"In Puerto Rico, the pandemic was never politicized," said Daniel Colón-Ramos, professor of cellular neuroscience at Yale University and president of Puerto Rico's Scientific Coalition, a group of experts advising Gov. The newly enacted American Rescue Plan Act extended to Puerto Rico substantial amounts of funding, to aid both the territory’s short-term recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and its long-term recovery from a decade-long recession and recent natural disasters. Only kindergarteners, special education students and children in first, second, third and 12th grades were allowed to return to school. The announcement was praised by some health experts, teachers and parents who worried about an increase in infections and had warned that reopening schools was a rushed decision. “Also, the fact that people are wearing their masks and that the government is doing what it can to discourage crowds as it tries to reopen safely.”. People could only go in through specific entrances, so guards could keep count of how many people were inside at a given time. Puerto Rico and the COVID-19 emergency The COVID-19 crisis is a global emergency unprecedented in recent history and has touched every family, every business, and every government agency around the United States. If they left, it could only be for essential purposes and they had to be back home before the nighttime curfew. The U.S. Forest Service has issued more than $193 million to support public schools, roads and other municipal services through the agency’s Secure Rural Schools program.The funding will be delivered as payments to more than 700 eligible counties in 41 states and Puerto Rico. They attend in-person classes only twice a week and are dismissed before noon, with school cafeterias remaining closed. It affects their mental health,” he said. But they knew one fact: Puerto Rico was relying on a few physicians to bear the brunt of the pandemic, according to a report from the Urban Institute, mainly due to a decade of a massive exodus of doctors to the mainland U.S. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. U.S. territory avoided overwhelming their already fragile health care system, lowest per-capita testing rate compared with any state, Health Resources and Services Administration, deadliest U.S.-based natural disasters in 100 years, scientific community in Puerto Rico and town mayors stepped up, Puerto Rico mayors work to fight coronavirus with few tests available, controversial two-week gubernatorial primaries, Ninety-six of Puerto Rico’s 858 public schools reopened. IE 11 is not supported. To help micro and small businesses overcome the economic effects of COVID-19, our teams are providing technical training and financial support. U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona today sent a letter to The Honorable Pedro Pierluisi, Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, informing him that the U.S. Department of Education (Department) has provided the Commonwealth immediate access to $912 million in Federal education funds, which had not been available to Puerto Rico as a result of previously imposed grant … Ninety-six of Puerto Rico’s 858 public schools reopened for the first time Wednesday, exactly one year since the pandemic hit, with restrictions. Nonessential businesses were shut down. The father of three was worried about potentially exposing his oldest son to the virus, since he suffers from a lung condition, or his elderly mother who lives next door to him. Throughout most of last year, Rodriguez remembers the government would send an alert to every person's phone to remind them the curfew was coming up. Even with little information, officials projected that a peak in Covid-19 cases would take place last May. Puerto Rico kept Covid-19 cases and deaths down with strict curfews, lockdowns and sanitary measures, moves the island's residents saw as nonpolitical and adopted. Rodriguez recently went to his local shopping mall to get college books for his daughter. Exposure Control Plan to COVID-19 of the MSC; Exposure control plan COVID-19 and restart of work in the RCM Certification; COVID-19 Medical Surveillance Protocol; Puerto Rico Medical Task Force COVID-19; Allergen Report of San Juan, Mycology Lab; AH1N1; Contact Us Ramos said Puerto Rico is set to receive about 100,000 Covid-19 vaccines weekly, an upgrade from 40,000. In fact, no one in his neighborhood, which is home to roughly 200 families, has been infected, Rodriguez said. "People were really rowing in the same direction.". The current COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected Puerto Rico as it has much of the world. With the Covid-19 vaccine rollout underway, Puerto Rico is now on track to fully immunize two of its municipalities: Vieques and Culebra, both smaller islands off the coast of Puerto Rico. The island of 3.2 million people has reported more than 200,000 confirmed and suspected cases and more than 2,000 deaths. Pedro Pierluisi on the island's Covid-19 response. Since the start of the pandemic, at least 94,336 Covid-19 cases have been confirmed in Puerto Rico, an island of 3.2 million. Although Puerto Rico residents do not possess all the rights of U.S. citizens, they still receive ample aid from the U.S. government. Most businesses are now operating at 50 percent capacity — except bars, night clubs and stadiums, which still remain closed. That's when the scientific community in Puerto Rico and town mayors stepped up, Colón-Ramos said. “But the real tragedy would be if we do not emerge from this pandemic with a strengthened health system,” he said. © 2021 Advance Local Media LLC. When he goes to the supermarket, Rodriguez can’t just grab the first shopping cart he sees. Businesses also have signs saying how many people can be allowed in the store, and before stepping in, people must have their temperatures checked and their hands sanitized. SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Puerto Rico’s health secretary announced Thursday that all public and private schools in the U.S. territory would close for two weeks amid a surge in COVID-19 cases. And, lucky for them, they do not pay U.S. income taxes. Janny Rodriguez, 47, a community leader in the neighborhood of Barreal in Peñuelas, Puerto Rico, is an operations