The new executive order – which limits capacity at establishments that consume food and beverages – will not immediately cause the positivity rate to drop COVID-19 In Puerto Rico, the state’s former epidemiologist Ángeles Rodriguez Rosario.

Starting Thursday, any enclosed space where people take off their masks to consume food or drinks will have to reduce the number of customers they receive to half their capacity, the governor announced Monday. Pedro Pierluisi UrrutiaThis is among the alternatives to stop the spread of the virus that causes Covid-19 disease.

“What will happen next week has already been written, but we will see positive cases die at the beginning of the year.”Rodriguez reassured Rosario.

Executive Order 85 of 2021, which the president signed yesterday, takes into account one of the recommendations I made Scientific Alliance To reduce the record in the positivity percentage which was yesterday 22.2%, its head indicated, Daniel Colon Ramos.

The demand includes not only restaurants, cafes, bars and hammocks, but also the Colosseum, theaters and conference centers that hold group activities.

In the case of places that conduct activities or serve people outdoors or in the open air, they may operate at a 75% quota, according to the executive order.

In the opinion of Colon Ramos, “The most effective measure would be one that people would pay attention to, because it is a collaboration between executive orders and the behavior of citizens.”

The coalition also recommended limiting the opening hours of some companies, an alternative the president has yet to adopt.

Rodriguez Rosario, for his part, said the procedure addresses two of the factors that represent the greatest risk of infection, which is why he deemed it effective.

“The transmission is very high, and one of the things that most spreads infection is being close to an infected person and not having a mask, which is mandatory when someone eats or drinks, so I think it’s an excellent measure.”Infection scientist said.

Meanwhile, Colon Ramos clarified that there is still an uncertain scenario due to the unknown impact of the variant omicron In patients with respiratory problems, such as asthma, or in the elderly, even when it comes to people who have been vaccinated.

He noted that there are multiple variables such as the number of people vaccinated, the reduced efficacy of the vaccine (six months after the first dose, in the case of Pfizer and Modern, and two months in the case of Johnson & Johnson.), as well as the ability of Omicron to evade the immunity provided by vaccines. Moreover, the clinical manifestations of this variant are different, mainly associated with congestion, headache and general fatigue.