Peru: Health authorities confirm over 500,000 COVID-19 cases August 14 /update 25

Event

On Friday, August 14, the Peruvian health ministry reported an updated total of 507,996 confirmed coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases in the country and 25,648 related deaths. Health authorities reported 9441 cases in the last 24 hours and confirmed another 3658 deaths due to COVID-19 on Friday, following an analysis of suspected COVID-19 deaths in recent months. According to the most recent data, the death rate due to COVID-19 in Peru stands at 78.6 per 100,000 inhabitants and is the highest in Latin America.

Authorities will reimpose nationwide all-day Sunday curfews from Sunday, August 16, and have banned family social gatherings and parties from Wednesday, August 12, due to a spike in COVID-19 cases. With the reimposed restrictions, residents will not be allowed to leave their homes on Sundays, except for certain people with special passes, such as hospital workers. Authorities had been gradually easing COVID-19 restrictions since July 1.

The Peruvian government extended the state of emergency to combat the spread of COVID-19 until August 31. The state of emergency was introduced on March 15 and had been due to expire on July 31. Restrictions previously implemented under the state of emergency will continue. These measures include a nationwide nighttime curfew between 22:00 and 04:00 (local time) and the compulsory wearing of face masks.

The Peruvian government announced that domestic flights previously resumed from July 15, however, travel to and from certain high-risk regions remains prohibited. Regularly scheduled commercial international flights remain suspended, and Peru's borders are closed for all but essential traffic.

Further international spread of the virus is to be expected in the near term.

Context

The first case of COVID-19 was reported on December 31 and the source of the outbreak has been linked to a wet market in Wuhan (Hubei province, China). Since then, human-to-human transmission of the virus has been confirmed.

Cases of the virus have been confirmed in numerous countries and territories worldwide. On March 11, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the global outbreak a pandemic. Virus-screening and quarantining measures are being implemented at airports worldwide, as well as extensive travel restrictions.

The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, dry cough, and tiredness. Some patients may experience other symptoms such as body pains, nasal congestion, headache, conjunctivitis, sore throat, diarrhea, loss of taste or smell or a rash on skin or discoloration of fingers or toes. These symptoms (in most cases mild) appear gradually. Generally, most patients (around 80 percent) rec

Advice

Measures adopted by local authorities evolve quickly and are usually effective immediately. Depending on the evolution of the outbreak in other countries, authorities are likely to modify, at very short notice, the list of countries whose travelers are subject to border control measures or entry restrictions upon their arrival to the territory in question. It is advised to postpone nonessential travel due to the risk that travelers may be refused entry or be subject to quarantine upon their arrival or during their stay.

To reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission, travelers are advised to abide by the following measures:

• Frequently clean hands by applying an alcohol-based hand rub or washing with soap and water.
• When coughing and sneezing, cover mouth and nose with a flexed elbow or tissue; if used, throw the tissue away immediately and wash hands.
• If experiencing a fever, cough, difficulty breathing, or any other symptoms suggestive of respiratory illness, including pneumonia, call emergency services before going to the doctor or hospital to prevent the potential spread of the disease.