MONTEVIDEO, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- Uruguay is bracing for a record number of daily COVID-19 cases after seeing huge increases in infections in recent days, Minister of Public Health Daniel Salinas said on Friday.
At a press conference, Salinas said 177 new cases had been confirmed by Friday morning, "so we are not surprised that there could be a new record" to break the previous day's high of 238 confirmed cases.
However, the rise in cases could also be due to stepped up testing and tracing, he said, adding that "we go out to look for the sick ... we do the tests, we go out to look for their contacts, and we are working hard."
Uruguayan President Luis Lacalle Pou on Tuesday announced new measures to contain the outbreak, including remote working for all civil servants, the suspension of sports and activities at indoor gyms, and closing of bars and restaurants.
Since March, Uruguay has accumulated 6,455 cases of COVID-19 and 80 deaths from the disease, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Enditem
