Sharjah24 – AFP: People in Chile who have been vaccinated and are fully immunized against the coronavirus could from Wednesday obtain a pass to move about more freely, a move criticized by health professionals.
The pass, which can be downloaded on a person's mobile phone two weeks after receiving their second shot, gives the bearer permission to move about freely in cities under lockdown to go to the supermarket, pharmacy, or for open air exercise.
Those without permits, by comparison, have to print out a permission form every time they want to leave the house, which is allowed for essential reasons only.
Pass holders can also travel between cities and towns not under lockdown.
Face masks remain compulsory for everyone, indoors and out, and the pass will not be valid during the daily 10.00 pm-to-5.00 am curfew. It also does not replace the permission people need to go back to work, the government has said.
The measure came into force as Chile passed the 50-percent mark of fully vaccinated adults -- over 7.7 million to date out a 15.2 million target population.
The country has three vaccines in its arsenal, with over 17 million doses of CoronaVac administered to date, 3.36 million of Pfizer-BioNTech, and nearly 500,000 of Oxford-AstraZeneca.
Some 1.3 million people in Chile have been infected with the coronavirus, and over 28,600 have died. The country has one of the highest vaccine rates in the region and the world.
For an optimal experience, please
