WEBVTT - The Latin American Country That's Beating Covid

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Prague Nosis. I'm Laura Carlson. It's day one

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<v Speaker 1>thirty one since coronavirus was declared a global pandemic. Today's

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<v Speaker 1>main story Latin America has been hard hit by the pandemic,

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<v Speaker 1>but there's one small country in the region that is

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<v Speaker 1>quietly beating COVID despite bordering countries where the virus rages.

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<v Speaker 1>But first, here's what happened in virus news today. US

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<v Speaker 1>Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell, Treasury Secretary Stephen Manuchin, and

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<v Speaker 1>other GOP leaders began hammering out the details of a

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<v Speaker 1>roughly one trillion dollar Republican plan for a new round

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<v Speaker 1>of virus relief. At will be their opening bid as

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<v Speaker 1>they begin negotiations with Democrats, who have already put out

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<v Speaker 1>an expansive three point five trillion dollar proposal. The two

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<v Speaker 1>sides remain far apart on many of the particulars, including

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<v Speaker 1>McConnell's determination to include liability limits for businesses, schools, and

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<v Speaker 1>other organizations. Hong Kong reported sixty six new local virus cases,

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<v Speaker 1>down from eighty three on Sunday. The new outbreak has

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<v Speaker 1>now infected five hundred and sixty local people in sixteen days,

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<v Speaker 1>alarming health officials. About a third of infections are unlinked

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<v Speaker 1>to confirmed cases or existing outbreaks, signaling that hidden chains

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<v Speaker 1>of transmission are widespread. In light of the outbreak, the

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<v Speaker 1>Financial Hub is extending restaurant restrictions as well as JIM

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<v Speaker 1>and bar closures by another week, and it's expanding mask requirements. Finally,

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<v Speaker 1>a coronavirus vaccine the University of Oxford is developing with

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<v Speaker 1>Astra Zenica showed promising results in early human testing. The

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<v Speaker 1>vaccine shows what's called a dual immune response. That means

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<v Speaker 1>it increased levels of both protective neutralizing antibodies and immune

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<v Speaker 1>T cells that target the virus. That's according to results

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<v Speaker 1>that were published today in the Lancet Medical Journal. And

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<v Speaker 1>now for today's main story. The small South American nation

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<v Speaker 1>of Uruguay is best known for its grass fed beef

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<v Speaker 1>and Atlantic beaches, but the country of three point five

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<v Speaker 1>million people has another distinction. It seems to have dodged

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<v Speaker 1>the worst of the COVID nineteen outbreak. Despite being nestled

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<v Speaker 1>between hot spot countries. The country has seen just one

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<v Speaker 1>thousand or so cases since the pandemic began, and only

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<v Speaker 1>thirty three deaths. Ken Parks reports the reasons may have

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<v Speaker 1>as much to do with its policies from years past

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<v Speaker 1>as its present day virus response. What is the secret

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<v Speaker 1>to uruguay success? First, it acted fast. President LUs Lakaishapo

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<v Speaker 1>ordered a voluntary lockdown and closed international borders less than

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<v Speaker 1>a month after taking office March first. Speaking at a

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<v Speaker 1>seminar in June, lakaijah Po has said his decision to

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<v Speaker 1>appeal to his compatriots responsible exercise of liberty, as he

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<v Speaker 1>refers to his voluntary lockdown policy, wasn't an easy one.

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<v Speaker 1>It was March, and his advisers had provided infection forecasts

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<v Speaker 1>ranging from tift cases to his meanings a quarter of

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<v Speaker 1>a million cases. The decision to say no to obligatory

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<v Speaker 1>quarantine was a little more complex based on the data

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<v Speaker 1>we have. Of equal or greater importance are Uruguay's institutional assets.

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<v Speaker 1>It's one of the wealthiest nations in the region, with

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<v Speaker 1>a mature political system that sees little to gain from

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<v Speaker 1>sacrifice in the country to advance partisans agendas. Uruguay is

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<v Speaker 1>also reaping dividends from the heavy investments in public healthcare

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<v Speaker 1>and social programs. The left wing Broad Front Party made

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<v Speaker 1>during his fifteen years in power. The government strategy of

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<v Speaker 1>widespread testing, contact tracing, and voluntary lockdown is paying off.

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<v Speaker 1>Most schools are now holding classes and malls, shops, restaurants,

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<v Speaker 1>and government offices are open. Active COVID cases have held

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<v Speaker 1>below or just above one since early June. Uruguay's manage

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<v Speaker 1>all that, even though it counts COVID hotspots Argentina and

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<v Speaker 1>Brazil as neighbors. I recently spoke with Public Health Minister

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<v Speaker 1>Daniel Salinas about Uruguay's success in containing the pandemic. Minister Sealinas,

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<v Speaker 1>a medical doctor, urge his compatriots to appreciate and defend

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<v Speaker 1>the country's COVID gains. Has to appreciate and defend its status.

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<v Speaker 1>It has to be part of our identity. It's like

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<v Speaker 1>in football. We have to win this World Cup. That

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<v Speaker 1>doesn't mean we have won the battle, because at any

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<v Speaker 1>moment something can happen that is beyond our control. The

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<v Speaker 1>reopening of classes didn't generate one additional case. The reopening

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<v Speaker 1>of shopping centers hasn't created spikes and activity. The opening

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<v Speaker 1>of hotels and restaurants hasn't created problems. Daily Uruguay has

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<v Speaker 1>increased entry requirements for citizens and foreign residents arriving from

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<v Speaker 1>abroad by air, Fairie or Land. Authorities require new arrivals

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<v Speaker 1>provide a negative COVID test taken no more than seventies

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<v Speaker 1>two hours before traveling. After that, arrivals have to spend

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<v Speaker 1>at least a week in quarantine and undergo another test.

