Cities in Bolivia cancel New Year's Eve events

La Paz, Dec 29 (AP): Bolivia's main cities canceled any public activities for New Year's Eve after the country reached a record 4,939 new cases of COVID-19, the highest number for one day in all the pandemic in the South American natio.

Written By : PTI | Updated at : 30 Dec 2021 01:02 AM (IST)

La Paz, Dec 29 (AP): Bolivia's main cities canceled any public activities for New Year's Eve after the country reached a record 4,939 new cases of COVID-19, the highest number for one day in all the pandemic in the South American nation.

The celebrations were called off for the cities of La Paz, Cochabamba and El Alto after local authorities said it would be irresponsible to allow public festivities.

“The pandemic is escalating, and life is first,” said Iván Arias, mayor of La Paz. “It's preferable to be safe than sorry.” Bolivia has not detected the omicron variant, but the health authorities have said that the surge in cases can be attributed to people not following some measures such as social distancing or wearing masks.

President Luis Arce issued a decree requiring people to show a vaccination certificate before entering some public places, like restaurants. The measure will take effect on Jan. 1.

Only a little bit more than 38 per cent of the population is fully vaccinated, according to online research website Our World in Data. Bolivia, a country of 11.5 million people, has reported more than 585,000 infections and more than 19,600 deaths since the start of the pandemic. (AP) MRJ

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