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| - Bolivia on Friday closed its border with Brazil for at least a week to protect against the spread of a Covid-19 variant from the neighboring country that is struggling with a surge in deaths. At least 66,000 people in Brazil died of Covid-19 in March -- more than twice as many fatalities as the country's second-deadliest month of the pandemic, July 2020. "As part of the measures to protect the population, we instruct the temporary closure of borders with Brazil for seven days," Bolivian President Luis Arce said on his Twitter account. He said that Bolivian border towns where coronavirus variants from Brazil had been found would be put under quarantine "for as long as it is required." Health Minister Jeyson Auza confirmed the closure of the border, which covers 3,400 kilometers (2,100 miles) of forests and rivers. Bolivia has not yet said what measures apply to air travel. Currently, every person who enters the country must have a negative test result. Bolivian media have reported an increase in infections along the border, although authorities have not verified that the Brazil variant of the virus known as P1 is circulating. Bolivia, with 11.5 million inhabitants, has recorded 12,257 coronavirus deaths, and hopes to vaccinate its adult population by September. jac/fj/mps/bgs/dw
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