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Listening to our Dominatrix Governor's lock down lifting press conference. On May 4, the following opened up: Manufacturing, Construction, vehicle maintenance, curbside or delivery retail, elective medical procedures except plastic. Previously, only food and pharmacies, were open since the original March 15 EO. Effective May 26, with masks "mandatory" everywhere and a curfew from 19;00 to 05:00, the following will reopen: Restaurants, at 25% interior capacity. Barber and beauty shops, Monday to Fridays, from 9 - 5, by appointment but walk-ins ok if distancing is doable. Pet grooming, Monday to Saturdays (?!), from 9 - 5. Retail (mom and pops),...

Puerto Rico’s finances are strained, and the U.S. is too dependent on China for pharmaceuticals. These distinct issues may seem unrelated, but they are very much intertwined. Puerto Rico was once America’s medicine cabinet, and it could be again. During the second half of the 20th century, it developed from one of the poorest places in the hemisphere into a manufacturing powerhouse. Through efforts to industrialize the island, U.S. manufacturers and the labor movement found common cause. Congress and Puerto Rico implemented several tax breaks for American manufacturers. One of them, enacted in 1976 and codified in Section 936 of...

Puerto Rico will hold a nonbinding referendum to decide the issue of Puerto Rico’s statehood, the governor announced. The referendum will be held in November and will ask a single, simple question: Should Puerto Rico be immediately admitted as a U.S. state? “Our people will have the opportunity once and for all to define our future,” Vázquez said. “It’s never too late to be treated as equals.”

Secretary of the Department of Health (DS), Lorenzo González Feliciano said on Friday that the peak period of COVID-19 coronavirus infections in Puerto Rico has passed, although it is still important to maintain individual preventive measures and those implemented by the government . "Despite all the crises [Puerto Rico] has had recently, we are [blessed]. Whoever believes that this is false does not live in Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico is [blessed]. We have had a lot of crises and we have survived all of them, and the blow has been hard but we got up,” said González Feliciano in a...

Bill Clinton was recently in Saint Lucia celebrating the new solar farm that the Clintons were instrumental in erecting.

Facing the modeled peak week for contagion, Puerto Rico Governor Wanda Vazquez announced the extension of the quarantine and emergency period [they call it a curfew, locally] through May 25. [However...] The order is accompanied by a relaxation to the types of businesses that can open, according to the recommendations presented by the Economic Task Force, such as the construction, manufacturing and health industries. "We are facing a real and worldwide emergency. We still face an invisible virus," exclaimed Vázquez Garced, who was surrounded by agency heads. The services of lawyers, as well as hardware stores, laundries, moving services, elevator...

Puerto Rico Secretary of Health, Lorenzo González Feliciano, announced that, after a review of the positive tests for coronavirus (Covid-19), the correct number of positives is 915 cases. "We will be able to see the data reflected in the coming days," said the secretary at a press conference this afternoon. The Health Department dashboard is not yet updated with the data offered today, so it continues to show 1,298 positives. Of the 915 cases, 736 are molecular tests and 189 are serological tests, the official said today. Last week Health admitted that there was duplication in some positive results, if...

The [Puerto Rico] Secretary of Health, Lorenzo González, acknowledged today to the Center for Investigative Journalism (CPI) that the agency he heads has been mixing the results of molecular tests, which are confirmatory that the person has the virus, with the results of the rapid tests or serological, whose result according to the Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA in English) is inconclusive. The implication of this is that there has been a double count, perhaps even triple, of the results in government reports on COVID-19. For example, a person who had a rapid test that was positive and then...

The spokesman for the American Civil Liberties Union of Puerto Rico (ACLU), William Ramírez, announced on Sunday that along with with three citizens, they asked the Court of First Instance (TPI) to declare unconstitutional part of Governor Wanda Vazquez’ executive order, which imposes a curfew, traffic restrictions, and other measures, in response to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. “A Martial Law has not been declared here, and the circumstances for it do not exist; therefore, states of emergency cannot be used to suspend fundamental rights”, Ramirez said in written statements. Specifically, the ACLU requests that the TPI declare unconstitutional the part...

Rebounding from previous challenges, Puerto Rico offers hard-earned advice in how destinations can make an effective comeback. Puerto Rico has learned how to react faster and more effectively in a crisis. If experience is the best teacher, then Puerto Rico’s tourism industry should be in an especially good position to confront the coronavirus pandemic that’s currently threatening the world tourism industry. After all, the so-called “Island of Enchantment” managed to score impressive growth just a short time after disastrous hurricanes and earthquakes, making its strategy for rebuilding an interesting case study in recovery. “I don’t think any other destination in...

