"We have nothing, how are we going to survive in Lima? ", a young man gets desperate in front of a national television camera. He is part of a group of several hundred people who left the capital, Lima, earlier this week, to escape an economic situation that became untenable for them while compulsory confinement is in force until April 26, and join their region of origin.
These families say they found themselves unemployed overnight due to confinement and, for some, evicted from their homes. They had no choice but to leave, defying the travel ban and the lack of transportation. In Peru, 2.7 million poor households are supposed to receive an allowance of 380 soles (about 100 euros) released by the state during the state of emergency, but aid is slow to arrive. Also, many people, yet in a situation of great poverty, are not counted.
Most of them from the central Andes, several hundred kilometers east of Lima, these families hope to return to their region, although all the country's roads are cut. In Peru, Covid-19 killed 254 people, and nearly 11,500 tested positive, according to the latest report. A curfew is currently in effect between 6 p.m. and 5 a.m.
Screening tests must be performed
These families therefore attempted the journey, first hidden in freight trucks, then continued on foot on mountain roads. Videos show men wearing backpacks, children and women with infants in their arms, walking in bright sunshine.
But the human caravan was stopped in the Limenian province of Huarochiri, at kilometer 48 of the Carretera Central ("central road"), by a barrage of police forces.
The government, as well as regional authorities, fear that people will spread the virus inside the country, and have offered to shelter them until the confinement ends on April 26. Most of them refused, for fear of being infected because of the promiscuity. Some then tried to break through the police, before being arrested again.
Environment Minister Fabiola Muñoz was dispatched to the area Tuesday evening April 14 to find a compromise. An outcome seems to be emerging after the announcement of the head of state, Martin Vizcarra, on Tuesday, of a decree allowing people stranded far from home to return by exceptional convoys.
First, rapid screening tests should be performed on all travelers. By Wednesday evening, around 300 tests had been carried out. Some people have already been able to return to their region by buses chartered by the municipalities, while many others wait in a stadium. Still others, tested positive, will be redirected to Lima and taken care of. All must observe a fortnight's isolation and will be monitored.
Minister Fabiola Muñoz recalled that this authorization for transfers was "Exceptional and humanitarian". Authorities are trying to regain control before other groups are tempted to move massively. They warned that stronger controls would be put in place on the Carretera Central.
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