Paraguay eliminates mandatory use of masks in open spaces

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The President of Paraguay, Mario Abdo, signed on April 18 a decree that cancels the declaration of sanitary emergency due to Covid-19, which among other issues, eliminates the mandatory use of masks.

The Chief Executive signed Decree Number 6939, which repeals Decree Number 3456/2020 “whereby a State of Sanitary Emergency is declared throughout the national territory”.

Likewise, the measures of Decrees Number 3442 and 3456 established on March 9 and 16, 2020, respectively, are invalidated. Thus, the mandatory use of masks in open spaces is eliminated.

The measures were taken taking into account the reports of the Ministry of Health and after analyzing the current epidemiological situation of the country, which is going through a decrease in the number of cases and has controlled the peaks.

In line with this, the general director of Health Surveillance, Guillermo Sequera, stated that: “The virus is circulating; we no longer expect to have zero circulations because we are entering a new phase, which is that of living with the virus, we are coming out of that acute phase, and today community transmission is not high”.

However, according to the Minister of Health, Julio Borba, the use of masks should be maintained in closed spaces such as public transportation, hospitals, and schools.

Likewise, the national emergency law remains in force until next June, when the sanitary protocol will continue to be updated according to the epidemiological status of the South American country.