Chile relaxes restrictive measures for vaccinated population after drop in number of cases

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The bustling streets of Santiago regained their vitality, and gyms, sports facilities, theaters and senior centers reopened their doors in most of the country, after a year and a half of strict measures that only allowed many of these venues to operate for a few weeks.

“Today’s information is very positive, we have a daily variation of new cases of -40% in the past two weeks and a positivity rate of 3.3%, the lowest since records have been available,” celebrated Health Minister Enrique Paris.

The pandemic, which has caused over 1.59 million infections and 34,207 deaths in total, has been slowing down in the country after three months of a severe second wave that pushed the healthcare system to its limits and, as of next week, people in the capital will no longer be quarantined on weekends for the first time since March.

In recent days, a 70% drop in the number of active cases (meaning they can spread) has been recorded and new cases have fallen below 2,500 for days, 2,336 in the past 24 hours.

ENCOURAGING VACCINATION

People with a vaccination card, obtained 14 days after the Covid-19 immunization scheme has been completed and which the Government issued last May, will now benefit from greater advantages.

From this week on, this card will play “a key role,” according to health authorities, since it will double the authorized capacity and will be the only way to access enclosed areas and will allow free movement within quarantined neighborhoods.

“I hesitated to get vaccinated, but finally I am going to do it, it is the only way for me to enter a restaurant,” said Sofia Antifilo, a young woman going to get her first vaccine shot on Thursday.

The country has deployed one of the world’s most successful vaccination campaigns against Covid-19, which currently covers over 84% of the target population with one dose and more than 75% with two shots, most of them with the Coronavac vaccine and, to a lesser extent, with Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Cansino immunizers.

“We still have a group resisting vaccination and these measures right now are the only tool we have to try to curb the pandemic,” said Gabriel Cavada, an epidemiologist at the Institute of Public Health of the University of Chile.

FEAR OF THE DELTA VARIANT

This is the first time that Chile changes the government strategy devised in 2020 to tackle the pandemic, an initiative announced with great enthusiasm by President Sebastián Piñera last Thursday and which has been praised and criticized in equal measure.

From some sectors, particularly the tourism and hospitality industry, the proposal has been welcomed, which will allow them to gradually recover after the long closures which caused the economy to plummet 5.8% in 2020.

“We are happy to be able to open indoors. We have had a very bad time and this measure is essential to survive now with the cold and winter,” said Eric Llantén, owner of a small cafe in the capital.

Meanwhile, the medical community argues that it is too early to relax measures, particularly after the Delta variant reached the country, of which almost twenty cases have already been confirmed and which has caused severe outbreaks in several European countries.

“We need to do more in-depth analysis before reopening the borders. The numbers are going down, but relaxing the entry and exit of people through airports is not advisable,” said Patricio Meza, president of the Medical Association.

Secured since April, the country’s borders will remain closed until at least July 25 to prevent a further surge in cases, and authorities are also considering the implementation of a potential third vaccine dose.