Nicaragua turns a blind eye to Covid-19

One of Latin America’s most unstable countries of the current moment is Nicaragua, a nation of 6 million people sandwiched between Costa Rica and Honduras. Just like Venezuela, the country is ruled by a long-standing left-wing regime, where freedom of the press is scarce and political prisoners are many. But unlike Venezuela — which has been finding its way into headlines around the world — the repression under Daniel Ortega’s government doesn’t draw so much attention. 

However, as the coronavirus outbreak surpasses 100 deaths in Latin America, Nicaragua is shaping up to become a disaster within a disaster, with scarce official data being released by authorities. Nicaragua only reported its first confirmed case on March 18, while the region as a whole has already recorded 8 deaths and more than 1,200 cases. 

Amid the regional lockdown, Mr. Ortega’s wife and ultra-religious Vice President Rosario Murillo called the people to the streets for a march against the virus, dubbed “Love in Times of Covid-19.” Ms. Murillo said that Nicaragua “won’t follow other countries” in applying restrictions on movement to fight the pandemic. Since then, the government has only confirmed two cases, but local NGOs say the number is much higher. 

In government since 2007, Orteguismo is repeating the same mysterious agenda when it comes to a social...