SANTIAGO, April 6 (Xinhua) -- Chile's Health Ministry on Tuesday reported 5,164 new COVID-19 infections and 57 deaths in the past 24 hours, for a total of 1,037,780 cases and 23,734 deaths.

Health Minister Enrique Paris said on Tuesday that Chile "faces a very complex few weeks, and although vaccination (against COVID-19) is progressing as planned, the most effective measures continue to be frequent hand washing with soap and water, wearing mask, maintaining social distance, avoiding crowds, using ventilation and, of course, respecting all measures decreed by authorities, such as quarantines."

The country is facing a new wave of COVID-19 infections since the end of summer in the Southern Hemisphere and the relaxation of restrictive measures such as starting in-person classes and other activities.

The government has recently decreed quarantines for about 16 million people, including the entire Santiago Metropolitan Region, except for essential workers, and has also closed its borders.

According to the health ministry, COVID-19 cases increased by 20 percent in the last 14 days nationwide, while only six regions registered a decrease in the number of infections.

The regions with the greatest increase in new cases are Atacama, Maule, Aysen and Santiago Metropolitan Region. Enditem

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