On Thursday, Peru reported more than 498,000 COVID-19 infections and more than 21,000 deaths. More than 27,000 additional deaths are being investigated to see if they are related to the virus.
The South American country implemented one of the first locks from March 16, and is one of the longest in the world, with a total duration of 4 months.
By the time the closure ended on July 1, the number of COVID-19-related deaths in the country was already more than 12,000 y. The highest daily average instances for the country as of May 31 with 8,805 infections; the blockade is still in force at this stage.
Investigative journalist Jordan Schachtel asked why the media had covered the failure of the country’s closure.
Few others pay attention to Peru, demonstrating the dramatic failure of the closure. Peru has experienced one of the most difficult blockades in the world. Nearly four months of isolation, Peru now has the world’s COVID-19 mortality rate.
During the strict four-month ban, Peruvians were barred from leaving their homes unless they needed the essentials; Night curfews were established, borders were closed, companies were shut down and a masking order was implemented.
On 7 April, a national mask protection order came into force; the government even sent a mask to all the other people who didn’t need to buy theirs. Alleged Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and his vice president, Senator Kamala Harris, reported a federal mask order this afternoon.
04/03/2020: “We have made the decision that the use of [mask] is mandatory, when you leave your house and are in a public place, you will have to wear a mask.” Sound familiar? Https: //t.co/ aoifmpYmbD
But even with all the strict measures, many of which were advised through Democratic lawmakers in the United States, Peru has one of the highest COVID-19 mortality rates in the world at 4.4%, even though it was strictly blocked. As a result, other points will have to contribute to the nation’s prestige as one of the most affected by the pandemic.
One factor, some said, may be the vulnerability of Peru’s source of income. The country relies heavily on industries such as tourism, industry and transport, all of which contribute to an informal economy. With many jobs in these fields closed or severely reduced since March, most of the country is suffering to locate a source of income. On average, more Peruvians are concerned about wasting sources of income than contracting the virus.
Peru also has a poor quality fitness system, which makes it significantly more difficult to treat inflamed people with the new coronavirus. The country lacks key medical resources such as hospital beds, extensive care teams and fitness professionals.
Many in the country also live in poor conditions. Most do not have refrigerators, so with current curfews and businesses operating at limited hours, overcrowding is not unusual in markets, turning them into imaginable hot spots.
Peruvians are also incredibly skeptical about their government’s decision-making. On 6 August, President Martín Vizcarra swore Walter Martos as the new prime minister, the fifth of his two years in office. While Vizcarra had a record approval rate of 87% in March, in June, that figure fell through 17 numbers as instability increased due to the pandemic.
A disturbing mystery in Peru lies in the disappearance of 1,200 women since the start of the pandemic. A lot of people worry that these women are dead.
Jacqui Hunt of Equality Now, a non-governmental organization that promotes women’s rights and, told The Independent that the number of women and lacks in Peru is “impressive and horrible.”
“Peru has one of the highest rates of violence against women in Latin America, and the coronavirus pandemic has aggravated what was already a disastrous situation,” he said. “The response to Covid-19 submitted by the Peruvian government will have to address the specific vulnerabilities of women and girls.”
Since the onset of the pandemic, domestic violence in Latin America has skyrocketed due to government closures.
To date, the current rate of COVID-19 infection in the country is between 6,000 and 8,000 cases on average. Its population is just over 33 million people.
Vizcarra plans to reintroduce some strict blocking policies starting Sunday in the hope that this will happen and slow the mortality rate.