The Venezuelan government announced on Saturday the extension of 30 days of the " state of alert " decreed on March 13 and the almost total containment put in place almost a month ago in an attempt to stem the spread of the new coronavirus.
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" We must persevere in the quarantine to which our people responded with great discipline and much sacrifice, " said Vice-President Delcy Rodriguez during an address on state television.
According to the government of Socialist President Nicolas Maduro, 175 confirmed cases of Covid-19 and nine deaths have been recorded in the South American country since the beginning of March. But opposition leader Juan Guaido accuses the Chavista power of " shamelessly lying " and hiding the true number of infected people.
In an attempt to curb the progression of the coronavirus, Nicolas Maduro decreed on March 17 an almost total confinement of the 30 million Venezuelans. Schools are closed, flights to and from Venezuela have almost all been suspended and only " essential " activities such as supermarkets and medical services have been maintained. Only trips to buy food or the doctor are allowed.
Delcy Rodriguez announced the extension of confinement from Caracas international airport where " 30 tonnes of medical equipment " had just arrived, including protective gloves and masks, from China, Nicolas Aluro's close ally.
The pandemic of the new coronavirus strikes Venezuela at a time when the country is going through the worst crisis in its recent history. Drug shortages are chronic and the entire country, which has the world's largest oil reserves, faces serious gas supply problems.
Read also: In Venezuela, Maduro orders hospitalization of Covid-19 patients
The Venezuelan medical community believes that a massive influx of patients into hospitals, under-equipped and sometimes unsanitary, would cause a health disaster.
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