entire North region and which will house more than 35 service companies in Dajabon, was announced Wednesday afternoon by several business groups.

The strategic alliance worth US$60 million is made up of the business groups Capital Holding, Constructora Calyon Finance and the Chinese Commercial, Production and Investment Office in the Dominican Republic (Ocpird), who are in charge of developing the Hispaniola Border Multimodal Zone, and for this they signed a agreement.

Richard Wu, president of the Ocpird, after the signing of the agreement of intent in the “Joint Venture” mode, explained that Capital Holding will sell 50 percent of its real estate to the Ocpird, also providing all the permits to operate as a industrial park and as a logistics area, protected by Law 12-21 that creates the Special Zone for Integral Border Development.