supervisor at an asphalt plant. So far, neither his children nor mother have been infected with the virus. Starting on Monday, children in Head Start programs will be able to return to class. "I do not wish those tragedies on my people, but if they had not happened, I wonder if the tragedy of the pandemic would have been greater," he said in Spanish. Between 2017 and 2018 the population of Puerto Rico declined from 3.34M to 3.2M, a -4.26% decrease and its median household income grew from $19,343 to $20,296, a 4.93% increase. SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Puerto Rico's health secretary announced Thursday that all public and private schools in the U.S. territory would close for two weeks amid a surge in COVID-19 cases. The COVID-19 crisis isn't over. Puerto Ricans had to stay home at all times. SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Puerto Rico’s health secretary announced Thursday that all public and private schools in the U.S. territory would close for two weeks amid a surge in COVID … Puerto Rico’s present situation can be described as a multi-layered crisis. But they kept the curfew in place as Puerto Rico continued to slowly reopen businesses with restrictions in place. The lowest positivity rate was reported in February (5.2 percent) since Covid-19 deaths rose around Thanksgiving. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Spanish is the primary language in both types of schools, but English is also taught in both. "Most people don't leave the house without first grabbing their phones. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your California Privacy Rights (each updated 1/1/21). It's been like that for island residents since last year — and islanders complied. The public schools in Puerto Rico are good and the population has a 90% literacy rate. In his view, “many of those 2,000 lives could have been saved if the necessary systems had been established when we closed in April and May,” especially since the number of cases had been so low and people on the island were mostly complying with the restrictions. Health Secretary Carlos Mellado said that while no COVID-19 breakouts were identified at any of the schools, the move is necessary given the recent spike in cases. All rights reserved (About Us). Puerto Rico is due to receive nearly $3 billion from the main K-12 relief fund in the American Rescue Plan, the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 aid deal Biden signed into law earlier this month. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Nicole Acevedo is a reporter for NBC News Digital. Families are now able to visit older relatives in nursing homes and jails for the first time in a year, since these populations have been vaccinated, Ramos said. Almost all of the Covid-19 deaths in Puerto Rico happened between August and December, Colón-Ramos said. For those who can afford it, families send their children to religious-based private schools. Some people were critical of it, but if it was not done like that, things would have been worse," Rodriguez said. Follow NBC Latino on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. As Puerto Rico celebrated its controversial two-week gubernatorial primaries in August, the island started to see a rise in cases, forcing officials to double down on the curfew and implement a lockdown on Sundays, Dr. Victor Ramos, president of Puerto Rico's physicians association, said. The Sunday lockdowns were lifted in September and put back in place in December following a rise in Covid-19 cases and deaths. Ricardo Arduengo / AFP via Getty Images file. Shopping malls are open but only allow one person per 75 square feet. “Even though things could have gone a lot worse than they did, that is still one of my biggest frustrations,” Colón-Ramos said, adding that if he were to grade Puerto Rico’s Covid-19 response so far, he would give it a B. The United States Government and the Puerto Rico Government have responded forcefully to support those who fight COVID-19 at the front lines, and … COVID-19 Read … Currently, only those 35 to 49 years old with chronic health conditions are authorized to receive a vaccine, along with all those 50 and older. However, Puerto Rico has not seen an uptick in cases since December, even following big holidays such as Christmas, New Year’s Day and Three Kings Day. Puerto Rico used curfews and rigorous sanitary measures, "and the pandemic was never politicized," a health expert said. A year into the pandemic, his fears of Covid-19 haven't come true. During the height of the pandemic last March, he couldn't stop working, since he's one of a few workers tasked with maintaining the composite material liquid. Many mayors recruited scientists, doctors and other health care workers as volunteers to help create their own systems to test people for the virus and do contact tracing. It saved lives — and its health care system. People stand in line to be inoculated with the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine at a Puerto Rico National Guard vaccination center in Vieques on Wednesday. All schools closed down and cruise ships were banned from docking on the island. The Catedral Santiago Apostól , or in English, the Cathedral of St. James the Apostle, is a Catholic cathedral located on the town plaza in Fajardo, Puerto Rico.Along with Concatedral Dulce Nombre de Jesus in Humacao it is the seat of the Diocese of Fajardo-Humacao. “Those are the things that make me feel safer,” Rodriguez said. Since Puerto Rico started receiving vaccines in December, about 12 percent of Puerto Rico’s population have been vaccinated with the first dose while about 7 percent have been fully vaccinated with both doses. To some extent, Colón-Ramos said he wonders if the experience with Hurricane Maria, one of the deadliest U.S.-based natural disasters in 100 years, which led to the deaths of at least 2,975 people in 2017, contributed to an overwhelming majority of Puerto Ricans taking Covid-19 restrictions seriously. (AP Photo/Carlos Giusti, File)AP. "Because if not, the people would not have taken it seriously and the closure of the country would have protested.". While it remains unclear if the May peak ever came, officials lifted the lockdown on June 12. While in Rodríguez’s view the vaccinations are still slower than he anticipated, he remains hopeful. In 2018, Puerto Rico had a population of 3.2M people with a median age of 42.9 and a median household income of $20,296. “Many criticized the efforts, saying that it was very hasty, but they helped control the pandemic a lot.”