Bolivia: Añez Uses Police to Enforce Measures Against COVID-19

Bolivian de facto president, Jeanine Áñez, announced on March 17th that the police and millitary will use force to enforce the Covid-19 containment measures and prevent the illness from spreading across the Andean nation.

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According to her Twitter, the mandatary informed her administration that she qualified these measures as severe. Áñez requested the Bolivian people seek isolation until the illness dissipates. Also, she announced the border closing, all international departures and incoming international flight suspension.  National interdepartmental and interprovincial passenger transportation is also postponed. International and interdepartmental freight transport to ensure supply is allowed to guarantee basic supplies and resources.

Other preventive actions are working hours reduction, both public and private sector, vehicle traffic restriction and a cut in public markets’ service time. All the measures will be valid until March 31, when the government will reevaluate them.

While Añez implements these restrictions measures, leftist political Bolivian forces requested other actions, such as economic help for those in need, all citizenship sanitary atention, and international assistance petitions.

“We contacted the Cuban Government and there is an absolute willingness to cooperate with the antiviral to treat the coronavirus, as well as with medical personnel. We ask Mrs. Jeanine Añez, to take the necessary steps for the benefit of the Bolivian people” published Lucho Arce,  Movement to Socialism party’s presidential candidate, on his Twitter profile.

At the end of her speech, the so-called president requested the support of the military and police forces to ensure compliance with these measures. The troops carry their weapons during their duties on the public streets with the civilian population.