MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Lacalle Pou said Uruguay not going back to sanitary restrictions

Vaccines have helped very strongly,” said Lacalle

Uruguayan President Luis Lacalle Pou Thursday said going back to sanitary restrictions over an increase in cases of COVID-19 was not on the table.

“There is no going back,” said Lacalle when asked about reinstating some restrictive measures following his decision to lift the sanitary emergency last month. “Today I read an infectologist about the seriousness of the cases, which is not so. Vaccines have helped very strongly,” said the President during a press conference in the department (province) of Canelones.

He added that “non-pharmacological measures” should be applied to curb the number of infections.

The latest report from the National Emergency System (Sinae) released earlier this week showed an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths, compared to the previous issue. Between May 15 and 21, a total of 8,344 cases and 12 deaths were reported, against 5,549 infections and two deaths the week before.

Lacalle Pou was in Canelones to attend the opening of a first-responding SAME 105 base in the town of Migues and a State Health Services Administration (ASSE) clinic in the Tapia area. The President underlined the importance of a prompt response to medical emergencies, which the new facilities would help provide.

“In the case of the SAME 105 ambulance in Migues, it is necessary to be closer and the emergency is fundamental. As regards Tapia, the improvement of the polyclinic had been demanded for a long time, a first-class building with good human resources and fortunately, both in Migues and in Tapia, with medicines,” Lacalle underscored.

“In this case, Canelones, which for obvious reasons I know quite well, is sometimes very close to Montevideo but far from the services that are needed,” he added.

“We are glad that in this case, ASSE's territorial policy brings excellent and top quality services to cities like this one,” he went on.