Puerto Rico tops 2,000 coronavirus cases, 100 deaths amid gradual reopening
Puerto Rico hit two somber milestones in its fight against the coronavirus on Thursday, as the death toll and infection rate continue to climb.
In its latest report, the Health Department said it had registered three additional deaths and 63 new cases of the novel virus, bringing the death toll to 102 and overall cases to 2,031.
The latest victims were a 45-year-old man and two women, age 84 and 93. All three were added to the rolls after they died with symptoms compatible with COVID-19, the Health Department said.
The new deaths come after Puerto Rico — a U.S. territory of 3.2 million — began gradually reopening its economy on Monday after going into lockdown on March 16.
For the first time this week, some professional services organizations, like mortgage brokers, accountants and real-estate agents, have been allowed to open, as long as they obey social distancing protocols. The manufacturing and construction sectors are scheduled to resume operations on Monday, also with restrictions.
Gov. Wanda Vázquez has said retail stores, restaurants, barbershops and beauty parlors may be allowed to reopen starting the week of May 18-25. Currently restaurants are restricted to carry out and delivery operations.
By some accounts, the lockdown is working. Based solely on Puerto Rico’s 1,014 molecular tests for COVID-19, the island’s Statistics Institute says the contagion curve is “flattening,” as new infections are starting to plateau.
And despite initial fears, hospitals are not overwhelmed. The Health Departments says 43 percent of the island’s 647 intensive care unit beds remain available and 78 percent of the health system’s 1,112 ventilators are free.
Even so, public health experts warn that there’s still not enough reliable data to know if the coronavirus is under control.
Puerto Rico’s Center for Investigative Journalism has sued the government’s Demographic Registrar’s Office for the right to see death certificates.
And Vázquez has warned that if there is any indication that contagion is beginning to spike again, restrictions will resume. “We will not risk everything we’ve gained over these weeks,” she said.
This story was originally published May 7, 2020 at 9:44 AM.
