A/HRC/44/20 the capacity of the Government to take steps, to the maximum of its available resources, to provide the greatest possible protection of economic and social rights. 12. During the second half of 2019, the Government adopted economic and fiscal reforms that resulted in a slight containment of hyperinflation and increased the availability of goods. These reforms led, however, to a de facto dollarization of goods and services, increasing the gap between a minority of the population with access to foreign currency and the rest of the population. 13. According to the documentation and analysis centre for workers (CENDA), although the Government has increased the minimum wage by 1,200 per cent since July 2019, in May 2020, this was estimated at a value of $2.01 per month, covering 1.1 per cent of the basic food basket.8 According to an evaluation undertaken by the World Food Programme in October 2019, a total of 59 per cent of households reported having insufficient income to buy food.9 14. In January 2020, the Government reported that social expenditures represented 76 per cent of the national budget and that it was able to maintain distribution of subsidized food to around 6.2 million households. 10 It also reported that it continued to make regular money transfers to around 17 million people registered for the “Carnet de la Patria” and to maintain a high level of subsidies for public services.11 15. On 13 March 2020, President Maduro decreed a “state of alarm” to address the COVID-19 pandemic, adopting measures such as a quarantine, the suspension of nonessential work and academic activities, and the restriction of movement.12 The Government sought support from the United Nations, assigned 46 hospitals and 573 health centres for the referral of COVID-19 cases, and adopted economic measures to alleviate the impacts of social confinement. According to official figures, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela has registered some of the lowest numbers of confirmed cases in the Americas as a result of early quarantine, proactive identification of positive cases and information campaigns. 13 The Government also sought the assistance of the United Nations to address the return of over 50,210 migrants affected by measures adopted in host countries in response to the pandemic.14 16. Access to and quality of basic services, such as transportation, electricity, water and sanitation, and natural gas, continued to deteriorate, undermining the right to an adequate standard of living. Doctors and nurses reported poor conditions in public hospitals, including lack of medicines and medical supplies, water shortages and electricity outages.15 Sanction-imposed obstacles to importing fuel and diluents have exacerbated fuel shortages which, in turn, have disrupted food production and distribution and restricted access to transport and health services, further complicating the response to COVID-19.16 17. According to the non-governmental organization Observatorio Venezolano de la Conflictividad Social, from July 2019 to May 2020, a total of 10,026 protests were 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 4 http://cenda.org.ve/noticias.asp (in Spanish). World Food Programme, Venezuela – Evaluación de Seguridad Alimentaria, January 2020, p. 3. Annual statement by President Maduro at the National Constituent Assembly, 14 January 2020. See www.telesurtv.net/news/presidente-maduro-memoria-cuenta-venezuela--20200114-0011.html (in Spanish). Information provided by the Government to the United Nations country team. Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Decree No. 4,160, declaring the state of alarm to attend to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) emergency. See Extraordinary Official Gazette No. 6,519 (13 March 2020). As at 29 June 2020, authorities had confirmed 5,530 cases and registered 48 deaths (https://covid19.patria.org.ve/estadisticas-venezuela/ (in Spanish)). Response from the Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to the OHCHR questionnaire. Médicos por la Salud, “Encuesta Nacional de Hospitales 2019”. See www.encuestanacional dehospitales.com/ (in Spanish). Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Venezuela: COVID-19 – Flash Update No. 3 (23 April 2020).