The governments of Chile and Bolivia agreed on Tuesday that Bolivian citizens who have been camping for days in the Chilean commune of Providencia will be able to return to their country after completing a 14-day quarantine.
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Chilean Foreign Minister Teodoro Ribera Neumann announced the decision, taken during a meeting with Bolivian Foreign Minister Karen Longaric.
"Bolivia's borders were closed to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, so citizens and foreigners could not enter the country," Ribera reported.
Bolivians have been adrift for nearly a week, due to the ban on returning to their country.
"Nearly 300 Bolivian compatriots, including women and children, are camping out in front of our country's consulate in Santiago, Chile, which remains closed, without providing any assistance. The Bolivian Foreign Ministry must attend to our compatriots."
Given this scenario, both countries reached an agreement, where citizens will have to comply with an isolation in the city of Iquique before entering Bolivia.
Bolvian citizens will be moved to Iquique as soon as possible, where they will be quarantined and this quarantine will be financed by the International Organization for Migration.
After completing these 14 days in isolation, Bolivian citizens will be able to enter their country of origin, without having to comply with a new mandatory quarantine.
With this agreement, the minister assures that he has concluded a great "collaboration" between Chile and Bolivia, in the midst of the pandemic.