Puerto Rico Reopens Beaches, Gyms after lockdown

U.S. territory expects tourists after a month

Puerto Rico’s Governor Wanda Vázquez recently announced that she will lift the three-month long restrictions imposed to curb coronavirus cases.

This means the reopening of beaches, churches and businesses including movie theaters and gyms across the country.

The decision will take effect on June 16, according to a recent report of the Associated Press. Businesses will also be allowed to operate seven days a week, while restaurants are to work at 50% capacity. In addition to this, Vázquez extended the existing curfew for two weeks more—from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.

Public transportation including buses and trains will not operate yet.

Welcoming of international tourists will be expected on July 15, and that airport screenings will continue for monitoring the virus.

“These have been hard decisions,” Vázquez said. “Now it’s up to each one of us…to decide where to go and how to go about it.”

Masks will still be mandatory for those who will be out of their houses, or when they are in business establishments.

Puerto Rico’s economy heavily affected

Puerto Rico’s business sector welcomed the lifting of restrictions. The sector has lost an overall estimated $5 billion to $10 billion in revenues.

Vázquez’s announcement comes a day after the island’s health officials said Puerto Rico saw its peak of COVID-19 cases and related deaths two months ago.

Health Department Secretary Lorenzo González said he was confident in the agency’s statistics but warned people to maintain social distancing as the island reopens.

“It definitely comes with risk,” he said in the same report by the Associated Press.

Despite the ease of restrictions, Vázquez warned that the restrictions would return if the number of cases, deaths or hospitalizations spike. 

“I want people to understand we’re still in a pandemic,” she said.

At the time of this writing, the government has reported more than 1,400 confirmed cases and nearly 4,000 probable cases, with at least 144 deaths.