COVID-19: Chilean President Pinera presents bill to protect independent workers
The proposal seeks to complement the measures already announced by the government and to generate protection for formal, informal, independent, and unemployed workers.
At least 308 people were arrested and around 41 subway stations were damaged late on Friday during protests against an increase in metro faces in Santiago, according to Chilean Minister of National Defence Javier Iturriaga on Saturday.
The violent protests prompted the government to declare a state of emergency and the deployment of soldiers in the provinces of Santiago and Chacabuco, as well as in the Metropolitan municipalities of Puente Alto and San Bernardo, Xinhua news agency reported.
During a press briefing, Iturriaga said that “there is a lot of work to do” before Monday so that “everyone can return to work and continue with their normal lives.”
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The general inspector of police Mauricio Rodriguez added that 11 civilians and 156 officers were injured during the protests, and 49 police vehicles were damaged.
On Friday, President Sebastián Piñera declared a state of emergency in Santiago and gave the military responsibility for security after a day of violent protests over increases in the price of metro tickets.
Clashes broke out between the protesters and the police in several parts of the city throughout the day and the subway was shut after attacks on several stations.
After attacks against nearly all the 164 stations where many gates and turnstiles were destroyed, the metro operator took to Twitter, and said, “The entire network is closed due to riots and destruction that prevent the minimum security conditions for passengers and workers”.
The Santiago Metro, at 140 kilometres (90 miles) the largest and most modern in South America, is expected to remain closed this weekend and could reopen gradually next week.
Closure of the metro forced many Santiago residents to walk home, sometimes long distances, resulting in scenes of chaos.
Earlier on Thursday, 133 people had been arrested for causing damage to metro stations, estimated at up to 500 million pesos ($700,000).
(With inputs from agency)
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