MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Peru returns to blanket mandatory wearing of facemasks

Wearing facemasks is a rational measure, according to sanitary experts

Peruvian health authorities Monday reinstated the mandatory wearing of facemasks both in indoor and outdoor settings in light of the fourth wave of COVID-19 hitting the country.

Health Minister Jorge López said “everyone is compelled to wear a mask, absolutely everyone” and invited the Peruvian population to comply with this measure in any surroundings.

According to official data, June was the least deadly month of the pandemic, with 321 deaths recorded from the malady. Over 10,000 people have died altogether from this disease.

López insisted that “what we are making a priority is the use of masks, to emphasize vaccination, which is the only way we are seeing that it has an effect in preventing our population from reaching a hospital or needing an ICU bed.”

He added that vaccination among underaged citizens had decreased and invited the guardians to take their families to vaccination centers.

Meanwhile, in neighboring Colombia, the National Institute of Health released its routine surveillance report on COVID-19, which showed a notorious increase in cases of the BA.5 lineage of the Omicron variant, in addition to a significant increase in cases compared to the last week of May in all age groups.

Following the report, the INS insisted on the importance of hygiene measures such as hand washing and the use of facemasks, which “is rational and cannot be abandoned,” according to INS General Director Martha Ospina.

“If I am in a crowd, I put on my mask and protect myself from all respiratory viruses, not just COVID-19. If I have respiratory symptoms, I put on my mask,” she added.
The physician insisted on people not lowering their guard because virus circulation is still active and the pandemic has not ended.