Employers say they don’t retain employees after curfew

Santo Domingo, DR

The business sector assures that companies have adapted their schedules to those established by the Government, to comply with the curfew, said the executive vice president of the National Council of Private Enterprise (Conep), César Dargam, when explaining that the adjustments in the time of circulation must facilitate and guarantee the transfers.

Dargam does not believe that companies should hold their employees back until the deadline. However, he emphasized that the authorities must recognize validly issued permits and that the private company has information about some setbacks that have occurred.

The authorities require constant monitoring of the measures’ effectiveness to make adjustments if needed, he said. Likewise, actions to mitigate this situation’s economic and social effects must be contemplated continuously, he said. The business leader reminds us that these are challenging times and sacrifice that he hopes will soon be overcome. The country, which remains in category 4, very high, of the pandemic infection, registered this Saturday the highest number of infections a day after the first case of coronavirus Covid-19 was discovered since March 2020 from an Italian visitor. Last Saturday, the executive vice president of the Association of Industries (AIRD), Circe Almanzar, said that although employers are having difficulties with the current schedules, it is necessary to maintain production pace. She stressed that in the months when the contagion levels were low, it was demonstrated that the industry and the productive sectors were able to operate without causing outbreaks. “I think authorities should take into account to establish differentiated measures so that productive sectors are not affected, and the country’s economy is not further damaged,” suggested Almánzar, who recorded the publication in this media.

Copardom

The president of the Dominican Employers’ Confederation (Copardom), Juan Alfredo De La Cruz, warned that he disagrees with keeping employees until curfew time, especially when there are no free transit hours this weekend. Companies must consider the curfew schedule when organizing the work schedules of their employees so that they do not have problems returning home, said the employer’s leader De la Cruz. He said that any measure that ensures that employees go home safely is excellent and supports it.

On the Streets

Yesterday, the crowd was almost regular, with many people in the supermarkets that remained open until noon. Megaphones warned PriceSmart customers to speed up their purchases because of the closing time. Shortly before noon, it began to close its take-out center and its front door to serve those in the checkout lines.

DISPOSITION

45

State of emergency

According to Decree 6-21, as of the 16th of this month, the State of Emergency is extended throughout the national territory for 45 more days.

7-21

Curfew

Decree 7-21 establishes a new curfew from today, January 11, 2021, until the 26th of the current month.

STOP

Weekend

On Saturdays 16 and 23 and Sundays 17 and 24, the curfew is from 12 noon to 5:00 am, with three hours free of traffic to reach their homes at 3:00 pm.