Responding to suggestions from the Medical Task Force she appointed, Puerto Rico Gov. Wanda Vázquez announced over the weekend the signing of a new Executive Order establishing an extension to the lockdown and 24/7 curfew through May 3. Executive Order 2020-33 eliminates license plates restrictions and extends the period during the day during which authorized […]
As part of its efforts to continue offering services to the public during the COVID-19 emergency, the Wilma N. Vázquez in Vega Baja Hospital has invested some $500,000 to establish the COVID SE Unit, separate from the institution’s emergency room, hospital officials said. Hospital Board Chairman José Orlando Pabón, said “the goal of this strategy […]
To date, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has obligated more than $122 million to repair and rebuild public buildings represented in 215 projects, the agency confirmed. The funds will help municipal facilities, private nonprofits, hospitals, universities and other eligible entities recover “so they can better provide services to the communities they serve,” it said in […]
Puerto Rico Gov. Wanda Vázquez sent a letter to Congressional leadership urging them to include and treat Puerto Rico equal to U.S. mainland jurisdictions in the stimulus package currently being drafted in response to the coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak. The letter outlined several government priorities to be able to continue responding to the global COVID-19 pandemic. In […]
Seeking to add “greater visibility and access” to detailed information on the behavior of COVID-19 on the island, the Puerto Rico Health Secretary Lorenzo González, unveiled the agency’s digital dashboard that presents the official figures and behavior of the virus on the island. This tool promotes the development of the capacities needed to increase the […]
The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $1.1 million grant to the University of Puerto Rico to hire three Disaster Recovery Coordinators to execute disaster recovery efforts throughout the entire Commonwealth. The project, to be located in a Tax Cuts and Jobs Act designated Opportunity Zone, will be matched with […]
New car sales in Puerto Rico reflected a 66% year-over-year drop in March, slammed by the strict emergency measures in place to contain the spread of the coronavirus COVID-19 virus, industry officials confirmed. The United Automobile Importers Group, known as GUIA in Spanish, confirmed that 3,154 units were sold in March, compared to 9,309 new […]
Given with the challenge that employers in Puerto Rico are facing due to the health emergency caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Economic Development and Commerce is earmarking $8 million in federal funds to reimburse up to 160 employers for certain expenses. Economic Development Secretary Manuel A. Laboy Rivera said the funding will […]
Company directors and officers (D&O, for short) are facing “unprecedented times,” by not only having to manage a whirlwind of change and disruption in their business models as factors such as technology, changing buyer behaviours, socio-demographic shifts and climate change begin to exert their influence, but they’re also being confronted by the global spread of […]
The Puerto Rican Endowment for the Humanities will grant $500,000 to cultural organizations that have been economically affected by the COVID-19 emergency. These funds are available due to a special allocation from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), Endowment for the Humanities Executive Director Margarita Benítez said. “The $500,000 grant to the Puerto Rican […]
The Puerto Rico Bankers Association is urging residents to stay “informed and alert” to the various fraud schemes that have arisen related to the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, the trade group is emphasizing the importance of learning how to properly manage these schemes to protect personal and financial information. Scammers have taken advantage of the […]
Puerto Rico’s economy will experience a net direct impact of some $4.8 billion through the end of 2020 as a result of the measures taken to fight the spread of the COVID-19 virus — which could have been as high as $8.2 billion, had the blow not been softened by local and federal relief packages. […]
The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced the obligation of an additional $11.4 million in funds for 97 post-Hurricane María recovery and reconstruction projects in Puerto Rico. That amount includes nearly $2.5 million assigned to the Office of the Governor at La Fortaleza in Old San Juan for a number of repairs to the building’s third […]
Puerto Rico Farm Credit confirmed it will be offering local farmers affected by the COVID-19 emergency options to get financial assistance available through the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program. The SBA has selected a number of financial institutions in Puerto Rico to help the different sectors. The program offers employers a loan to […]
Puerto Rico’s current situation, albeit unfortunate, will bring more opportunities “find niches of economic growth and development” in the medium and longer term. But in the near-term, the island will continue to drag economic challenges present before the COVID-19 emergency. So predicts H. Calero Consulting Group Inc. in its latest edition of its in-house “Economic […]
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