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New Coronavirus Restrictions Announced in Puerto Rico

Governor Wanda Vázquez Garced announced new restrictions to contain the spread of COVID-19 in Puerto Rico.

Travelers

Under current restrictions, Puerto Rico is allowing travelers to visit the Island, but with strict requirements:

  • Visitors must show negative test results for COVID-19. Tests must have been conducted within 72 hours before arrival.
  • Travelers without test results will be tested at the airport and must be in quarantine till test results arrive.
  • Those without test results who refuse testing must quarantine (at their own expense) for 14 days.
  • Those with positive results must also observe the 14 day quarantine.

Community transmission

However, Lorenzo González, secretary of the Public Health Department, announced earlier this month that the new cases in Puerto Rico were not being brought into Puerto Rico by travelers. Transmission within the community is the current problem.

Gonzalez spoke forcefully about the need to observe the restrictions. “If you go out without masks, you are going to get infected. If you visit an elderly person, you are going to kill them,” he said after a government meeting on the pandemic.

Current restrictions:

  • Curfew extends from 10:00 p.m.to 5:00 a.m.
  • Alcohol must not be sold after 7:00 p.m.
  • Restaurants may operate at 50% capacity Monday through Saturday, and may offer carry-out food on Sundays.
  • Beaches and most businesses will be closed on Sundays.
  • Gyms, nightclubs, and other gathering places must remain closed.
  • Businesses, including hotels, may not allow customers to gather in waiting rooms or lobbies.
  • Employers must report outbreaks to the Department of Health.

Failure to wear protective masks can be punished by a fine of $100.

Puerto Rico has enforced some of the strictest rules about coronavirus in the United States.

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