Casino peru protest Casino Shutdown In Peru Enters Its 8th month
Casino employees in Peru have taken to the streets to voice their concerns and displeasure. This is as a result of the eight months shutdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic. According to the protesters, their demands are simple; they want the government to make plans on how to get them back on their jobs just like other countries have been doing in recent months. Their frustration has become palpable. The consensus is that the government is not doing anything to ease the pain.
There has been more and more vocal support of the protests as the shutdown goes into its eight months. The protesters have taken their voices to Congress in a bid to get more publicity and ensure their voices are heard.
Reports from Peru mention that at least 50,000 workers took to the streets in various parts of the country to protest the ongoing shutdown. Lots of countries have been able to create reopening plans in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. Whether it is opening limited areas of the casino or implementing curfews, casinos around the world are having to adapt to the current issues. Despite the fact that a number of casinos have had to implement further safety guidelines as the number of coronavirus cases increased, there has been very visible progress made.
At the start of November, Peru’s National Chamber of Tourism, in a letter, pleaded with the Country’s then-president, Manuel Merino, to reopen casinos, citing the various health protocols and measures that had been put in place by the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism. No response came forth. Manuel’s replacement, Martin Vizcarra, didn’t spend much time in the office as he was ousted in a major bribery scandal.
“We’re already in compliance with protocols. All betting rooms have been adapted to comply with the guidelines established by the Ministry of Health and by the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism. We already have an approved pre-protocol the [authorities] haven’t published it yet,” said Johan Escalante, a spokesperson of casino employees.
Restructuring Plan
Studies have shown that casinos are among the least places where coronavirus spikes could take place. Currently, Peru is in a delicate balance. The country is currently losing more than $230 million in taxes alone from the gambling industry. Any continuation of the shutdown would worsen issues in the long run. Any prolonged shutdown will make matters worse as more than 110,000 people would have to find an alternative source of living sooner rather than later.
