Here in the UK, apart from the initial toilet roll panic, we have had a fairly orderly shutdown of services, people are staying at home and the health system is generally coping. The people of Chile are not so fortunate. We received this report today from Gerd Bergmann of Grace Ministries, who has now been evacuated back to Germany.
“The situation in Chile has grown more and more tense, insecure and chaotic. The government did not take a lot of active measures to protect from the virus. That caused many citizens to take matters into their own hands. They blocked roads to prevent people from entering their towns and villages. Citizens hindered citizens to use public roads. The country declared a state of catastrophe, which means that the military has been dispatched to provide order. The medical provision in our little fishing village is minimal.”
In other parts of Chile the situation is desperate due to a lack of water for hand washing. As we have previously reported, this summer in Chile has seen one of the worst droughts for many years. Residents are relying on deliveries from water trucks to sustain them and there simply isn’t enough available to allow for additional hand washing. According to Greenpeace in Chile, about 350,000 people are affected.
It is also being reported that some churches are continuing to meet despite the restrictions on gathering and it is thought this may have caused further infection.
Please continue to pray for Chile, for good governance, for fair provision for all regardless of social standing, and for all communities to act responsibly and selflessly to combat the virus.