The government extended restrictions on many Puerto Rico´s social and economic activities to manage the COVID-19 pandemic, sending a clear message: the virus on the island is spreading at the community level and it is up to everyone to comply with the use of masks and social distancing measures to stop it.

According to epidemiologists, the positivity rate on the island is above 5 percent, a rate international health authorities consider as an indicator to adopt or ease restrictions to prevent escalation. With data still pending to clarify the real level of infections on the island, but with a still reasonable number of hospitalizations – an average of 500 per day - the governor’s decision offers a balance between health prevention measures and avoiding further closures that negatively impact the economy.

The new strain of the coronavirus has imposed on the island, like on the rest of the world, the challenge of adapting to living with the virus without contracting it and without further damaging the already battered economy.

This reality demands simple actions from citizens. First: wearing masks covering mouth and nose at all times, a measure the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Robert Redfield, has described as one of the most powerful weapons in the fight against the coronavirus. Under the executive order, those who fail to comply with the mandate now risk prosecution. That measure, which must go hand in hand with maintaining six feet or more of distance from others and frequently washing hands with soap and water, doesn’t represent a huge effort, especially considering the lethal potential of the virus. Therefore, the first and most important prevention front is individuals´ commitment.

Data provided by the government yesterday indicate that there has been a reduction in tourists visiting the island, compared to a notable flow of Puerto Ricans to and from Puerto Rico. Hence, government spokespersons have called for limiting foreign travel to strictly necessary reasons. Particularly, family members abroad have been asked to desist from visiting the island during this emergency. This is a cautious call, considering the coronavirus is spiraling out of control in the United States, where it has already claimed more than 150,000 lives.

Earlier yesterday, Health Secretary Lorenzo González focused particularly on young people between 20 and 29 who, by remaining socially active, are more exposed to contracting the virus -without becoming ill sometimes-, which can cause to spread the virus to adults over 50 years who are more likely to become ill. The over-50 population constitutes the group with the highest number of deaths from COVID-19 on the island, he added. Everyone has a patriotic duty to protect themselves and contribute to public health.

Until Friday, COVID-19 had killed 219 people on the island, while 488 were hospitalized and nearly 6,000 cases were confirmed.

On the other hand, the government has called on employers to take all necessary measures to protect employees and to inform the Health Department of suspected or confirmed cases in their workplaces as a way to protect the health of workers and customers. Careful and responsible actions can keep the economy sustainably moving.

Four and a half months after the island declared the health emergency, with our collective effort, we managed to avoid the crisis or collapse of the hospital system that we saw in countries such as Italy or Spain or in states such as New York. As long as there is no vaccine or treatment for the virus, the threat will continue. It is up to every citizen, employer, employee, business, and the government to do everything necessary to protect lives and jobs in the coming months.