Coronavirus reaches Antarctica
Chilean authorities announced this week that a coronavirus outbreak had taken place in one of its bases in Antarctica. It marks the first time the virus has reached the remote icy continent.
Research and military stations in Antarctica had gone to great lengths in to keep the virus out. Tourism had been canceled, activities and staff had been scaled back, while several facilities had been locked down.
Where was the virus found?
The Chilean navy said it had detected three cases of COVID-19 among 208 crew members of Sargento Aldea ship, which sailed from Chile s southernmost Magallanes region to the Antarctic region between November 27 and December 10.
So far no other country with a presence in Antarctica has publicly reported any other cases. Chile s army announced Monday that 36 people at the Gen Bernardo O Higgins Riquelme Antarctic base have tested positive, and on Tuesday the health minister for the Biobio region in Chile said there are 21 infections involving people aboard the Chilean navy s Sergeant Aldea supply vessel. One more case was reported in Las Estrellas village, where civilian personnel working at the Lieutenant Rodolfo Marsh Martin Air Force Base live, said Eduardo Castillo, regional health secretary for the Magallanes area, which oversee Chilean operations in the Antarctic. The Sargento Aldea ship docked at that village, he added.
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Canada on guard against new virus strain behind COVID-19: In The News for Dec. 23
by The Canadian Press
Last Updated Dec 23, 2020 at 4:26 am EDT
FILE - In this Jan. 20, 2015, file photo, wooden arrows show the distances to various cities on King George Island, Antarctica. There has been perhaps no place on earth where authorities have been more vigilant in keeping out the virus than Antarctica, the only continent which remains virus-free. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko, File)
In The News is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to kickstart your day. Here is what’s on the radar of our editors for the morning of Dec. 23 …