Public Health Minister Rafael Sánchez Cárdenas, speaking from the Center for Emergency Operations (COE), explained the focus of the 14-16 May 2020 Covid-19 intervention in Greater Santo Domingo. The local health authorities have scheduled a widespread operation to locate persons infected with the disease that may not yet have tested positive. The operation would initially have been in the Greater Santo Domingo, but after it was postponed due to the Duquesa garbage dump fire, it was extended to the nearby provinces of San Cristóbal and Monte Plata, and La Romana.
There will be no restrictions to transit between the provinces over the weekend. The activity is scheduled for 14-16 May 2020.
The Minister advanced that the home visits would start in the northern areas of the National District. Homes will be visited to identify patients with symptoms or suspected of having the disease. He said the focus will be on visits over the weekend, but that the operation will continue all throughout the next week. “All the structure of the COE will be participating in the general operation. We expect the cooperation of all citizens,” he said.
“The people that get tested are those that have been in contact with positive people or show symptoms,” he said. He said homes and public areas where people test positive will be disinfected. Facial masks will be distributed. Patients will be taken to isolation centers or hospitals as needed. The operation includes cultural animation in the barrios and distribution of booklets on how to prevent and care for the disease.
The intervention will start at 8am on Thursday and each day will last until the 4pm curfew time. The National District and Santo Domingo province (Greater Santo Domingo) barrios to be intervened are:
Thursday: Villa Juana, Cristo Rey, Mejoramiento Social, Villas Agrícolas, Ensanche Luperón, María Auxiliadora, Villa Consuelo Ensanche Capotillo, El Millón, el Ensanche Quisqueya, Bella vista, Buenos Aires, Los Cacicazgos, 30 de Mayo, Av. Independencia Km. 8, Los Platanitos, Los Miaitos, El Manguito y San Gerónimo. Asimismo, el Barrio Cuba, Yaguita, La Agustinita, Nuevo Arroyo Hondo, Viejo Arroyo Hondo, Cerros de Arroyo Hondo, Altos de Arroyo Hondo, Ensanche La Fe, Los Ríos and Los Peralejos.
Friday: Los Mina, Los Tres Brazos, Los Mameyes, Villa Faro, Villa Duarte, Ensanche Isabelita, Ensanche Ozama, Guaricano, Villa Mella, Sabana Perdida and La Victoria.
Saturday: Invivienda, Los Solares, Cancino Adentro, Hainamosa, Ciudad Juan Bosch, La Caleta y San José de Mendoza, Libertador de Herrera, El Café and Las Palmas de Herrera.
Members of the ministries of Defense and Public Works, the Civil Defense, Dominican Red Cross, Santo Domingo Water Corporation (CAASD), the National Institute of Drinking Water and Sewage (INAPA), the National Police and the OMSA government bus service are participating.
“With this measure, the national government intends to reduce the impact and incidence of Covid-19 in our country,” said the Minister. He stressed that Greater Santo Domingo has about 50% of the confirmed cases, but also 34% of the population of the country. 150 of the 409 deaths nationwide as of 12 May and 6,085 of the 11,196 confirmed case total are in the Greater Santo Domingo, San Cristobal, Monte Plata and La Romana. In the past 24 hours, those 256 new cases of 296 confirmed cases.
The Minister has not spoken again of the random population testing that would have tested people without symptoms and that would have been carried out this May.
Dr. Sánchez Cárdenas said that the usual briefings on the day’s Covid-19 bulletin will not be held on Thursday, Friday or Saturday. The briefings will resume on Sunday.
The bulletins are uploaded daily to the Ministry of Public Health website at Ministry of Public Health
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14 May 2020