Chile extends state of catastrophe due to pandemic by 90 days

FILE PHOTO: Secutiry guards stands guard outside of a restaurant area as Chile's government allows outdoor servicing in restaurants after easing some lockdown measures put in place during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Santiago, Chile August 31, 2020. REUTERS/Ivan Alvarado/File Photo

Chile has extended the country's state of catastrophe due to the coronavirus pandemic for a further 90-day period, the government said in a statement on Friday, which would take it until almost the end of 2020.

The Andean country, which imposed the measure in mid-March, has around 430,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and nearly 12,000 deaths, making it one of the worst affected countries globally on a per capita basis.

FILE PHOTO: A man sits outside at a restaurant as Chile's government allows outdoor servicing in restaurants after easing some lockdown measures put in place during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Santiago, Chile August 31, 2020. REUTERS/Ivan Alvarado/File Photo

(Reporting by Fabian Cambero; Writing by Adam Jourdan)