Governor: Pandemic EOs to remain in place until March
By John McPhaul
jpmcphaul@gmail.com
Gov. Pedro Pierluisi Urrutia said Tuesday that he will leave current COVID-19 restrictions in place until the standing executive orders expire in March.
“We are still in a pandemic,” the governor told reporters. “The different measures we have taken are still justified, including the mandates so that some sectors of the population not only get vaccinated, but also acquire the booster.”
“My inclination is to leave the existing restrictions until the current executive order expires, which is at the end of March,” he added. “I am vigilant; the masks, as everyone knows, outside, when the only thing required is when there are activities involving more than 50 people in which distance cannot be maintained. It [wearing a mask] is recommended, but not required unless they are activities of that nature. Indoors, you have to use them.”
According to Tuesday’s COVID-19 report from the Department of Health, there were 114 confirmed positive cases, 169 probable cases and two deaths.
The deceased were a 77-year-old man and an 86-year-old woman, both from the Arecibo region.
The monitoring covers the period from Feb. 6 to Feb. 20, 2022.
The positivity rate dropped to 7.35 percent.
As of Tuesday morning, 110 adults were hospitalized and of them, 28 were in intensive care. Meanwhile, seven minors were hospitalized and one was in intensive care. Sixteen adults and no minors were on ventilators.
More than 2,918,000 people had had one dose of a vaccine for the coronavirus, while 2,614,762 people had completed doses.
Total deaths attributed to COVID-19 stood at 4,086.
The governor’s statements were made during his participation in a ceremony in which the lives of six Police Bureau agents who died in the line of duty were recognized.