Chile quarantines 1.3 million people in Santiago due to coronavirus

Chile's government on Wednesday announced a general quarantine for large parts of capital Santiago after the country surpassed 1,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus since the outbreak began locally at the start of March.

Health Minister Jaime Manalich said in an address from La Moneda presidential palace that the total ban on movement would begin on Thursday night and last for seven days.

The measure applies to 1.3 million people living mainly in the wealthy eastern areas of the city where the virus first surfaced among people who had travelled to Europe.

As of Wednesday, a total of 1,142 people in the country were confirmed to have tested positive for the virus and three had died, the Health Ministry said.

Manalich said health authorities would set up a cordon around the city to contain the advance of the virus, although other cases have been confirmed around the country.