BELLA VISTA/SANTA CRUZ, Tues. Nov. 3, 2020– On Tuesday, November 2, the National Oversight Committee held its final meeting before dissolving. At the meeting, the NOC decided to partially approve a request of the Banana Growers Association (BGA) and declared a state of emergency in the Bella Vista and Santa Cruz communities.
A release from the Government states, “The BGA fears that without some action from the Government, the transmission will spread in the villages and on the farms, forcing closures in an industry that remains an important foreign exchange earner.”
A night curfew was instituted from 8:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. in those two southern villages. The BGA had initially requested that all 13 villages across the banana belt be put on a lockdown to prevent further spread of the coronavirus, and avert a total shutdown of the important banana industry.
But while the curfew prevents movement at night, workers continue to gather daily at the pickup locations when traveling to work in the morning; many workers commute together as well.
The majority of the workforce in the banana industry come from Santa Cruz, an area that has been seeing increased COVID-19 cases.
The NOC said that for now, only these two villages will be subjected to the curfew, which will last for 14 days.