Coronavirus: four regions of Bolivia refuse to deconfinate

Four of the nine regions of Bolivia, including Santa Cruz de la Sierra, the most affected by the coronavirus, announced Saturday that they were going to extend the containment measures, contrary to the decisions of the government which wants to revive the economy of the country.

Read also: Coronavirus: Bolivia lifts certain restrictions on Monday

" I'm not going to endanger the lives of thousands of people at the most critical time in the epidemic, nor am I going to allow the quarantine to be lifted while the contagion curve isn't going down ," wrote on Twitter. the governor of Santa Cruz Ruben Costas.

The economic engine of Bolivia, the Santa Cruz region (east), which has about 2.7 million inhabitants, alone accounts for nearly 70% of people infected nationally and will extend the confinement until June 14.

The Bolivian government had decided Thursday to lift from Monday certain restrictions in force since March to fight the epidemic caused by the coronavirus. The resumption of certain economic activities and the authorization to leave the house again at specific times are part of the measures decided, said the Minister of Economy, Oscar Ortiz. But the Andean region of Potosi (southwest, bordering Argentina) also decided to extend the confinement for the first 15 days of June, announced the mayor of this city Luis Alberto Lopez.

In Tarija (south), with 24 cases out of half a million inhabitants, a committee decided to " maintain the state of health emergency ... until June 30 ". Finally, the Amazon region of Beni, bordering on Brazil, also intends to continue confinement for another week from Monday. Bolivia recorded as of May 31 8,731 cases of coronavirus and 300 deaths, most of them in the region of Santa Cruz.