Economy in Cúcuta is paralyzed by protests in Venezuela: “It looks like a cemetery”

The effects of the protests in Venezuela, coupled with the disappointment and helplessness of millions of citizens due to the election results in favor of President Nicolás Maduro, has halted the economic movement taking place in the city of Cúcuta.

“And then the fortnight is coming. It’s the end of the month, the end of the month, payment of employees, payroll, rent and bills. “It is worrying,” said Luisiana García, a Venezuelan businesswoman in Cúcuta.

The merchant added that “people are afraid to come and are afraid to leave their homes.”

The perception of Louisiana is the same as that of many merchants in Alexandria, the main commercial area of ​​Cúcuta.

“Here, the ones who do the trading are Venezuelans because they are going from one side to the other, bringing and taking. They come from the villages, they come from Táchira or Mérida. These days it has been very hard and there have been no sales. It looks like a cemetery,” said José Teófilo Espinel, a merchant from Cúcuta.

For his part, Yoel Morales, another merchant, said that “Today, for example, it has been very quiet. We haven’t even made our first sale.”

For Luisiana García, there is a double concern. She identifies with the feelings of millions of Venezuelans. Although she is only a few miles away from her family, she has not been able to return to her country either.

“The feeling comes from within, Not only because our relatives are waiting for us there. “I believe that my father, my mother, my brothers and I could reunite at some point if this whole situation were to change and our economic situation could improve,” said the Venezuelan citizen.

Cúcuta has been characterized as an epicenter of commercial and cultural exchange, which citizens hope to have again without restrictions.