Bolivia has declared a state of emergency that will last for nearly three weeks and completely shut its borders in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, Interim President Jeanine Anez has said
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 26th March, 2020) Bolivia has declared a state of emergency that will last for nearly three weeks and completely shut its borders in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, Interim President Jeanine Anez has said.
Earlier in March, the country adopted a package of measures to combat the further spread of the coronavirus, which included the suspension of air traffic with Europe, closure of borders for foreigners and a 14-day quarantine across the country.
"Unfortunately, many people do not comply with the quarantine and violate the law. Therefore we declare a state of emergency all across the country ... The state of emergency takes effect at 12 a.m. [04:00 GMT] on Thursday and will last through April 15 ... We declare the complete closure of borders; nobody will be able to enter or leave the country," Anez wrote on Twitter.
According to the interim president, under the quarantine only one person per family can go out and only to purchase essential goods. Violators will face fines and prison sentences of up to 10 years for crimes against public health.
Anez added that the government would support the population during the pandemic and provide over 1.5 million people with essential goods.
To date, Bolivia has registered 39 COVID-19 cases.
