The government and the people of Puerto Rico must hold on to strong prevention measures to stop the sharp increase in cases of COVID-19 consistently recorded since early July.

It will be crucial that the government thoroughly evaluates how to maintain a safe economic reopening process while discouraging irresponsible behavior from a sector that puts their health and that of others at risk by taking the pandemic lightly.

The governor must make adjustments in line with recommendations by the Medical Task Force that has been wisely advising her since March, right at the beginning of the pandemic, when the island was at the forefront of rigorous controls against the new strain of coronavirus.

Whether certain current measures need to be reversed or modified at this stage of the reopening process, which coincides with the arrival of many visitors from the United States should be considered. The international airport currently receives an average of 5,000 travelers per day, but there is uncertainty about the health condition of all visitors, including many arriving from hotspots such as Florida and Texas.

New regulations for visitors arriving on the island would take effect July 15, but concerns remain about the logistics for cases that do not present evidence of a negative molecular test done 72 hours before their flight, which is a primary condition to enter the island. This issue is of the utmost priority.

With COVID-19 outbreaks in several villages and cases in critical facilities such as long-term care facilities for the elderly, where even deaths from the virus have already been confirmed, recommendations by the Medical Task Force must now be timely addressed since some previous suggestions have not been implemented.

The scenario today has become more complicated. Yesterday, the Health Secretary acknowledged that there is a shortage of reagents to process the molecular tests and the situation would force them to regulate their administration.

Therefore, in the decisive steps that the government will have to take in a few hours, they must also consider that the positivity rate registered by epidemiologists has risen to a level dangerous to control.

Although the positivity rate was at 1 percent in May and June, a sample based on cases handled in half a dozen labs showed that it had already risen to 5 percent, according to epidemiologists. As a guide to reopening or easing restrictions, the World Health Organization has suggested a positivity rate below 5 percent.

Puerto Rico should not allow conditions that would jeopardize the stability of hospitals and doctors´ offices' operations. Therefore, authorities must intensify prevention and proactive measures to intervene when people violate physical distancing measures or don´t wear masks, as well as with businesses that do not comply with pandemic control measures.

A core aspect of shared responsibility with the government will be citizens´ cooperation to wear masks during activities outside their homes, as well as to keep with frequent handwashing with soap and water, and not to omit physical distancing at work, commercial or other spaces. Socially irresponsible behaviors when citizens do not follow these measures in beaches, shops, and even during political events do not help to stop the upward trend of infections.

Although most private sector leaders and citizens have been rigorous in complying with key measures against COVID-19, it would be unfortunate if when Puerto Rico takes the first steps to recover its fragile economy, the lack of solidarity from minority sectors prevents the island from remaining among the countries that have set an example in fighting this unprecedented health challenge.