“For some of us, quitting work and quarantining ourselves for fear of Corona Virus is not an option. If we don’t work, we don’t eat and we die either way,” our taxi driver (an ex-vice president of a large beer factory in Venezuela) told us last night. We were talking about all the schools shutting down in Peru and how it seems like the economy will probably grind to a halt here during the next few weeks. He said the Corona Virus would be extremely devastating in Venezuela if it becomes an issue there, though pretty much the only border movement is with Colombia at the moment.
Makro, the Peruvian equivalent to Costco, has been inundated with shoppers preparing for the 'siege'. Things that Peruvians buy are toilet paper and cleaning supplies as well as food essentials such as rice, eggs and sugar.
