Pandemic Assistance: Maduro to Airdrop Cryptocurrency to All Doctors in Venezuela
Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro has announced that he is airdropping cryptocurrency to every doctor in his country as a token of appreciation for their work to combat the coronavirus outbreak. The national cryptocurrency, the petro, will be distributed via the Homeland card (Carnet de la Patria).
Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro has ordered an airdrop of one petro, the Venezuelan national cryptocurrency, to all doctors working to combat the covid-19 pandemic.
Carnet de la Patria is the Venezuelan identity document that includes a unique personalized QR code; it was created in 2016 by the Venezuelan government.
Venezolana de Televisión, a state-run TV station based in Caracas, noted that “through the Homeland platform, this benefit will be delivered to all those doctors as part of the recognition and thanks for the support to carry out the noble work of protecting the health of the Venezuelan people in the midst of the covid-19 pandemic that plagues humanity.”
This is not the first time Maduro airdrops the petro to Venezuelan citizens. Last year, he airdropped it to retirees and pensioners and claimed in January this year that almost 6 million families in the country had used the cryptocurrency as a payment method.
How Much Is a Petro Worth?
According to the Venezuelan government’s official exchange rate, at the time of this writing, one petro can be exchanged for 0.00874729 BTC, 58.92 U.S. dollars, 4,989,701 bolivars, 54.23 euros, or 417.23 yuan.
According to the Venezuelan government’s official exchange rate for the petro, 1 PTR is equal to 0.00874729 BTC at the time of this writing.
However, the petro can be purchased on the open market at a fraction of the price set by the Venezuelan government, as news.Bitcoin.com previously reported. Venezuelans can use the Petroapp, provided by the government, to manage their petros and other cryptocurrencies: BTC, LTC, and DASH. The app also lets them exchange, buy, or transfer the petro, as well as use it to pay for goods and services.
