Puerto Rican Governor Opens Vaccination to 16 and Older, Extends Age Restriction

As the spike in COVID-19 cases in the United States territory continues, the governor of Puerto Rico declared Wednesday that public health officials will start vaccinating all individuals ages 16 and up starting on Monday.

The said announcement was celebrated by more than 3 million individuals in the U.S. territory as it recently prioritizes individuals 50 years and older or people ages 35 to 49 years old experiencing chronic health conditions to receive the vaccine. Since the vaccination started on the island in December, more than 1 million vaccines have been administered.

According to WION, Puerto Rican Governor Pedro Pierluisi shared that along with the entire world ,they also face terrible times during this pandemic. He also added that the global health crisis created a huge blow in the territory.

Moreover, in his first state of territory address, Pierluisi made an announcement that he would implement stricter measures in fighting against the latest surge of cases of COVID-19. The Puerto Rican governor also mentioned that the curfew, which has remained in place for more than a year, has been expanded as it will start from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. beginning Friday. Pierluisi also added that businesses will be forced to close by 9 p.m., or two hours earlier than the current practice time at 11 p.m.

In addition, the Puerto Rican governor said that government and public health officials are seeing a dangerous spike in cases, and it will be causing a rise in hospitalizations and even deaths. He also announced that his administration would allot $20 million in establishing a genomics surveillance program in the Health Department of the Island to help health officials monitor possible variants and mutations of the virus in the future, GOA Chronicle reported.

Pierluisi also stated that he will leave aside a $1.5 million budget in creating a digital vaccine passport. He emphasized that the personal information of his people would be protected, but he did not mention any details that will be present in the digital passport.

U.S. Assistance

Furthermore, the Puerto Rican governor praised the Biden administration for treating the island fairly. He also shared that the U.S. will be giving the territory millions of dollars from federal funds to aid those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, York News-Times reported.

The budget will have at least $50 million of assistance to the restaurant and bar industry as it has been hit hard by the pandemic due to the ongoing restrictions imposed on the island. Bar closures were still not lifted as of the moment. It has been in effect for more than a year. Another $50 million would be allocated to clinics and private hospitals, while the same amount would be given to those work in agriculture.

The recent assistance from the U.S. came after recent reports of more than 199,000 confirmed and suspected cases shocked Puerto Rico along with more than 2,000 deaths in the U.S. territory.

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