Jan 5 (Reuters) – A semblance of normal life took shape across many parts of Venezuela on Monday morning after the dramatic U.S. capture of toppled President Nicolas Maduro over the weekend, although streets and shops were emptier than usual.
Many Venezuelans said they were still processing the events of Saturday, when a military operation rocked the capital Caracas and other areas, and expect a prolonged period of political and economic uncertainty.
Mariela Gonzalez, 52, the owner of a beauty and makeup business in the northwestern city of Barquisimeto, said that she had chatted with other shopkeepers via WhatsApp and opted to reopen on Monday after closing over the weekend.
“We’re afraid, but we can’t let ourselves be paralyzed,” Gonzalez said.
U.S. President Donald Trump has said the U.S. will “run” Venezuela pending a political transition, while also threatening more military action if a new interim government led by Maduro’s former vice president does not cooperate with Washington’s demands.
After a spike of panic-buying at the weekend, customer traffic was slower than usual on Monday, said store employees.
“We are open because we have to work and also because there are perishable foods that can spoil. However, people are only coming to buy the basics,” said Rosendo Linarez, 38, a supermarket manager in Barquisimeto.
In Venezuela’s second-largest city of Maracaibo, in the western state of Zulia, drivers of taxis and buses estimated that over a third of their colleagues were staying home out of fear and for lack of clients.
“There are very few passengers, and a tense calm,” said Marielys Urdaneta, a 41-year-old driver, who said she showed up to work because she needed the income. “I went out of necessity … fear or not, you have to eat,” she said.
Douglas Sanchez, who sells snacks from a kiosk in Caracas, agreed.
“You feel anguish, desperation, all of that, but (we) have to go out and work, go out and make our little bit of money to buy food and things. Because if you don’t go out to work, you don’t have anything,” he said.
Daniel Morillo, 30, who migrated to Peru five years ago, was visiting his hometown of Maracaibo for the Christmas holidays. After the events of the weekend he said he was planning to cut his trip short, using his remaining funds to buy medicine and food for his parents.
“I thought I would leave sad just because of the goodbye to my parents … not with this knot in my chest for leaving them in this uncertainty,” Morillo said.
(Reporting by Reuters newsroom, Writing by Brendan O’Boyle, Editing by Rosalba O’Brien)
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