A Chilean woman who was in London brought to Chile the new strain of the coronavirus that circulates in Great Britain, the Undersecretary of Health, Paula Daza, reported on Tuesday.
The new strain of the virus is much more contagious, although it has not been proven, so far, to be more lethal.
Daza said that the woman was in Great Britain and arrived in Chile on a flight from the commercial airline Iberia from Madrid on December 21. The next day he boarded a local airline and traveled to Temuco, 700 kilometers south of Santiago.
The woman, whose identity was not disclosed, was admitted to a hospital in her commune, as were her close contacts.
Daza explained that the case was detected because the woman tested positive on December 23 to detect the virus taken at the airport. Upon learning that it had been to Britain, a sample was used to “identify the variant … (which) is the same as found in the UK,” he added.
Chile closed the air terminal on December 20 to all flights from Great Britain and to foreigners who have been in that country in recent weeks. “This person is a Chilean who returned through Madrid,” Daza said.
The authorities are looking for all the passengers who traveled on the same flight to Temuco. The passengers who traveled from Madrid with her have already been identified.
The government of Chile established, as a transitory measure, that from December 31, all Chileans and foreigners who enter the country must quarantine for 10 days.
Chile is one of many countries in the region that closed its air borders to flights and passengers from Great Britain.
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