New Delhi (NVI): Bolivia’s interim President Jeanine Anez today said that she has tested positive for coronavirus, becoming the third Latin American leader to be infected in recent weeks.
Taking to Twitter, Anez wrote, “I’ve tested positive for COVID-19, I’m fine, I will work from isolation.”
She also shared a video on Twitter in which she is saying that she would remain in quarantine for 14 days before taking another test.
He dado positivo a Covid19, estoy bien, trabajaré desde mi aislamiento. Juntos, vamos a salir adelante. pic.twitter.com/oA4YVYlZFa
— Jeanine Añez Chavez (@JeanineAnez) July 9, 2020
The Bolivian government confirmed that at least seven ministers, including its health minister, had tested positive and were undergoing treatment, as per foreign media reports.
Anez has also become the second South American President in a matter of days to contract Covid-19, after Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro announced his positive result on Tuesday.
Another high-ranking Latin American government official to contract the virus is Venezuela’s Constitutional Assembly President Diosdado Cabello.
In addition to this, four members of Anez’s cabinet had tested positive in recent days, while Senate President Eva Copa went into self-isolation on Wednesday.
The Bolivian leader’s illness comes with the country gearing up for a general election in less than two months, despite being in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic.
Bolivia is due to hold general elections on September 6. The elections were originally planned for May but delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Bolivia, a country of 11 million people, has recorded almost 43,000 coronavirus infections and more than 1,500 deaths. The government expects that there would be 1,30,000 cases by the time the election comes around.
-RJV
