Chile to close borders for one month to contain COVID-19 spread

 

Chile will shut down its borders for one month starting April 5 to contain a ballooning coronavirus load and curb the influx of its variants, health officials said on Thursday.

The South American nation is concerned by its spiking virus load despite having one of the world’s fastest vaccination rates.

According to a Reuters tally, Chile has already inoculated 35 percent of its population.

On Thursday, health authorities reported 7,830 new COVID-19 cases, its highest single-day tally since the pandemic began in March 2020.

With the latest increase, Chile’s COVID-19 infections have topped the one million mark.

Its 1,003,406 confirmed cases are the fifth-highest recorded in South America. The country ahs also registered 23,328 deaths.

In response to the ballooning caseload, the government has placed much of the country under lockdown.