Guatemala: Government expands entry bans to US and Canada as it confirms first COVID-19 case March 13 /update 3

President Alejandro Giammattei confirms first COVID-19 case in Guatemala and expands travel entry bans to include the US and Canada on March 13; confirm travel itineraries
Read all related news alert(s):
Guatemala: Authorities extend COVID-19 curfew until October 5 /update 23
Guatemala: Authorities extend COVID-19 measures until September 28 /update 22
Guatemala: Air, land, and sea borders set to reopen from 18 September /update 21
Guatemala: Authorities extend COVID-19 curfew and restrictions until September 21 /update 20
Guatemala: Guatemala City’s La Aurora International Airport (GUA) to resume flights September 18 /update 19
Guatemala: Authorities renew COVID-19 restrictions until August 23 /update 18
Guatemala: Authorities renew COVID-19 restrictions from July 12 /update 17
Guatemala: COVID-19 cases exceed 20,000 as of July 5 /update 16
Guatemala: Nationwide curfew extended through July 12 /update 15
Guatemala: Nationwide curfew extended through June 30 /update 14
Guatemala: Government announces full weekend lockdown from May 22 /update 13
Guatemala: Authorities announce additional restrictions between May 14-18 amid COVID-19 pandemic /update 12
Guatemala: State of calamity extended until June 5 /update 11
Guatemala: Nationwide curfew extended until May 4 /update 10
Guatemala: Nationwide curfew extended through April 27 /update 9
Guatemala: New COVID-19 restrictions introduced April 12, nationwide curfew extended until April 19 /update 8
Guatemala: Government bans internal travel due to COVID-19 April 5-12 /update 7
Guatemala: Nationwide curfew extended to April 12 /update 6
Guatemala: Government orders eight-day nationwide curfew March 22 /update 5
Guatemala: Borders to close for 15 days from March 17 /update 4
Guatemala: Government bans entry of European, Chinese, Korean, and Iranian citizens due to COVID-19 March 12 /update 2
Guatemala: Government bans entry of European citizens due to COVID-19 March 12 /update 1
Guatemala: Entry restrictions implemented due to 2019-nCoV January 31
Event
President Alejandro Giammattei announced Guatemala's first confirmed case of coronavirus (COVID-19) on Friday, March 13, prompting the president to expand the country's travel entry bans. As of Friday, all individuals from the US and Canada will be denied entry to Guatemala, in addition to those from Europe, China, South Korea, North Korea, and Iran to limit the spread of COVID-19. Guatemalan nationals returning from the aforementioned countries will need to self-quarantine at home for at least seven days.
Further international spread of the virus is to be expected in the near term.
Context
The first case of COVID-19 was reported on December 31 and the source of the outbreak has been linked to a wet market in Wuhan (China). Human-to-human and patient-to-medical staff transmission of the virus have been confirmed. Many of the associated fatalities have been due to pneumonia caused by the virus.
Cases of the virus have been confirmed in numerous countries and territories worldwide. Virus-screening and quarantining measures are being implemented at airports worldwide, as well as extensive travel restrictions. On March 11, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic.
Pneumonia symptoms include dry cough, chest pain, fever, and labored breathing. Pneumonia can be contagious and can be transmitted from human to human. The influenza virus, or the flu, is a common cause of viral pneumonia.
Advice
Measures adopted by local authorities evolve quickly and are usually effective immediately. Depending on the evolution of the outbreak in other countries, authorities are likely to modify, at very short notice, the list of countries whose travelers are subject to border control measures or entry restrictions upon their arrival to the territory in question. It is advised to postpone nonessential travel due to the risk that travelers may be refused entry or be subject to quarantine upon their arrival or during their stay.
Potentially impacted travelers are advised to monitor the situation, confirm travel itineraries, and adhere to all instructions issued by local authorities.
To reduce the risk of transmission, travelers are advised to abide by the following measures:
- Frequently clean hands by applying an alcohol-based hand rub or washing with soap and water.
- When coughing and sneezing, cover mouth and nose with a flexed elbow or tissue; if used, throw the tissue away immediately and wash hands.
- If experiencing a fever, cough, difficulty breathing, or any other symptoms suggestive of respiratory illness, including pneumonia, call emergency services before going to the doctor or hospital to prevent the potential spread of the virus.
Copyright and Disclaimer
GardaWorld is the owner or licensee of all intellectual property rights in the material presented on this website. All such rights are reserved.
The use of this website and its material is subject to the Terms of Use and accordingly you must not use any content from this website for commercial or other analogous purposes without our consent,
including but not limited to any deep-linking or framing in order to copy, distribute, display or monitor any portion of the website.
If you have any questions or are interested in distributing any content from this website, Contact us for more details.