Chile: Authorities ease COVID-19 restrictions in five communes from September 21 /update 33

Event

Authorities will ease coronavirus disease (COVID-19) restrictions in the Pudahuel, Independencia, and El Bosque communes of Santiago Metropolitan region, Quillota (Valparaíso), and Calama (Antofagasta) from 05:00 (local time) on Monday, September 21. The government has already eased restrictions in several communes across Chile as part of a wider plan, known as Paso a Paso, aiming to ease restrictions introduced due to the pandemic.

Chilean authorities announced that they will reinforce the implementation of COVID-19 restrictions in Santiago between Thursday, September 17, and Saturday, September 19, in preparation for the upcoming national holidays. Health controls will be tightened throughout the city and 100 officers will deploy to police events, prevent crowds from gathering, enforce the use of face masks, and sanction residents who do not comply.

Chilean authorities announced on Friday, September 11, that the country's COVID-19 state of catastrophe has been extended by 90 days until December 31. The emergency measure had previously been extended until September 25 to cover the Independence Day public holiday on September 18, but the government has expressed concern over the continued rise in COVID-19 cases in the country. National restrictions, including a nightly 23:00 to 05:00 (local time) curfew, a ban on gatherings of more than 50 people, the closure of non-essential businesses, and the mandatory use of face masks in public remain in effect, but it is currently unclear whether they will continue throughout the extended state of catastrophe.

At the local level, the Chilean government is following a five-phase reopening plan, with different levels of restrictions in place depending on the phase a region or community is currently in. The plan enables authorities to tighten or ease local restrictions based on the number of COVID-19 cases. A list of communes and their current level of restrictions can be found here.

As of Wednesday, September 16, there have been 439,287 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Chile with 12,058 associated fatalities. 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) recover from the disease without being hospitalized.

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.