Guatemala: Authorities extend COVID-19 measures until September 28 /update 22

Event

Guatemalan authorities have announced that restrictions in place due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic are to be extended until at least Monday, September 28. Government officials must work between the hours of 7:00 (local time) and 15:00, while office workers in the private sector are permitted to work between 09:00 and 17:00. The sale of alcohol between 19:00 and 05:00 is prohibited, and its consumption in public is banned. A nationwide curfew between the hours of 21:00 and 04:00 has also been extended. Authorities have requested that citizens wear masks when in public, only leave the house if necessary, and avoid crowds.

Further restrictions are in force at the local level based on municipalities' alert levels. As of Monday, September 21, 165 municipalities are in red (the highest on a four-tier scale), 101 are in orange, and 74 are in yellow. No municipalities are in green. A full list of municipalities and their alert level can be found here.

Guatemala's air, land, and sea borders reopened on Friday, September 18. All travelers must present a negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test taken within the 72 hours prior to arrival or undertake a 14-day quarantine.

As of September 21, there have been 85,444 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Guatemala with 3119 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 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.