A waiter wearing a face mask and a face shield takes customers' orders at a restaurant in Santiago, Chile, Oct. 21, 2020. (Photo by Jorge Villegas/Xinhua)

 
Chile on Friday reported 1,570 new daily cases of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) infection, bringing its accumulated caseload to 547,223.

In the same 24 hours, 43 more patients died of the disease, raising the death toll to 15,278, according to the Ministry of Health.

A total of 522,259 patients have recovered from the disease, while 9,379 cases are considered to be active, including 693 people in intensive care units.

Chile remains under a state of catastrophe, with a nighttime curfew to reduce circulation and the spread of the virus. However, several cities have moved to relax lockdown measures, while others, mainly in the south, have had to revert to stricter lockdowns due to a rise in infections.

On Monday, the country reopened its borders to foreign visitors in a bid to reactivate tourism. Enditem