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| - Bolivia's government on Friday accused vigilantes who blocked coronavirus patients from hospitals of "attacking public health." Groups of people have been standing guard outside hospitals to block those with symptoms from seeking treatment, saying the facilities are not equipped to handle coronavirus patients and that accepting them would cause the illness to spread. Bolivia has recorded only three cases but one of those, a 60-year-old woman, was transported by ambulance around the eastern city of Santa Cruz in an unsuccessful bid to receive treatment. Vigilantes used chains to bar the ambulance from entering hospitals, claiming the facilities didn't have the health infrastructure needed to treat the illness. Similar incidents took place in the Oruro region in the southeast and the central Cochabamba region. "This is an attack against public health and obviously we're not going to allow this situation to continue," interim President Jeanine Anez said. The public prosecutor has opened an investigation against medical and paramedic personnel at seven health centers, as well as some citizens, for having denied the coronavirus patient access to health care. The woman ended up receiving treatment at the local Santa Cruz government medical facility. The two other people affected in the country are in isolation at their homes. A leader of the Santa Cruz health workers union, Robert Hurtado, hit out at attorney general Mirna Arancibia over the investigation, insisting that "we don't have the conditions to treat this kind of patient." On Thursday, Bolivia canceled flights to and from Europe starting from Saturday to combat the spread of coronavirus. Schools, colleges and universities are closed until the end of the month. rb/lda/bc/acb
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