Venezuela to partially reopen the country from June 1 with on-off policy

Venezuela on May 30 announced the partial reopening of the country that will come into effect from June 1 and will see nine economic sectors reopen first. President Nicolas Maduro announced the plan where he said that the nine economic sectors that have been allowed to reopen from June 1 will observe on and off policy, meaning they will open for five days and then will be placed under lockdown for next ten days. Maduro also said that border towns, for now, will be exempted from the reopening policy, and the Venezuelan borders will remain shut until further notice. 

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According to figures by Johns Hopkins University, Venezuela has recorded 1,459 confirmed coronavirus cases so far, of which 14 people have lost their lives. However, experts believe the number to be much higher as the country's health system is in utter collapse. Experts suggest that Venezuela is not testing enough and cited a lack of transparency as one of the reasons behind fewer cases. 

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Crisis in Venezuela

"Venezuelans are facing severe shortages of medicine, medical supplies, and food, seriously undermining their rights to health and food. In 2017, the Venezuelan health minister released official data indicating that during 2016 maternal mortality had increased 65 percent, and infant mortality 30 percent. Days later, the health minister was fired. The government has not since published epidemiological bulletins," a Human Rights Watch report said. 

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Venezuela is also facing a political crisis at the moment which could well be one of the reasons behind the mismanagement. Venezuela's main opposition leader Juan Guaido had earlier this year called for a mass protest against Maduro and his regime and later claimed that he was taking power as interim president. Since then, over 50 countries have expressed support for Guaido, including the United States. 

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(Image Credit: AP)