Chile Locks Down 20% of Population to Combat Second Virus Wave

Chile’s government said it will more than double the number of municipalities under strict coronavirus lockdowns in coming days to combat a resurgence in the pandemic.

The number of municipalities under full lockdown will increase to 42 from 18, Health Minister Enrique Paris said in a televised press conference on Monday. Roughly 3.9 million of a total population of 18 million will now be living under those restrictions, Paris said.

Chile joins emerging-market peers from Colombia to Brazil in grappling with an intense second wave of the virus. Policy makers in the South American nation have won praise for securing enough vaccine contracts to inoculate the entire population. Still, only about 11,000 health workers have gotten the shot so far, while daily infections rise the most since June.

Read more:Chile Has More Than Enough Vaccine Doses, But It Wants More

216,290 in U.S.Most new cases today 26,​786,​229 Vaccine doses administered in 43 countries

+14% Change in MSCI World Index of global stocks since Wuhan lockdown, Jan. 23

-0.​6256 Change in U.S. treasury bond yield since Wuhan lockdown, Jan. 23