As coronavirus cases in Chile are falling, the government on Thursday announced the relaxation of several measures. From July 15, gyms, cinemas and restaurants in municipalities in phase 2 or higher are allowed to reopen. The national curfew will become regional, with hours depending on the active cases per region.
President Sebastián Piñera announced on Thursday the relaxation of coronavirus measures at the national level. The phased Paso a Paso plan remains active, however, changes were implemented in nearly all stages. The relaxations are a response to falling coronavirus numbers. Especially people with both doses of the vaccine will have more freedoms.
One major step is the curfew, which will be implemented on regional level. In regions with less than 150 active cases per 100,000 inhabitants curfew hours will be from 00:00h to 05:00h, while regions with more active cases will keep the current curfew hours, from 22.00h to 05.00h.
In phase 2 of the gradual plan, cinemas, theaters, circuses and restaurants may reopen, although guests must have a mobility pass, obtainable online after completing the vaccination process. In phase 3, sports stadiums are allowed to reopen and host up to 1,000 spectators. All modifications to the current measures will take effect on July 15.
Editor-In-Chief Boris van der Spek is the founder of Chile Today. He worked in Colombia, Surinam and the Netherlands as reporter and works with international media during major events, like the social crisis, the elections and the Pope’s visit.