President Maduro: Nationwide Quarantine in Venezuela Starting Tomorrow – New Cases (Covid-19)
On a radio and TV broadcast, Venezuelan President, Nicolás Maduro, reported this Monday night 16 new cases of Covid-19 coronavirus were detected, bringing the total to 33 cases. Of these, 18 are women and 15 are men. Eight are in Caracas, 13 in Miranda, 5 in La Guaira, 2 in Aragua, 2 in Anzoátegui, 1 in Mérida, 1 in Cojedes and 1 in Apure.
The Venezuelan head of state indicated that all new cases are imported. Of the 33 cases, 28 come from Europe and 5 from Cúcuta (Colombia). 31 of the cases are from residents in Venezuela and two are foreigners, including a very high-ranking diplomat from a South American country.
All states go into social quarantine
He announced that, from this March 17 at 5 in the morning, Venezuela is in social quarantine. “The 23 states and the Capital District go into collective quarantine; a drastic measure, but necessary.”
To explain the reasons for his decision, he showed the mathematical models released by The Washington Post and in Spanish by Misión Verdad , explaining how Covid-19 spreads in four scenarios:
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- Without any measure (Free for all)
- Attempted quarantine
- Moderate distancing
- Extensive distancing
Studies show that the fourth case is how best results are obtained. “It is what is advised, it is what we advise the world,” says President Nicolás Maduro, which is why he made the decision to go to quarantine throughout the country.
He pointed out that they evaluated the statistical models, the experiences of Italy, Spain and all of Europe. “In Latin America we do not have health systems as powerful as those of those countries, nor their economic power. If we neglect ourselves, if we assume everything will be fine, we can have a terrifying pandemic among the peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean. Therefore, Venezuela steps forward and declares total quarantine in all states and the Capital District!”
“The most serious situation we have ever faced”
“After having studied it thoroughly, knowing it well, it is the most serious situation we have ever faced,” said Maduro. “We have never faced a situation like this, and we all know that we have faced difficult situations in recent years. From February 27, 1989, to everything that happened in 2019, you have to see everything that our generation has seen and experienced, but never a pandemic of these characteristics, which has been underestimated by many world leaders in an irresponsible way!”
President Maduro said he had examined information from the World Health Organization, and they met this Monday with “world-class” scientists and experts from Cuba, including Dr. Luis Herrera, creator of Interferon, a drug used successfully to treat certain cases of coronavirus and other diseases. He indicated that all the necessary medicines are available to deal with the crisis, and that he met with the Venezuelan pharmaceutical industry, making some agreements, application protocols and medicines are guaranteed with the Venezuelan industrial apparatus.
With Cuba, the necessary Interferon for the treatments was guaranteed, and from China a special shipment with all the protective equipment and thousands of diagnostic test kits will arrive in the next few hours, Maduro added.
The Venezuelan head of state also called on world leaders from around the world not to underestimate Covid-19 and to take all necessary measures.
Statistics
In his speech, the Venezuelan president showed statistics of cases discovered per day.
He also showed graphs by age, which indicate that the majority of those infected (eleven) are between 30 and 39 years old, seven are between 20 and 29 years old and five are between 50 and 59 years old.
Translated by JRE/EF
