By José Antonio Pérez & Shandra Keesecker-Rivero
On Wednesday afternoon, April 22nd, the Federal Secretary of Health confirmed the first case of Covid-19 coronavirus in Puerto Peñasco by publishing data on its digital platform tracking the virus across Mexico.
The information from the Federal government detailed a first case in Puerto Peñasco as a male between 60-64, along with ten negative cases, and one case under observation. No one is currently hospitalized due to Covid-19 in Puerto Peñasco, and the only confirmed case is classified as ambulatory and has been isolated at home since testing 11 days prior.
In the nightly briefing of the Sonora State Secretary of Health, the first case of Puerto Peñasco was once again confirmed among the 18 new cases announced on Wednesday. To date, there have been 181 confirmed Covid-19 cases in Sonora since March 16th, 22 deaths, and 13 recoveries with 146 still active cases.
During a Wednesday night broadcast from the Puerto Peñasco administration’s official Facebook page, Municipal Health Coordinator Dr. Oscar Castro detailed with the beginning of Phase 3 in Mexico, and now the report of Puerto Peñasco’s first Covid-19 case, the following measures have gone into effect to bolster the preventive steps the city has already taken:
- Mandatory use of masks when in public (for groceries, pharmacy, bank, or other essentials)
- Masks available at Red Cross and Police Station for those that cannot find or purchase any
- Sanitary filter at entrance to Puerto Peñasco along Sonoyta-Peñasco highway to be closed at 10 p.m. No one living in areas beyond the filter area (i.e Las Lagrimas, Laguna Shores, Hacienda de Cortez, etc.) will be allowed into city after 10 p.m. – which is when the nightly curfew siren rings anyway
- There are 3 sanitation tunnels installed in Puerto Peñasco: at sanitary filter at entrance to Peñasco, outside the Police Station, and one at the General Hospital. For general public use, and mandatory for anyone going to General Hospital.