SANTIAGO, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Chilean Health Minister Enrique Paris called for national unity on Friday after 9,171 new COVID-19 cases were registered in the last 24 hours, a record number and the first time the country exceeded 9,000 daily cases.
"We are living through a critical moment of the pandemic. The key word is prevention; I call for national unity," the official said during a brief press conference.
With this record, the total number of COVID-19 cases climbed to 1,060,421, while 129 more deaths were reported in the last day, bringing the total to 24,108.
Chile is experiencing a new wave of infections, after the end of the summer season in the Southern Hemisphere and the relaxation of restrictive measures from January to March.
Currently, over 80 percent of Chile's population is under quarantine and the country has closed its borders and restricted trade in goods and services. Enditem
