Bolivia's interim President Jeanine Anez tested positive for the coronavirus. This makes her the third Latin American leader after Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and Honduran President Juan Orlando to be tested positive for the virus.
Several of Anez’s cabinet members, too, were tested positive for the virus.
Anez announced on Twitter she had contracted the virus and that she would be quarantined for 14 days. “Together with my whole team, we have been working for Bolivian families all this time. And since last week, many of them tested positive for coronavirus, I had a test and also tested positive. I will be in quarantine for about 14 days until I have a new test to see how I am doing,” she said in a video posted to her official Twitter account.
Anez, a conservative former senator, took over as interim president after widespread protests toppled the government of longtime leftist leader Evo Morales.
Elections were scheduled to take place in Bolivia in May, but have been postponed to September 6 due to the pandemic. As per an AP report, the country so far has reported 42,984 confirmed coronavirus cases and 1,577 deaths.
Latin America has been facing a huge increase in coronavirus cases in a short while. Brazil and Mexico have reported particularly high case numbers and deaths.