Mar 11, 2020 - World

El Salvador declares quarantine without confirmed coronavirus cases

Orion Rummler

In this image, a woman stands in a doorway while wearing a face mask — A woman sanitizes a room at a private hospital in San Salvador, El Salvador, March 11. Photo: Camilo Freedman/Aphotografia/Getty Images

El Salvador President Nayib Bukele declared a national 21-day quarantine on Wednesday, although the country has no confirmed coronavirus cases, following the World Health Organization classifying the outbreak as a pandemic.

Where it stands: The closest COVID-19 cases to the Central American country are located in Honduras, which has two confirmed cases as of Wednesday, per the Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center. There are eight cases in Mexico and 13 in Costa Rica.

Details: The quarantine was set at 21 days in order to determine whether or not there are COVID-19 cases within the country, Bukele said in a meeting with business unions on Wednesday.

The quarantine will prevent foreign travelers from entering the country.

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El Salvador declares quarantine without confirmed coronavirus cases

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