John Culatto
THE curfew and elderly COVID-19 lockdown will continue for another week, the Chief Minister confirmed in Parliament today.
The number of active cases dropped to 177, the lowest since mid-December when the latest wave started.
Chief Minister Fabian Picardo held a minute’s silence for the pandemic casualties, the latest death last night bringing the total to 80 on the Rock.
Yesterday’s victim was a 90 to 95-years-old resident of a government nursing home who died of brain problems with COVID-19.
He called the amount of deaths to COVID-19 ‘remarkable’ and urged the community to continue to observe lockdown restrictions.
Of the 13 patients in Victoria Ward, nine are stable or improving while there are nine in Critical Care, seven on ventilators.
Picardo said the ‘magnificent’ vaccination of the population had led to over 17,000 jabs being carried out so far, nearly 4,000 being second doses.
He said the next delivery of the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine vials will be on February 8.
This will allow people in their mid to late-50s to get their jabs, as more of the population is protected from the coronavirus.
The opening of shops on Saturday will be delayed for another week while bars, cafes and restaurants are set to reopen on March 1.
Sports could soon be reintroduced, however, with schools now gearing up to open on February 22.
“I think we can now start to see at least the beginning of an end to this terrible time,” concluded Picardo in his parliamentary speech.
“A way out of this time of death and despair.
“A way through to the way of life we love in this modest but magnificent little part of the world we call home.”
