Marcelo Montecinos/The Santiago Times Staff
As 1,421 people violated curfew and quarantine laws in the last 24 hours in Chile, the number of worldwide active versus closed Covid-19 cases seem to have inverted, and just in time.
For the first time since the pandemic began, the amount of closed cases of the virus have been less than the amount of active cases: Out of a total of 5,955,235 SARS-CoV-2 positive cases registered on a worldwide basis, there are now 16,169 more cases that have had a definite outcome than active ones, and that is a game-changer.
This turning point will hopefully become a trend, and thereby alleviate the lives of Chileans, that have now reached 9% unemployment due to the virus.
The lack of work has led to violent protests in El Bosque, La Pintana, Puente Alto and Estacion Central lately, as many informal workers have gone hungry due to the lockdowns.
While the cities of Antofagasta and Mejillones come out of total quarantine this Friday, Chile’s largest city, Santiago, will remain locked-down for another week, at least. This due to increasing new contagion in the area.
The number of positive cases have been steadily rising since the Health Minister, Mañalich, threw all pulmonary infections into the same basket on May 5.
The amount of street protests continue, but the police have gone from clashing with protesters to emphathizing with them, and even having their pictures taken alongside them. They seem to have listened to the common voice of the people: “We are not afraid of the virus, we are afraid of hunger.”
