Minister of Communication Jorge Rodriguez announced today that there were 171 new cases of COVID-19 detected in the country over the last 24 hours, the highest single-day increase reported since the outbreak began. There are now 2,316 confirmed cases of the disease in Venezuela.
During the same press conference, Rodriguez announced that two more people had died of the disease, bringing the total number of official dead to 22.
Rodriguez continued to claim that the overwhelming majority of the detected cases were brought into the country by people who had traveled abroad, and that the “community transmission curve is totally flat” in Venezuela.
Zelle Ends Venezuela Access
Zelle, a popular digital payment platform, will no longer provide services to users whose registered address in Venezuela after claiming irregularities with the service in the country.
According to Voice of America, Wells Fargo–the company that owns Zelle–explained that as part of its ongoing review of services, it discovered “inconsistent use” in Venezuela-registered accounts. The company did not provide clarification for the assertion.
News of the end of Zelle in Venezuela began to emerge on social media over the last few days, as more and more users took to platforms like Twitter to complain that they had received an email from Wells Fargo saying that their account had been cancelled.
A byzantine currency control system and US financial sanctions make sending or receiving money from Venezuela anything but a straightforward process. Zelle’s departure from the country is likely to lead to further financial isolation for ordinary Venezuelans.
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