Puerto Rico battles COVID-19 surge, imposes new measures

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Puerto Rico connected Tuesday imposed caller measures to combat a surge successful COVID-19 cases that has overwhelmed aesculapian unit successful the U.S. territory and led to impermanent shortages of investigating kits.

All backstage businesses that cater to the nationalist indispensable adjacent from midnight to 5 a.m., nary intoxicant volition beryllium sold during those hours and gatherings of much than 250 radical are banned. The measures volition stay successful spot until Jan. 18 and travel arsenic the land of 3.3 cardinal radical reports a much than 30% positivity rate, the highest since the pandemic began.

The authorities has reported much than 201,000 confirmed cases and much than 3,300 deaths. Officials enactment that a 3rd of each cases reported since the pandemic began person occurred successful the past month, with galore linked to a two-day outdoor performance held successful December. The fig of regular cases per 100,000 reported successful Puerto Rico roseate from 3 to 225 successful conscionable 3 weeks, according to statistician Rafael Irizarry. More than 500 radical are hospitalized.

Almost 85% of radical successful Puerto Rico person received the archetypal dose and much than 70% person received the 2nd one. However, astatine slightest 40% person not received a booster shot.

The summation successful cases has caused impermanent shortages of location investigating kits, with radical taking to societal media to stock places wherever they’ve tally retired oregon are inactive available, portion immoderate government-run investigating sites person closed aboriginal aft exhausting investigating kits for the day. Meanwhile, the Association of Hospitals of Puerto Rico urged radical to halt visiting exigency rooms to petition tests due to the fact that the request was overwhelming and preventing unit from treating urgent cases.

As a effect of the spike, Gov. Pedro Pierluisi has ordered each businesses that merchantability nutrient and drinks to trim their capableness to 50% indoors and 75% outdoors until Jan. 16. Restaurant employees and those who enactment successful wellness and acquisition besides were ordered to person their booster shots by Jan. 15, portion customers are required to amusement impervious of vaccination oregon a antagonistic trial to participate immoderate concern that sells nutrient oregon drinks.

In addition, the authorities precocious required that each cruise vessel passengers who disembark indispensable beryllium afloat vaccinated and supply a antagonistic trial taken 48 hours anterior to arrival, a determination that caused respective cruise vessel companies to cancel visits to Puerto Rico.

Last month, Pierluisi announced that each those flying from the U.S. mainland to Puerto Rico indispensable contiguous a antagonistic trial taken 48 hours anterior careless of their vaccination status. Passengers lacking a trial indispensable instrumentality 1 wrong 48 hours of accomplishment oregon look a dense fine, portion those who are not vaccinated indispensable stay successful quarantine for 7 days careless of whether they trial negative.

On Monday, the University of Puerto Rico, the island’s largest nationalist university, announced it would connection classes online for each of January fixed the emergence successful cases.