Peru’s Sundays nationwide curfew prioritizes health and lives: PM

India sent tens of thousands of additional troops – joining 500,000 already there - to the disputed region, imposed a crippling curfew, shut down telecommunications and the Internet, arrested hundreds of Kashmiri political leaders, and turned parts of the main city of Srinagar into a fortress of roadblocks and barbed wire. (ANTARA FOTO/REUTERS/Danish Ismail/wsj/cfo (REUTERS/DANISH ISMAIL). Sketched by the Pan Pacific Agency.

LIMA, Aug 16, 2020, ANDINA. Prime Minister Walter Martos on Saturday affirmed that the return to nationwide social immobilization (curfew) on Sundays aims to prioritize the health and lives of citizens, thus reducing the level of COVID-19 contagion in Peru, ANDINA reported.

The Cabinet chief said that —once the initial restrictions were lifted and the economic reactivation began— many people arrived at shopping centers as well as started to visit family and friends, which caused the contagion curve to grow again.

“We have decreed social immobilization for Sundays because these types of family and friend gatherings are held mostly on those days; the idea is to lower the level of contagion supported by this (social) immobilization on Sundays; undoubtedly we, all Peruvians, love freedom, but let us bear in mind that we are in the middle of a pandemic; thus, we must prioritize people’s health and lives over any other aspect,” he expressed.

In this sense, the high-ranking official said that “it was necessary to make some sacrifices and be responsible. We must stay at home on Sundays to control the speed of infections.”

“Based on the measures that we have implemented (…), we will evaluate these results in 10 or 12 days to find out which ones were the most accurate,” he added.

For this reason, the Prime Minister called on citizens to comply with all the recommended biosecurity measures, such properly wearing face masks, maintaining social distance and washing hands.

Trip

Various State ministers on Saturday traveled to the regions of Puno, Huanuco, Tacna and Cusco to supervise the development of the Territorial Aid Operation for Treatment and Isolation in Response to COVID-19 (Tayta Operation).

It aims to provide protection to the population most vulnerable to COVID-19 in high-risk areas, such as people over 60 years of age and/or with comorbidities.

Prime Minister Martos left this morning for Puno joined by Ministers Jorge Chavez (Defense), Pilar Mazzetti (Health) and Carlos Lozada (Housing, Construction and Sanitation) to oversee the implementation of the Tayta regional mega-operation.

On the occasion, Martos announced that 100 oxygen cylinders will be sent to Puno region on Sunday in order to be delivered to hospitals, thus reinforcing health care against COVID-19.

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