The government of Uruguay has decided to close its borders and limit the right of assembly to stop the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, measures that will take effect next Monday and last until January 10.
At a press conference, Uruguayan Interior Minister Jorge Larrañaga and Defense Minister Javier García explained that to ensure compliance with the border fence, 25 checkpoints will be installed and 500 army personnel will be deployed.
In addition, the bridges are fenced and only freight transport enters. Likewise, private flights are prohibited, as are the arrival of boats from other countries.
Regarding the right of assembly, non-compliance will entail fines of between 30 and 1,000 adjustable units – a unit of measure whose value is periodically adjusted based on the Uruguayan average salary index – in addition to the possibility of determination, through the prosecutor’s office, a crime of contempt.
The scheme, approved on Friday, can be extended for an additional 60 days after January 10.
Uruguay is one of the countries least affected by the pandemic in Latin America. Last Sunday, the country’s health authorities registered 497 new cases and five deaths from COVID-19. With these figures, Uruguay has a total of 13,048 people infected and 118 deaths from the disease, according to data from the Uruguayan Ministry of Health.