CORONAVIRUS PERU
Lima, Feb 10 (EFE) .- Peru will maintain until February 28 the quarantine in 32 provinces of the country considered “at extreme risk” by the covid-19 pandemic and will receive between March and April next more than 1 million dose of the vaccine from the pharmaceutical company Pfizer.
The information was confirmed this Wednesday by the Prime Minister, Violeta Bermúdez, who offered in a press conference the evaluation of the first ten days of the quarantine ordered until February 14 in Metropolitan Lima and nine regions of the country.
“We have agreed to extend the measures for extreme risk areas for 14 days,” Bermúdez said before specifying that this measure will no longer be applied by regions but by provinces, with the criterion of “focusing” on the health situation.
REDUCTION OF MOBILITY
Bermúdez reiterated that the quarantine implies a “reduction in mobility in all areas declared at extreme risk”, since it has also been detected that “pockets of agglomeration of people persist in some places considered as critical”.
He added that the measure has also been taken after analyzing the epidemiological indicators and despite the fact that it can be “said that there is some data that would indicate that there may be many improvements in many parts of the country.”
“We are in a position to make this decision in risk areas at the provincial level … at this time, in Peru there are 32 provinces at extreme risk,” he said before specifying that among them are Metropolitan Lima and Callao.
FROM MONDAY 15
The prime minister said that the current quarantine will be in force until February 14 and the next one, already “focused” on 32 provinces, will begin on February 15 and end on February 28.
“We can better concentrate these different quarantine measures in these 32 provinces, the measures in general are permanent social immobilization, although there is the possibility of carrying out activities,” he said before confirming that it will be possible to leave home to make basic purchases, receive home delivery products and walk for an hour.
Bermúdez indicated that the Government makes this announcement “from now on because it is the policy of the current administration” so that citizens can organize.
PFIZER AND SINOPHARM VACCINES
After all the documents were signed this Tuesday for the purchase of 20 million doses of Pfizer’s vaccine, Bermúdez reported that this laboratory confirmed that between March and April it will deliver 1,050,000 doses of its vaccine to the country.
For her part, the Minister of Health, Pilar Mazzetti, confirmed that with the 300,000 doses already received from the Chinese laboratory Sinopharm, 150,000 members of the health system will be protected and said that another 700,000 doses that are expected next week will allow “coverage complete ”of all health workers.
“With the additional doses we will be able to advance much more in the first phase,” he said before noting that the vaccination process in Peru, which will take place throughout this year, will also include all foreigners with resident status, approved or pending, in the country.
SUPPORT TO SMALL BUSINESSES
During the press conference, the Minister of Economy, Waldo Mendoza, announced that the Executive approved support measures for small businesses, which will include a fund for 2,000 million soles (about 563 million dollars).
This money will be a guarantee from the State for financial institutions such as the Development Bank of Peru (Cofide) and private banks to give loans to companies in sectors “that have been hard hit by the pandemic”, such as tourism, restaurants and hotels. .
The fund will guarantee up to 98% of the loans for up to 20,000 soles (5,633 dollars) and 90% loans for up to 40,000 soles (11,267 dollars).
On the other hand, Bermúdez added that from this Monday the payment schedule of the 600 soles bonds (about $ 169) will be published that will be granted to 4.2 million homes in extreme risk areas of the country, which will begin to be delivered the February 17th.
Peru began the vaccination campaign against covid-19 on Monday with the application of the first doses of Sinopharm, while the country reports more than 1.19 million cases and 42,630 deaths from the disease.
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