Brazil Shuts Land Border With Uruguay Amid Coronavirus Fears - Reports

The Brazilian authorities have decided to close the land border with Uruguay amid the COVID-19 outbreak, media reported

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 23rd March, 2020) The Brazilian authorities have decided to close the land border with Uruguay amid the COVID-19 outbreak, media reported.

According to the UOL news portal, the measure was taken on Sunday and will be in effect for 30 days with the possibility of being prolonged. The border with Uruguay is the last section of the land border with neighboring countries closed by Brazil as part of its fight against the spread of COVID-19.

Per the new measures, citizens of Uruguay are prohibited from entering the Brazilian territory, except for the indigenous peoples of Brazil, Uruguayans whose children are Brazilians living in Brazil, foreigners permanently living in Brazil and representatives of missions of international organizations that have received permission from the government. The restrictions will also not affect cargo traffic and will not impede the implementation of humanitarian work and the transit of residents of border regions.

According to media reports, a failure to comply with these measures could result in deportation, or administrative or criminal liability.

On Thursday, the Brazilian authorities in light of the spread of coronavirus decided to temporarily restrict entry for foreign citizens arriving from several Latin American border countries. The 15-day measure applies to people entering from Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru and Suriname. Last week, the Brazilian authorities also decided to partially close the border with Venezuela.

Over the past 24 hours, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Brazil has increased by 318, reaching 1,546. Meanwhile, the number of fatal cases has reached 25. In Uruguay, there have been 158 confirmed coronavirus cases.