COVID-19 claims six lives

The novel coronavirus, COVID-19, has reportedly claimed the lives of 6 people in Suriname. The fifth person died on Monday night while the sixth person died on Tuesday afternoon. Both people who died within 24 hours had been admitted to the hospital for medical treatment. The official reports indicate that the number of confirmed COVID19 cases jumped to 236 on Tuesday. There are currently 183 active cases. The reports also indicate that there are 253 people in mandatory state quarantine. The source of most of the current COVID-19 cases in Suriname came from neighboring French Guiana and Brazil. The sudden hike in the number of confirmed COVID19 cases in a short period is related to the growing number of Brazilian garimpeiros and other people who crossed the Marowijne River to enter Suriname illegally.