El Salvador Begins More Restrictive Lockdown Thursday

El Salvador begins a more restrictive lockdown Thursday to curtail the spread of the coronavirus, with an emphasis on the densely populated capital region of San Salvador.

In a national address late Tuesday, President Nayib Bukele said residents will only be permitted to shop for groceries twice a week.

He said citizens will not be allowed to travel between jurisdictions unless they have a written document justifying their movement.

Under the special lockdown, El Salvador will also suspend public transportation for 15 days to help efforts to contain the COVID-19 outbreak.

Bukele said if the scale of the outbreak drops substantially during the 15 days, the country will be able to start reopening some businesses.

So far, El Salvador has reported 633 cases of COVID-19 and 15 deaths.