Venezuela Imposes Partial Lockdown to Combat Coronavirus
By Paul Dobson
Mérida, March 16, 2020 (venezuelanalysis.com) – The Venezuelan
government decreed a “collective quarantine” in seven of the country’s
24 regions Sunday as part of ongoing efforts to contain the coronavirus pandemic.
The measure limits movement and commercial activity in the Capital
District of Caracas, as well as the states of La Guaira, Miranda,
Cojedes, Zulia, Tachira and Apure. The armed forces and the National
Bolivarian Police are charged with enforcing the quarantine, which
applies to all citizens with the exception of those employed in food
production and distribution, transport, security, healthcare, and the press.
The restrictions, which took effect Monday morning at 5:00 am, affect
around 13 million people, equivalent to roughly 43 percent of the total population. While no official quarantine has been announced in the rest
of the country, many businesses are choosing to remain closed and people
are being encouraged to stay at home. Schools have been closed across
the country.
The quarantine comes as the number of confirmed cases of coronavirus (COVID-19), rose to 17 over the weekend, with new cases reported in the
states of Miranda, Cojedes, Apure and the Caracas Capital District. The
first two cases were confirmed on Friday.
According to authorities, 13 of the 15 new cases were imported from the
USA, Spain, and Venezuela’s neighbour, Colombia, which has confirmed 46
cases at the time of writing
https://venezuelanalysis.com/news/14813
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