Situation as of Monday March 9, 2020
- 6 Confirmed cases in Peru
- 5 in Lima, 1 in Arequipa
- 5 cases in Lima are all relatives
- Case in Arequipa is a Peruvian living in London who arrived last week
After having had its first case confirmed in Peru last week Friday, the latest numbers show a minimal increase in new cases and the most important is that so far the Patient Zero for each case has been identified. The 5 cases in Lima are the original case of the airline worker from last week and 4 of the relatives he lives with. All 5 family members have been put under quarantaine at home. The sixth case is a new case of a Peruvian citizen living in London who arrived to Arequipa last week for a family visit. He started showing symptoms on Saturday and has been put in quarantaine with the family member he was staying with. The family members have been tested but all turned out to be negative. So far new cases have been reported at this time.
In Lima people are starting to feel some nervousness similar to other large cities where facemasks en sanitizing gel are harder and harder to come by. At this point no public institutes or schools have been closed but a lot of rumours with this regards are going round. At Lima airport a checkpoint is set up for travelers arriving from European, North American or Asian destinations but at this point the check up seems to be voluntarily. The government has started large informative campaigns at all large travel hubs and places of gathering but has not resorted to cancelling any large events. All tourist attractions and domestic airports are also functioning as normal. Cities with a large international influx such as Cusco have talked about setting up medical check points at the airport and bus terminals but so far these have not been put in place. As often is the case with these situations rumours and fake news make their rounds as quickly as the reality and one of the popular rumours right now is that there are conversations of closing Machu Picchu temporarily if the Corona Virus would make it to Cusco. Even though this can sound credible, taking into consideration the events taking place around the world, we do want to stress that this is just a rumour and has no base or foundation. At this point there have not been any discussions or possibility that Machu Picchu will close temporarily.
Keep an eye on our blog and we will keep you posted on the latest situation of the Corona Virus in Peru.
As individual travelers, we can also contribute to stop the Corona Virus and make sure to apply additional hygiene, especially when traveling and passing through larger passenger hubs. Following some general recommendations;
- Wash your hands frequently
- Maintain social distancing
- Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth
- Practice respiratory hygiene
- If you have fever, cough and difficulty breathing, seek medical care early
