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Peru Extends State of Emergency Amid COVID-19 Pandemic


A man carries his empty oxygen tank to be filled in the Villa El Salvador neighborhood, in Lima, Peru, April 11, 2021, during the general elections amid the new coronavirus pandemic.
A man carries his empty oxygen tank to be filled in the Villa El Salvador neighborhood, in Lima, Peru, April 11, 2021, during the general elections amid the new coronavirus pandemic.

Peru began new nationwide restrictions for one month Monday, a day after reaching a new record of COVID-19 deaths.

The country’s health ministry registered 433 COVID-19 related deaths on Sunday, following a steady increase in deaths this month.

Under the new government order, residents cannot use private vehicles on Sunday, but public transportation will be available.

The order also places limits on the size of gatherings and the mandatory social curfew accordance comes with threat alert levels, beginning with moderate, high, very high, and extreme risk.

The capital, Lima, is listed at the extreme risk level, meaning residents are prohibited from going outside on Sundays, the state run Andina News Agency reported.

The curfew hours vary based on levels set for social curfew from 9:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m., and to 4:00 a.m. from Mondays through Sundays.

People performing essential duties, such as healthcare workers, supermarket workers and financial services are exempt.

Under new international travel restrictions through May 9, non-resident foreigners from the United Kingdom, South Africa, or Brazil, or those who have made a stopover in any of said places during the last 14 calendar days are prohibited from entering the country.

The decree also extends the national state of emergency for 31 days (about one month), beginning May 1.

Peru has one of the highest COVID-19 totals in Latin America, with more than 1,697,000 cases and 56,797 deaths, according to Johns Hopkin University Covid Resource Center.

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