La Paz, Dec 29 (AP) Bolivia’s main cities canceled any public activities for New Year’s Eve as a record 4,939 new cases of COVID-19 were reported in the country, the highest in South America. The nation has the highest number for a single day of all pandemics.
After local officials said it would be irresponsible to allow public celebrations, celebrations were called off for the cities of La Paz, Cochabamba and El Alto.
“The epidemic is increasing, and life is first,” said La Paz Mayor Ivan Arias. “It’s better to be safe than sorry.” Bolivia has not detected the Omicron type, but health officials have said the rise in cases could be attributed to people not following certain measures such as social distancing or wearing masks.
President Luis Arce issued a decree requiring people to show vaccination certificates before entering certain public places such as restaurants. This measure will be effective from January 1.
According to the online research website Our World in Data, only a little over 38 percent of the population has been fully vaccinated. Bolivia, a country of 11.5 million people, has reported more than 585,000 infections and more than 19,600 deaths since the start of the pandemic. (AP) MRJ
(This story has been published as part of an auto-generated Syndicate wire feed. Headline or body have not been edited by ABP Live.)
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