Lima (Peru), December 24: Peru has warned of a fast increase in COVID-19 cases caused by the Omicron variant after it reported 35 such cases in the past 36 hours, Peruvian Health Minister Hernando Cevallos said on Thursday.
Omicron has spread to 16 of the 43 districts in the Lima Metropolitan Area, and the infected people are aged between nine and 77.
The minister also warned that the variant may spread to other parts of the country.
Peru has reported a total of 47 Omicron cases with the first four cases detected on Sunday.
On Wednesday, the Peruvian Council of Ministers approved the extension of the COVID-19 state of emergency until Jan. 31 next year, and agreed on measures and restrictions to curb the spread of the Omicron variant, including the imposition of a night curfew for New Year's Eve celebrations, and the prohibition of the consumption of food and beverages on beaches during festivities.
Source: Xinhua
