ZCZC
BFF-11
HEALTH-VIRUS-CHILE-BRITAIN-LATAM
Chile quarantines 1,300 aboard two cruise ships
SANTIAGO, March 15, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – Chile has quarantined more than 1,300
people aboard two cruise ships after an elderly Briton aboard one of them
tested positive for the coronavirus, the health ministry announced Saturday.
Both ships are cruising the Chilean fjords in Patagonia.
The 85-year-old man showed symptoms of the virus after getting off the
Silver Explorer ship in the far southern port of Caleta Tortel, 2,400
kilometers (1,500 miles) from Santiago.
The man was later transferred to a hospital in the city of Coyhaique where
he tested positive for the virus.
“The ship is in quarantine off the port of Castro. The British citizen is
in good condition but has tested positive for coronavirus,” Health Minister
Jaime Manalich told a press conference.
The other ship, the Azmara Pursuit — with 665 passengers and nearly 400
crew — had earlier crossed into Chilean waters from the southern Argentine
port of Ushuaia.
Manalich said it was currently near the port of Chacabuco after authorities
banned it from landing passengers there, on grounds that it was carrying
suspected cases of the coronavirus.
The ship is on a 21-day cruise from Buenos Aires to Callao in Peru, just
beside Lima.
The number of coronavirus cases in Chile reached 61 on Saturday, 18 more
than on Friday. Manalich said Chile is in Phase 3 of the crisis, with means
that in addition to those infected with COVID-19 coming from abroad, there
may be local cases.
“This means a more delicate situation from the epidemiological point of
view in controlling the disease,” he said.
Chile has taken broad measures against the spread of the virus, banning
events of more than 500 people, recommending people work from home, and
ordering the quarantine of 2,600 students attending an elite private school
in Santiago.
In other developments around Latin America on Saturday, Colombia expelled
two French nationals and two Spaniards for violating coronavirus quarantine
rules.
The two couples separately took tourist trips in defiance of restrictions
imposed on visitors from the worst-affected countries, immigration officials
said.
Ecuador announced it was closing its borders to foreigners after the
country registered its second coronavirus death.
In Bolivia, a ban on direct flights to and from Europe went into effect on
Saturday. Travelers from China, South Korea, Italy and Spain are also banned
from entry.
Panama banned flights from Asia, one day after blocking flights from
Europe.
Authorities also announced that schools will shutter in Venezuela, Mexico,
El Salvador, Guatemala and Uruguay.
As of 2200 GMT Saturday, Latin America had registered 6 coronavirus deaths
and 430 cases of infection.
BSS/AFP/MSY/0927 hrs