Former Gov. Wanda Vázquez Garced said Monday in a radio interview that her decision a year ago to reduce activities in Puerto Rico and decree a curfew to try to control contagion with Covid-19 on the island was right and compared her to a mother caring for her children.
In a radio interview with Normand Valentí on Tomorrow for Notiuno 630, the former governor said that “these were very difficult, complicated decisions. As everyone knows, we always kept up to date with what was happening in the rest of the world. and it starts particularly in the area of Europe.We saw the cases (of Covid-19) in Italy, in Spain, in France.So even though I had not arrived in Puerto Rico we were very aware of this development of the pandemic around the world. Already when we saw the situations as they were in New York, they were worrying, “said Vázquez Garced around the state of the United States where there was a high rate at the beginning of the pandemic. of contagions and deaths.
“As soon as we had the first positive cases in Puerto Rico it was enough for me to make the most difficult decision, but it was aimed at saving lives. Already when we have the first five positives (Covid-19 cases), who were the Italian (tourists), the Panamanian doctor who went to the Salsa Festival.For me it was too much, because obviously I knew, or was worried that there might be other contagions outside that we had no control “So right now, I have to say it was an instinct. I’m going to close. I’m going to protect my Island, the people. It’s the only way to save lives, let people protect themselves, let them be detained and kept in their homes, “Vázquez Garced recalled.
“So I made this decision as a mother caring for her children. Once we had these first five cases I said, ‘I’m going to close.’ It was difficult, because we’re talking about all the economic activity, of “Tell the citizens you have to stay at home, you can’t go out. This is seen as in other countries of the world. One never expected this to happen in Puerto Rico,” the former governor recalled.
“But I’m so grateful to the people of the town of Puerto Rico, the people cooperated. Seeing these empty streets. People understood that there was a danger on the street. And I emphasize again and again on all these executive orders. , mainly in March and April, you have to be at home.Because the vaccine against Covid was to be at home at that time.We didn’t even hope there was a vaccine.So I understood that this it was the way to protect the Puerto Rican people and fortunately today when we compare it to the rest of the world we see that it was a decision, with a lot of humility I say it, right “, concluded Vázquez Garced.