Chile drafts 'strict' health measures for incoming tourists amid pandemic

SANTIAGO - Chile is preparing "strict" sanitary protocols for incoming tourists amid the COVID-19 pandemic, as it looks to reopen its borders to foreign visitors, Minister of Health Enrique Paris said on Thursday.

The new rules are to be presented on Monday "for tourists who may want to arrive in Chile during the summer" of the Southern Hemisphere, said Paris.

Chile has so far registered 516,582 COVID-19 cases with 14,404 deaths from the disease.

"The pandemic has made us take very strict measures, and one of them has been the closing of borders, and we know the pain it has caused people, couples and families who have not been able to reunite again," said Deputy Health Minister Paula Daza.

Daza voiced hope for "a greater opening of borders" in coming weeks, which will happen "little by little, to minimize the possibility of increasing the number of cases."

In March, the government closed the borders to foreign visitors to prevent the spread of COVID-19.