Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Reuters
Reuters
Health
Aislinn Laing

Chile surpasses 500,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases

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

Chile has identified more than 500,000 cases of the new coronavirus since the outbreak began in March, the health ministry said on Saturday.

The ministry said 500,542 Chileans were now confirmed to have suffered from the virus, including 1,631 cases added in the past day and 48 deaths, taking fatalities to a total of 13,892. Active cases are at a record low of 9,900, it added.

Chile, which was among the worst-hit nations by COVID-19 in July, ranking only behind Qatar globally for cases per head of the population, has in the past two months gradually eased lockdowns.

Restaurants and bars have opened with limited capacity, office workers are returning and some schools have reopened.

On Sunday, millions of Chileans are expected to decide in a historic referendum whether to replace the country's Pinochet-era constitution.

The charter, drawn up by a key lieutenant of military leader Augusto Pinochet in 1980, is blamed for segmenting pension, health and education provisions and entrenching inequality.

(Reporting by Aislinn Laing; Editing by Daniel Wallis)

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.