Peru exceeds 10,000 cases of COVID-19 when it reaches 30 days in quarantine

Peru exceeded 10,000 COVID-19 infections on Tuesday and reached 230 deaths from the disease on the 30th day of the social isolation and curfew measures issued by the Government to confront the epidemic.

"We are 30 days from the start of the state of emergency, a month ago we made the hard, difficult decision to abide by all Peruvians in a special, extraordinary situation, to combat an evil that afflicts everyone," said President Martín Vizcarra .

The governor recalled that Peru had its first case on March 6 and "within a few days" the Government took measures that, according to what it said, have allowed it to become the country in South America that carries out the most tests for the disease, by exceed 100,000.

LAST FIGURES

Vizcarra explained that 102,216 tests have been reached throughout the country, of which 10,303 have tested positive, with 230 deaths and 914 hospitalized, 132 of them with mechanical ventilation.

"The numbers of both sampled and positive people increase, as was logical to expect, here what stands out is the number of samples, there is no country in South America that does more tests than Peru," he said.

The president assured that this effort is being made "to have a better diagnosis, to know how contagion moves and to better control it," since deaths in the country reach 2.23% of the total, when in the world reach 6%.

EVALUATION OF THE MEASURES

Vizcarra said that his government has studied the evolution of the disease and this has allowed him to determine that there are "three well-defined phases" that will be developed until next year.

Although he said that the first phase does not have "fixed deadlines", he considered that it can be developed until next May, when it is necessary to "make the effort to contain" its effects, both at the sanitary and economic level.

He added that at this stage society and the economy will remain "at a minimum level of operation", so from April 27, when the strict social isolation will end, activities will be released "gradually and gradually so as not to generate the rebound of the disease "by a massive concentration of people.

NEXT PHASES

Vizcarra said that the second phase will take place from next June, "when society and the productive apparatus" of the country begins to function again, for which it is necessary to "generate the conditions to come out of a hibernation process" .

The third phase will begin during the first quarter of 2021 with the intention of returning to "a state of normalcy" as soon as there is a vaccine and proven treatments that cure COVID-19.

"There we want to take the country on a walk and it will not be in the preconditions, we need dialogue, conversation among all", to make profound reforms at the health, electronic, financial and Internet access levels, he remarked.

ELECTIONS AND BICENTENARY

Vizcarra recalled that in April of next year general elections will be held in his country and reiterated that he does not intend to seek re-election because he is a "word" person.

After adding that Peru will also celebrate the bicentennial of its independence in 2021, he said that it will do so as "a strengthened country, learning from its experience", something that must involve a change of paradigms and mentality.

"Individualism, selfishness, thinking only for one, leads us to a tremendous fragility, let's not wait for another COVID 20 to come to understand it," he concluded.

SEVEN CONGRESSIONAL CONGRESSMEN

This Tuesday it was known that the congressmen infected with the coronavirus in the country reached seven, after the confirmation of the cases of two representatives of the Podemos Peru party, which so far has five of its members with the disease.

The legislators participated on April 3 in a plenary session of Congress that was entered only by groups, although before they met in different offices of the Legislative Palace.

After that plenary session, the first congresswoman to reveal that she had been infected was Leslye Lazo, from the Acción Popular (AP) party, who has been the only one hospitalized, but was discharged this Saturday.

SANCTION PENALTIES WITH FINES

The Government made official on Tuesday the fines for those who breach social isolation and that, according to their severity, will range from 86 soles ($ 25.2) to 430 soles ($ 126.4), for infractions such as mobilizing without a mask, do non-essential activities, lack the mandatory work pass and use private vehicles without authorization.

In addition, for carrying out activities that generate crowds, traveling as a couple or with more than one family member to buy food or medicine, not respecting the required minimum distance and not identifying with the security forces

Violators who do not pay the fines will be prevented from traveling abroad, carrying out civil procedures and before banking entities, as well as notary acts or before public records.

HUNDREDS MARCH IN THE CENTER OF THE COUNTRY

In the midst of the quarantine, hundreds of people on foot from Lima to the central region of Huancavelica resumed their march on Tuesday after being immobilized on Monday by the security forces.

The walkers, mostly peasants and people with low economic resources, among whom there are numerous children, point out that they need to return to their villages out of necessity and to comply there with the restrictions ordered by the Government.

Precisely, this Tuesday the government authorized interprovincial transfers on an exceptional basis and for humanitarian reasons for people who remain in a place other than their residence or workplace.