For eight years, Puerto Rico has painted a picture of itself as a welcome refuge in the United States for residents of the 50 states to come do business. Acts 20 and 22 have brilliantly painted that picture and have helped to drive more business, spending, and jobs into the Puerto Rican economy. The only downside to the Acts 20 and 22 is that not all residents of Puerto Rico are included. To lift the burden of income tax for all who reside in and do business in Puerto Rico, would drive even more prosperity to the island. The experiment...

An 87-year-old former Marine who spent two tours in Vietnam and has multiple health conditions survived an epic battle with coronavirus, asserting, “The Marine Corps trains us to deal with adversity; they teach us to adapt, overcome, and continue the mission.” He added another reason for his survival: “And finally, the grace of God. That’s what I have here.” Franklin Eller told CBS News, “I’m feeling great. And I was really fortunate to find myself laying here at the Mayaguez Medical Center. As you may know, I was evacuated from a ship; we were on a cruise in the Caribbean....

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) has no intention of dropping out of the race for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, and as the July convention draws closer, his decision to keep his campaign alive may mean chaos for the Democratic party. Five more states have suspended their Democratic primaries amid concerns about coronavirus, and it may soon be impossible for any candidate to win a majority of delegates. The New York Times reports that Indiana, Connecticut, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, and Maryland have now joined Ohio in postponing their presidential contests, leaving the future of the Democratic presidential nomination uncertain. Ohio, of...

San Juan (AFP) - Puerto Rico was under 24-hour isolation Monday, governor Wanda Vazquez told local media, leaving the island the first major US jurisdiction to take such drastic measures against the coronavirus pandemic. "All citizens should stay in their homes 24/7 until March 30," Vazquez told WKAQ 580 AM radio. The comments came a day after she announced by video message a 9:00 pm to 5:00 am curfew, and the different directives left some residents confused about whether or not they could go out in the daytime.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Sirens blared across Puerto Rico’s busiest beaches on Monday as police cleared hundreds of tourists from the U.S. territory’s coast in a crackdown on people violating a newly imposed curfew aimed at curbing the new coronavirus. Using loudspeakers, police in patrol cars ordered people off the beach: “Please stay at home. Governor’s executive orders. The beach is closed.” The sweep surprised many tourists in the capital of San Juan, some of whom disregarded orders to stay inside their hotels on a sunny day. “Why would I get sick at the beach? I’m not going...

Puerto Rico is instating a curfew and requiring non-essential businesses to close their doors, as the U.S. territory tries to contain the spread of the coronavirus. “If we don’t act now with determinations and force, the consequences tomorrow will be even worse,” Gov. Wanda Vázquez said on Sunday during a national address. The island of 3.2 million people now has five confirmed cases of the coronavirus, and several other cases are still awaiting testing.

...In the 1970s, Congress facilitated the passage of tax breaks for companies that base their operations in Puerto Rico. Drug manufacturers took advantage of these benefits and converted the island into one of the world’s pharma production hubs. However, President Bill Clinton signed a law that started to phase out the tax breaks during the 1990s. Once these tax breaks fully expire in 2006, the industry started to leave the island. Policymakers should consider bringing back these strategic tax breaks...

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Puerto Rico’s government has lost more than $2.6 million after falling for an email phishing scam, according to a senior official. The finance director of the island’s Industrial Development Company, Rubén Rivera, said in a complaint filed to police Wednesday that the agency sent the money to a fraudulent account. Rivera said the government agency transferred the money on Jan. 17 after receiving an email that alleged a change to a banking account tied to remittance payments, according to a police statement. Manuel Laboy, executive director of the agency, told The Associated Press that...

Opinion: How Trump Can Court Puerto Rican Voters The Americas: In the upcoming presidential election, Florida will once again be an important state to win. If Donald Trump appeals to Puerto Rican voters, he could help his chances of securing a key victory. President Trump’s decision to host Venezuelan interim President Juan Guaidó at the State of the Union address last week was a message to Cuba and Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro that the U.S. remains committed to the cause of freedom in the region. It was also a clever political move aimed at energizing Hispanic voters in South Florida,...

Democratic Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib told Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell that he “has the authority” to bail out the governments of Detroit and Puerto Rico. . . . “Do you not believe that the governments of Detroit and Puerto Rico also play a vital role that should be preserved even if a financial crisis makes it hard for them to borrow money?” she added.