Chile

• Monday, May 18th 2020 - 07:08 UTC

  Two Chilean ministers and 23 lawmakers under quarantine

  

  Two of Chile´s top Cabinet ministers said on Sunday they would quarantine after coming in close contact with Chilean lawmakers who tested positive for the coronavirus during negotiations in Congress.

• Friday, May 15th 2020 - 08:55 UTC

  Chile digging thousands of fresh graves amid a spike in Covid-19 cases

  

  Thousands of fresh graves are being dug in Santiago's main cemetery amid a spike in Chile's COVID-19 cases, authorities said on Thursday. Chile's infection rate soared this week, prompting the government to declare a mandatory lockdown of Santiago's seven million people from Friday.

• Friday, May 15th 2020 - 08:54 UTC

  Strict measures among essential personnel even in virus free Antarctica bases

  

  As the planet battles the seemingly inexorable spread of the coronavirus, Antarctica remains the only Covid-19-free continent - thanks in the main to strict security and not a little luck. The natural isolation of the frozen and desolate expanse has been taken to new extremes since the WHO declared a pandemic on March 11.

• Thursday, May 14th 2020 - 08:59 UTC

  Chile orders total quarantine for Santiago's population following a virus peak of infections

  

  Chile ordered a mandatory total quarantine for the capital Santiago's seven million people on Wednesday, after authorities reported a 60% spike in coronavirus infections in 24 hours, dealing a stunning blow to hopes the economy would soon reopen.

• Thursday, May 14th 2020 - 08:15 UTC

  Chile requests IMF US$ 23,8 billion, under the Flexible Credit Line

  

  The International Monetary Fund (IMF) Executive Board met on Wednesday in an informal session to discuss a request from the Chilean authorities for a two-year arrangement under the Flexible Credit Line (FCL) with the IMF in an amount equivalent to SDR 17.443 billion (about US$23.8 billion or 1,000 percent of quota).

• Wednesday, May 13th 2020 - 07:59 UTC

  Chile yet to face the worst of the coronavirus outbreak, Piñera warns; Santiago health facilities on the verge of collapse

  

  Chile is set to face the worst of the novel coronavirus outbreak in the coming weeks, President Sebastian Piñera said on Tuesday, as a sharp spike in cases and the southern hemisphere winter push its healthcare system to the limit.

• Thursday, May 7th 2020 - 13:04 UTC

  Chile anticipates a glut of some 200.000/300.000 tons of copper in 2020

  

  The global copper market is headed for a surplus of between 200,000-300,000 tons in 2020, the head of the miner Antofagasta told Chilean media, with operation halts at some mines offsetting depressed demand due to the coronavirus pandemic.

• Thursday, May 7th 2020 - 12:58 UTC

  Chilean economy contracts 3.5% in March over a year ago

  

  Chile’s economic activity dropped 3.5% in March from a year earlier, the central bank said. The bank’s IMACEC economic activity index declined 5.7% compared with the previous month, as the country went into an economic and social shutdown after the arrival in Chile of the new coronavirus.

• Tuesday, May 5th 2020 - 06:37 UTC

  Chile ordered new quarantine measures for three districts of Santiago

  

  Chile ordered strict new quarantine measures on three districts in the capital Santiago after a sudden spike in coronavirus cases on Sunday. The health ministry reported a surge of 1,228 new infections, bringing the total to nearly 20,000 nationwide and dealing a blow to hopes it was over the worst of the crisis.

• Saturday, May 2nd 2020 - 07:26 UTC

  Chilean police arrested dozens protestors during May Day demonstration

  

  Chilean police on Friday arrested dozens of people, including press photographers, when they broke up a May Day demonstration in the capital Santiago. Demonstrators had gathered in the city's Plaza Italia in defiance of a government prohibition on public gatherings of more than 50 people as part of measures against the coronavirus.