Get to know COVID-19 measures announced by Peru on day 36 of emergency response

00:00 | Lima, Apr. 21.

President Martin Vizcarra announced the new measures adopted by Peru as part of the state of national emergency declared in response to the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) in the South American country.

Below is a list of the main announcements made on day 36 of the emergency response:

1. So far, Peru has 16,325 positive cases of coronavirus. 148,011 samples have been taken so far, including molecular (41,356) and rapid (106,655) ones. Moreover, 1,682 patients have been hospitalized to date.

2. 385 out of the 525 intensive care unit (ICU) beds in the country have been occupied, with only 140 ICU beds available for new seriously ill coronavirus patients. There are 61 ICU beds available in Lima, as 318 are already occupied.

3. President Martin Vizcarra announced that each private school in Peru shall adjust and lower the fees charged to parents since there are no longer in-person classes but virtual ones. He said private education —knowing that its characteristics must change in the remainder of the year— must make a new assessment of what it will prioritize in teaching.

4. More than 3 million school students will benefit from the delivery of food, whose distribution was started Monday by the State-run Qali Warma Program. A total of 17,000 tons of packaged food —previously stored at 58,941 public educational institutions across the country— is distributed among minors.

5. The Rural Bonus (worth each S/760=US$214) will be delivered in cash to the residents of the most inaccessible areas of Peru. If they are in geographically distant places, security vans will arrive there and bring them money in cash. This financial aid will be granted to 1.098 million families.

6. An urgency decree, signed on Monday, allocates resources for regional governments to receive Peruvians wishing to return to their places of origin. Humanitarian domestic trips shall be gradual and give priority to the most vulnerable people.

7. Corruption acts —committed during the state of national emergency linked to coronavirus (COVID-19)— will be punished in an exemplary way. The President reported that the Comptroller's Office relies on S/30 million (around US$8.8 million) to concurrently control the actions carried out in the context of the emergency.

8. Peru's Economy and Finance Minister Maria Antonieta Alva announced that the Government will improve the design of the Business Support Fund (FAE), which has so far supported 22,000 micro- and small-enterprises (MSEs) with S/188 million (US$55.1 million), and there is an additional demand for support from other 71,000, worth S/813 million (about US$238.6 million).

9. Labor and Employment Promotion Minister Sylvia Caceres reported that nearly 5,200 companies have applied the perfect suspension (suspension without pay), of which over 3,200 are MSEs. "We will not tolerate any abuse in the use of this measure," she pointed out.

(END) SRE/FHG/RMB/MVB

Published: 4/21/2020

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Get to know COVID-19 measures announced by Peru on day 36 of emergency response

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