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<v Speaker 1>Uruguayan Brazil are also coordinating their COVID response measures along

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<v Speaker 1>their border. Minister Selenas says the measures aimed to event

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<v Speaker 1>further outbreaks like those in the provincial capitals of Rivera

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<v Speaker 1>and train d Tace that were linked to Brazil, where

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<v Speaker 1>many Uruguayans who live along the border go to shop

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<v Speaker 1>Moulin Dando and you're shielding the country from the situation abroad.

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<v Speaker 1>But in the end we depend on the personal conduct

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<v Speaker 1>of our citizens because starting from one case, there were

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<v Speaker 1>ninety seven cases, and Tres, which is a lesson looks,

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<v Speaker 1>is a very small city that had ten percent of

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<v Speaker 1>Uruguay's cases. Uruguay also faces the challenge reviving a tourism

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<v Speaker 1>industry whose beaches, spas and casinos catered to more than

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<v Speaker 1>one point seven million Argentines and almost half a million

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<v Speaker 1>Brazilian slash here. I asked Minister Selenas if Uruguay is

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<v Speaker 1>going to open its tourism ministry next summer, bud point.

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<v Speaker 1>Don't know for sure. There is going to be domestic tourism,

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<v Speaker 1>but conditions to enter the country aren't going to change.

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<v Speaker 1>I hope there is a vaccine by then. What Luruguay

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<v Speaker 1>is out performing most of its peers in terms of

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<v Speaker 1>infection mortality rates. The pandemic has caused significant hardship for

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<v Speaker 1>ordinary Ruguayans who have lost their jobs or struggled to

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<v Speaker 1>keep their businesses afloat in the face of declining sales. Well,

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<v Speaker 1>the unemployment rate has actually dropped below ten since the

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<v Speaker 1>start of the pandemic. Economists attribute that to many of

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<v Speaker 1>the jobless not actively looking for work. We'll swallow though

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<v Speaker 1>fifty six Bones and operates a fruit and vegetable stand

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<v Speaker 1>that service five neighborhood street markets in the capital Montivideo.

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<v Speaker 1>I spoke with him recently at a morning street market

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<v Speaker 1>in the neighborhood of Positos about how the pandemic has

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<v Speaker 1>affected his business. In the market, Live is mainly off

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<v Speaker 1>people more than forty years old. This is a morning

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<v Speaker 1>market and active people are at work. In general, older people,

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<v Speaker 1>parents and a family or grandparents come. Those are the

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<v Speaker 1>people most affected, or at least the ones that have

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<v Speaker 1>been declared at risk due to their age. It has

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<v Speaker 1>an impact because older people don't come to the market,

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<v Speaker 1>so there are fewer clients and sales. Draw idea and

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<v Speaker 1>does is it in daily? Oswaldo says his sales are

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<v Speaker 1>just six of what they were before the pandemic struck

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<v Speaker 1>in early March. On a positive note, he notices that

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<v Speaker 1>foot traffic in the market has been picking up for

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<v Speaker 1>about a month. Federico runs a butcher's shop in the

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<v Speaker 1>traditional middle class neighborhood of Delores in montivid Uruguayans are

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<v Speaker 1>among the biggest meat eaters in the planet, consuming one

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<v Speaker 1>five pounds of beef for person last year. I asked

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<v Speaker 1>Federico how meat consumption has changed in the neighborhood during

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<v Speaker 1>the pandemic. Consumption has held up or even increased a little.

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<v Speaker 1>Places for eating outwork closed or people are spending more

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<v Speaker 1>time at home and have more time to cook. Fortunately,

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<v Speaker 1>our company has benefited from the pandemic because sales have increased.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm going to see you. Uru Way has received international

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<v Speaker 1>recognition for its handling of the pandemic. I asked Federico

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<v Speaker 1>how this newfound attention makes him feel. One feels a

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<v Speaker 1>lot of pride. I think things have been done right

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<v Speaker 1>here since day zero, and people have been extra careful,

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<v Speaker 1>so seeing them talk about US abroad is always a

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<v Speaker 1>source of pride. I so far has managed to contain

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<v Speaker 1>the pandemic, while it's larger neighbors struggle to get a

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<v Speaker 1>grip on the disease. However, success can prove short lived

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<v Speaker 1>due to COVID's uncanny ability to quickly spread, as illustrated

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<v Speaker 1>by two outbreaks in provincial cities. An important outbreak in

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<v Speaker 1>recent days at a hospital in the capital, Montevideo. Uruguay

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<v Speaker 1>has won many battles against the pandemic, but it's too

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<v Speaker 1>early to declare victory just yet. Perhaps the reopening of

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<v Speaker 1>its international borders at some point down the road would

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<v Speaker 1>be one sure sign that Uruguay has COVID on the ropes.

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<v Speaker 1>That was Ken Parks in Montevideo. And that's it for

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<v Speaker 1>our show today. For coverage of the outbreak from one

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<v Speaker 1>bureaus around the world, visit Bloomberg dot com slash coronavirus

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<v Speaker 1>and if you like the show, please leave us a

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<v Speaker 1>review and a rating on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It's

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<v Speaker 1>the best way to help more listeners find our global reporting.

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<v Speaker 1>The Prognosis Daily Edition is produced by Tophor foreheads Jordan

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<v Speaker 1>gas Pure, Magnus Hendrickson and Met Laura Carl Wilson. Today's

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<v Speaker 1>main story was reported by Ken Parks. Original music by

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<v Speaker 1>Leo Sidrin. Our editors are Rick Shine and Francesco Levi.

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<v Speaker 1>Francesca Levi is Bloomberg's head of podcasts. Thanks for listening.