COVID-19 in the DR: This is how the reopening of commerce in Santiago felt

SANTIAGO.- The gradual reopening of the economy began this Wednesday in this city, with the presence of hundreds of people who went early to the different commercial establishments that, for the most part, were closed during the quarantine due to the coronavirus in the country.

In addition, informal workers were observed selling fruits, coconut water, and other products, as is traditional in the urban case of this city, while the chaos returned to the streets, despite the fact that public transport has not yet been reintegrated completely.

The reactivation of trade sends hopeful signals, although the results are not seen so fast, explained the president of the Association of Stores of the Historic Center of Santiago (Asecensa), José Octavio Reinoso.

“Trade is not going to revive so quickly. We need to wait, but the outlook is encouraging,” said Reinoso, who said that the stores are experiencing problems due to the restrictions with the staff. He said it is impossible to work with 25 percent of the staff.

He argued that the difficulty in this reopening of trade has been created because customer service personnel are not allowed and this leads to crowding in all the shops in the urban area.

José Octavio Reinoso asked the Ministry of Labor to issue a resolution that allows merchants to hire more people, after explaining that, despite the reopening of trade, it is impossible to provide a service with restrictions on human resources.

He informed that Asecensa has instructed all its affiliates to carry out the protocol established by the Public Health authorities in each of the commercial establishments.

“We carry the corresponding protocols to avoid the spread of the virus. Preserving health is the most important thing. Raise awareness of store owners to observe the relevant hygiene measures,” he said.