First modification:
According to what was announced by the White House, the Government participated in the negotiations to extend the operating hours of one of the main ports in the country. The US president’s bet is aimed at alleviating the blockages caused that have affected the supply chain, and that have become an obstacle to the economic recovery of the nation, threatening the sales of the Christmas season.
Thanks to an effort by the White House, which intervened in the negotiation, the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, both located in the state of California, will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The announcement was made this Wednesday by President Joe Biden, who added that the effort is aimed at alleviating the bottlenecks that the supply chain currently presents, leading ships and container ships to remain stranded for days in the vicinity of the port. .
After working closely with my team, the Port of Los Angeles is announcing today that it will begin operating 24 hours 7 days a week – which follows the Port of Long Beach’s commitment.
A 24/7 system is what most of the leading countries operate on. Except us. Until now.
– President Biden (@POTUS) October 13, 2021
This situation, which occurs worldwide, has generated pressure on prices in the United States. The American Union registered an inflation of 5.4% year-on-year in September, matching the records of 13 years ago, and an increase of 0.4 compared to last August.
“I want to be clear: this is a general commitment to go 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This is a great first step in accelerating the movement of materials and goods through our supply chain. But now we need the rest of the sector, ”Biden said during a speech from the White House.
The initiative promoted by the Government is developed with the hope that night operations will allow breaking the traffic jam and reducing the delivery of a series of products that are marketed during the Christmas season. “With the holidays approaching, you may be wondering if the gifts you plan to buy will arrive on time … Today we have good news: We are going to help accelerate product delivery across the United States,” Biden said.
According to the AP news agency, as of October 12, a total of 64 ships were docked in the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach with 80 waiting to dock. These two spaces receive 40% of all containers that enter the United States.
The global crisis in supply chains is a consequence of the global Covid-19 pandemic as sales of durable goods surged amid shortages of workers and transportation.
“In summary, we have seen the cost of inaction in the pandemic and delays in congestion that affect all Americans, but it is completely within our ability to act to ensure that it never happens again,” the president explained.
With Reuters and AP
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