Chile will close its borders to slow the spread of the coronavirus

Chile will close its borders for the month of April to slow the spread of the coronavirus and stop the influx of its variants, health officials said on Thursday, as cases continue to soar despite one of the world’s fastest vaccination rates.

Chile has already inoculated more than 35% of its population, according to a Reuters tally, but cases have nonetheless spiked in recent weeks following the Southern Hemisphere summer holidays.

On Thursday, the country reported 7,830 cases of the virus, its highest single-day tally since the pandemic began in March 2020 . . .