Health Minister Hernando Cevallos on Friday urged the population to celebrate Christmas only with their closest relatives, in short ceremonies featuring few people, and in which health protection against COVID-19 prevails, including face masks and well-ventilated places.
"People must avoid very large gatherings on Christmas. Meeting with parents and children is totally normal and natural, but you have to take the necessary care and prevent this dinner from becoming a large meeting, to which neighbors or friends are invited, and then such meeting ends up becoming a party," he recommended.
The Cabinet member was emphatic in stating that the Christmas celebration is a tradition which is not prohibited.
"I want to tell people that we can get together as a family, give one another a hug, and sit down to have dinner relying on the necessary care and face masks (…) maintaining social distancing and avoiding crowds. Of course, we can beat the pandemic if we act responsibly," Cevallos noted.
"Now more than ever, this celebration is not synonymous with gifts; it is —more than anything— an intimate meeting with the family, a reflection, a hug that the Peruvian people have earned a long time ago for the enormous effort made during the pandemic, but always taking care of ourselves, thinking about the future," he told Canal N.
Police intervention
The Health Ministry (Minsa) head also said he has spoken with the National Police directorate to develop a work in the streets so as to prevent citizens from holding parties or meetings with high concentrations of people.
Christmas curfew
The new five-hour-long curfew will be in force nationwide on December 24 and end at 4:00 a.m. on December 25.
A similar measure will be in force on New Year's Eve (December 31) starting at 11:00 p.m. thru January 1 at 4:00 a.m.
The objective is to avoid social gatherings and crowds due to the presence of the COVID-19 Omicron variant in the country.
(END) RRC/MVB
Publicado: 24/12/2021