(Bloomberg) The Peruvian leader decreed a curfew on Tuesday in the capital, Lima, to curb violent protests against inflation that have intensified in recent days, leading to clashes with the police, temporary food shortages and disruptions in supply chains.
President Pedro Castillo announced the curfew in a speech to the nation as he declared a state of emergency in Lima and the surrounding port city of Callao. The curfew will run from 2 a.m. local time to 11:59 p.m., he said.
Legislators and senior officials will be able to work normally and people who work in essential commerce, such as pharmacies and supermarkets, will be able to circulate around the city, Justice Minister Felix Chero said in an interview with Radio Exitosa.
Castillo, who just survived a second vacancy motion in Congress last week, cut fuel taxes and raised the minimum wage by 10% over the weekend to help Peruvians hit by the fastest inflation in 24 years. However, the measures failed to appease bus drivers, most of whom work in informal jobs without fixed wages.
On Monday, the government deployed the armed forces after bus drivers blocked roads as part of a strike, spreading a crisis that began last week when, amid a protest, truck drivers and farmers cut off food supplies to the capital. The country's agricultural exports, including blueberries, avocados and grapes, are now being affected by disruptions, according to an exporters association.
Housewives angry at rising food costs also joined the protests on Monday and local media showed looting of mini-markets in the southern Ica region of the country. School classes were suspended until Tuesday in the midst of chaos.
Consumer prices in Lima rose by 6.82% in March compared to a year earlier, the largest increase since August 1998, the National Institute of Statistics and Informatics (INEI) reported last week. Prices rose 1.48% compared to February, above the median estimate of a 0.92% increase in a Bloomberg survey of economists.
Original Note:
Peru Orders Curfew in Lima Over Violent Inflation Protests (2)
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