Peru partially reinstates stay-at-home measures

Lima, Aug 13 (IANS) Peruvian President Martin Vizcarra has reinstated stay-at-home measures after health authorities detected a new spike in the number of coronavirus cases.

“As of this Sunday, we are going to go back to mandatory staying at home on Sundays. We want and think it is preferable to go back one step, just Sundays, to later recover the conditions that we all would like to have,” Xinhua news agency quoted Vizcarra as saying on Wednesday.

He also announced localized lockdown measures in 34 provinces around the country, including parts of the capital Lima, where the most number of COVID-19 cases have been registered.

Police are set to enforce the measures after Peru began to register an increase in the number of daily cases of infection, with a record 8,466 cases reported on August 7.

Minister of Health Pilar Mazzetti blamed the spike in cases on people failing to adhere social distancing when visiting family and friends.

According to the Ministry of Health, Peru has registered a total of 489,680 cases and 21,501 deaths from COVID-19.

–IANS

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