. Residents stand in line to be inoculated with the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine during a mass vaccination campaign at the Maria Simmons school in Vieques, Puerto Rico, on Wednesday. Puerto Rico went on lockdown the following month while the curfew was still in place. Before he puts his groceries on the conveyor belt for checkout, the cashier disinfects the area. Many of these grassroots efforts established between April and May were eventually adopted by the Puerto Rico Health Department as official methods to address the pandemic, Colón-Ramos said. More than 1 million vaccines have been administered since inoculations began in December, and starting on April 12, all those 16 years and older can be vaccinated. April 21, 2020: Puerto Rico revised the number of cases downward after resolving an issue with duplicates. Employee charged with murder after shooting at Texas business, killing 1, injuring others: police, Britian’s Prince Philip, husband of Queen Elizabeth II, dies at 99, Biden tightens some gun control rules, says much more is needed. The closures would go into effect April 12, roughly a month after some 100 of the island’s 858 public schools were authorized to reopen for the first time in a year amid the pandemic. A student wears a mask at a school in Cayey, Puerto Rico, on March 4, 2021. Puerto Rico had the lowest per-capita testing rate compared with any state at the beginning of the pandemic and lacked an islandwide contact tracing system. In a drastic effort to limit crowds, Puerto Rico was among the first U.S. jurisdictions to implement an islandwide curfew last March that asked people not to leave their homes after nighttime. April 12, 2020: Puerto Rico started including some probable Covid … Now, people grab their face masks first and then their phones," Rodriguez said in Spanish. The Institute of Neurobiology, the Deanship for Academic Affairs, and the School of Medicine of the Medical Sciences Campus of the University of Puerto Rico are proud to announce that Andrew M. Seeds, Ph.D., Assistant Investigator at the Institute of The closures would go into effect April 12, roughly a month after some 100 of the island’s 858 public schools were authorized to reopen for the first time in a year amid the pandemic. Puerto Rico was also among the first U.S. jurisdictions to issue a mask mandate, alongside New Jersey. In December, Puerto Rico was hit by a sequence of seismic events that triggered multiple strong earthquakes that brought down hundreds of homes and schools in … A restaurant hostess checks the temperature of a client with a digital thermometer at the entrance of a restaurant in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, on July 20. Students arrive at the Ramon Marin Sola primary school for the first time in nearly a year amid the COVID-19 pandemic as some public schools reopen in San Juan, Puerto Rico… The virus has killed at least 2,073 people in the island so far. COVID-19. According to the Health Resources and Services Administration, 72 of the island’s 78 municipalities are considered to be medically underserved and face “unmet health care needs.”. Puerto Ricans in the U.S. territory avoided overwhelming their already fragile health care system during the pandemic, mainly because of extraordinary measures the local government put in place early on — and people’s willingness to comply with them. She reports, writes and produces stories for NBC Latino and NBCNews.com. Since Covid-19 hospitalizations have gone down so dramatically, most patients currently in intensive care are those with chronic conditions whose care was interrupted amid the pandemic, not people with Covid-19, Ramos said. The number of tourists arrested in Puerto Rico on charges of violating COVID-19 measures is increasing as the U.S. territory cracks down on visitors who stay out past curfew and refuse to wear face masks or remain under quarantine, authorities said Tuesday, March 23, 2021. Subscribe today for timely updates and news you need. After all, the World Health Organization had just declared Covid-19 a pandemic. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Church Santiago Apóstol of Fajardo in 1984. SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Puerto Rico’s health secretary announced Thursday that all public and private schools in the U.S. territory would close for two weeks amid a surge in COVID-19 cases. Puerto Rico, an island with over 3.1 million inhabitants located in the Caribbean Sea, is a territory of the United States. The curfew has changed over time depending on the number of new Covid-19 cases being reported on the island, making it the longest pandemic-related curfew of any U.S. jurisdiction. Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission. He has to grab one that has been previously disinfected. The second Sunday lockdowns were lifted Jan. 5. FILE - In this May 21, 2020 file photo, a Puerto Rican flag flies on an empty beach at Ocean Park, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. People stand in line to be injected with the Moderna Covid -19 vaccine in a mass vaccination campaign at the Maria Simmons school in Vieques, Puerto Rico, on Wednesday. “At the beginning it was the right thing to do, I can't deny it. Ramos-Colón also remains optimistic, saying he “genuinely thinks that the pandemic could end in upcoming months.”. As more vaccines become available, Ramos remains optimistic, saying Puerto Rico could reach herd immunity sometime between August and September. Critics pointed out that officials were putting drastic restrictions in place without having enough scientific information to back their decisions. Rodriguez and his colleagues wore masks, kept their social distance, lived through stringent curfews and had their temperature checked and their hands and shopping carts cleaned every time they went into a supermarket or drug store. “That’s also important because they have suffered a lot not seeing their loved ones. 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