PR pharma key to prevent pandemics – COVID proves

Pharmaceutical manufacturing in Puerto Rico was not affected in the same way as in other parts of the world. The government of Puerto Rico allowed companies to continue to work despite the strict curfew that they implemented on the Island. Executive Order OE-2020-023 of March 15, 2020, did not apply to pharmaceutical companies, nor companies in the distribution chain of goods and services, businesses, and individuals that the government deemed essential that they remain working during the curfew. This was a key policy measure because 12 of the world’s top 20 pharmaceutical companies are located in Puerto Rico and it was necessary to keep them operating at a time when medicines and medical supplies were so necessary. Puerto Rico kept pharmaceuticals and other manufacturing companies operating during the most critical part of the pandemic and they were able to keep their workforce healthy and avoid outbreaks in the companies. This is a good thing that should be highlighted and must be taken as an example for the rest of the world. Despite the success achieved so far, manufacturing companies have to maintain the controls and protocols that have prevented outbreaks in companies. History has taught us that in a pandemic it is common to have multiple waves of the disease. The first wave is more severe and deadly. This was recently seen with the Delta and Omicron variants of COVID-19. Manufacturing companies in Puerto Rico have to be prepared for future waves of COVID-19 or other pandemics, especially when the Puerto Rican government does not have absolute control over the entry of people into the territory. Prevention measures for COVID-19 and other similar diseases have to become the new reality for manufacturing companies. Securing the collective welfare of 100,000 employees of the manufacturing industry must be ensured. Manufacturing in Puerto Rico is, by far, the most important industry in economic terms. It represented 47% of the Island’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in fiscal 2019.