In stark contrast to his Brazilian counterpart, Jair Bolsonaro – who has deliberately undermined social distancing and quarantine measures – Peru’s leader strictly adhered to the World Health Organization’s coronavirus recommendations and mobilised the police and army to enforce a stringent quarantine.
Peru now ranks second only to Brazil in Latin America with 104,020 confirmed cases and a death toll of 3,024 according to official figures on Tuesday.
CDC officials say decisions made by the White House have worsened effects of the pandemic
Vizcarra said on Friday that Peru had carried out 600,000 coronavirus tests – “more than any other country in the region”.
Deadly outbreaks on Peru’s northern coast and Amazon regions – where social distancing was routinely flouted – laid bare the gaping holes in Peru’s chronically underfunded healthcare system.
Covid-19 hit Peru’s largest Amazon city, Iquitos, with deadly force before spreading to Pucallpa, on the country’s eastern border with Brazil.
