Chilean authorities to close border over COVID spread

Chile closed its borders and tightened an already strict lockdown further on April 1 to slow the spread of the coronavirus and stop the influx of contagious new variants, Report informs referring to Reuters.

Chile struck early deals with vaccine makers Pfizer and Sinovac, and has already vaccinated more than 35 percent of its population, ranking it third in the world for inoculations per capita.

But a second wave hit before the country could reach a goal of herd immunity by July.

On April 1, the country reported 7,830 cases of the virus, its highest single-day tally, adding up to a total of 1,003,406 infections, since the pandemic began in March 2020.

Officials said they would close the South American country’s border for a month beginning on April 5 to both Chileans and foreign residents, with exceptions only in emergencies. No foreign tourists will be allowed to enter - the first time it has taken the extreme measure since the early days of the pandemic in March 2020.