- The whole country is officially in lockdown
- People are slowly accepting and cooperating with the situation
- No-one, except for those working in essential services can leave the house
- No private vehicles are allowed to circulate
- One person per household is allowed to leave the house for essentials
- People in shops have to keep 1.5mts distance from each other
- A daily curfew from 8.00pm till 5.00am has been imposed
- Violation of the restriction of movement is punishable
Today is the third day of the lock down in Peru. It has taken the government quite some effort to make sure that people would start to follow the new guidelines under the state of emergency we are in but slowly people are accepting their fate. The most important argument the government has is that if not applied the quarantaine restrictions could be imposed beyond March 31, the official end date at this time. In Lima markets still try to open their doors and a lot of informal street vendors are still trying to make their living on the day to day basis they are used to. The police are trying to act firmly but the sheer number of people often make this impossible. Nevertheless things are slowly changing with little traffic on the otherwise congested streets of Lima and even a bluer sky than the Limeños are used to. In Cusco the norms are being respected but some street vendors do pop up now and then. Police is firm but friendly and it is strange walking through the empty and quiet streets of Cusco, otherwise hustling and bustling with people. The lack of foreigners on the streets also makes Cusco not feel like itself and now and then state buses with the last foreigners stuck in Cusco are transported to the airport to fly out on the so called repatriate flights, often getting stuck in Lima an hour later.
In Peru today we have 155 cases and so far no-one has died of the coronavirus. Tourism as all international traffic has come to a complete halt and no-one is allowed to leave their house or hotel room. Today, the larger international airlines that serve Peru have tried to find an agreement on how to repatriate more people but an agreement was not found. Therefore each airline for its own account will make these arrangements. Therefore for those still stuck in Peru; get in touch with the airline to get and ETA on your situation and update on your options.
For me, and I guess for many people, the situation we are living in currently feels very unreal and perhaps even apocalyptic in many ways and it feels that the overworked pace of the world is shifting down a gear and people are focussing on what we were meant to do all along, taking care of ourselves. The fact that people worldwide go on crazy shopping sprees, and with this leave little for those who need it the most, the people working in healthcare, law enforcement and other emergency services who do not have the chance to stock their houses for weeks or months to come.
So let’s all try to take this time to step back and have a look at the greater picture. Let’s try to support each other (of course respecting slightly more distance than before) and try to get through this as a society. It will be a good practice for many other things ahead.
For those having questions about Peru and the Coronavirus, please get in touch.
