Paraguay decreed red alert in 24 regions with further restrictions and suspension of classes due to Covid-19 upsurge

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Government of Paraguay announced further restrictions on mobility from Monday and the suspension of in-person classes from March 18th for two weeks in 23 cities to curb the surge in Covid-19 cases, which is overwhelming the country’s health system.

“The curfew schedule will be extended “from 8 PM to 5 AM in red zones, granting public forces priority to establish much more rigid control levels and measures,” said the Paraguayan Minister of the Interior, Arnaldo Giuzzio, at a press conference.

At the same conference, held at the presidential residence in Mburuvichá Róga, Minister of Health Julio Borba announced that “work in teams will also be mandatory in the public sector and recommended in the private sector” for a period of two weeks.

Working hours in the public sector will be limited to 1 PM, given that “the goal is to prevent everyone from attending given the high number of cases in the capital (Asunción) and the Central region,” the department with the largest population, added Borba.

The list of the 23 most affected cities in this second wave of the pandemic, according to the Minister of the Interior, also includes Ciudad del Este, the country’s second largest city, bordering Brazil, and Encarnación (south), on the border with Argentina.

Borba cautioned that “depending on how the epidemiological situation develops, during Easter week we could implement more restrictive measures,” reiterating that currently both public and private health services “are full.”

“We must understand that the intelligent quarantine which lasted several months last year was intended to prevent the entry of the virus and to prepare the system,” he pointed out, recalling that contingency areas were built during that time, beds were increased and more medical staff was hired.

Classes suspended

Meanwhile, Minister of Education Juan Manuel Brunetti said that in-person classes will be suspended as of next Thursday so that between Monday and Wednesday the teachers of the affected cities “will be able to assist students in the remote education process”, which will be maintained.

The Paraguayan educational system had been resuming classes under a hybrid system since last March 2nd, combining in-person and online classes. “We had a 70% surge over the past week,” said Brunetti, referring to the rapid increase in infections in what health authorities describe as a second wave, with an average of 2,000 daily cases in a population of 7 million people.

Paraguay, which is among the countries lagging behind in the vaccination process in Latin America, now totals 180,014 positive cases and 3,476 deaths after the 20 reported on Sunday, while the number of hospitalized patients stands at 1,387, with 349 in intensive care.

In addition to overcrowded hospitals, basic medicines have been in short supply, which has led to public reactions with daily protests for the last 10 days calling for the resignation of president Mario Abdo Benítez’s government.

Source: infobae