Living in Honduras During COVID-19
The streets of La Entrada are usually bustling with activity and music can be heard coming out of shops along the main boulevard. Large trucks are roaring through carrying goods from San Pedro Sula to Copan or Santa Rosa, tuk-tuks are whisking riders around town, people are walking along the sidewalks, and vendors are selling food, clothing, and trinkets. But, on March 15 the government closed its borders and announced that all residents should stay at home. The town now lays quiet.
While economies around the world are reeling from the impact of COVID-19, developing countries like Honduras are particularly hard hit. Many Hondurans live off of only what they can sell each day in a roadside stand. For those that have a steady job, most have been laid off and those who are still working are receiving only half-pay. There is no government safety net for these people. The financial impact is devastating to the Hondurans today and it will be a long road back for them.
Even though the government shut down businesses, they did realize that people needed to obtain food, medical and fuel supplies, and to access banking services. The Honduran government established a system for orderly circulation, segmenting the population and allowing them to shop for essential items according to the ending number of their national ID, passport, or resident ID. Supermarkets, pharmacies, hardware stores, banks, and gas stations are allowed to be open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Some establishment have earlier hours for those people over the age of 60. Only essential workers are allowed to leave their homes on Saturday and Sunday. No more than two people are allowed in a car and only one of those people can go into a store.
All food companies are operating at 50% with limited resources. The supermarkets in La Entrada are only open 3-hours a day, 3-days a week. Many foods are not easy to find. Stores quickly run out. Delmy, the Manos Amigas clinic director told us:
“Last year I planted some beans in the clinic land. It was collected in January. The harvest was not much, but everything produced was distributed to the staff and their families.”
The bean soup Delmy made with the beans harvested from the crop planted at Manos Amigas.
