SANTIAGO, March 15 (Xinhua) -- Chile's Health Ministry announced on Monday that 28 communes (towns) in the South American country will go into quarantine starting on Thursday, due to a rise in COVID-19 cases.

A medical worker takes a swab sample from a resident for COVID-19 test in San Miguel of Santiago, Chile, July 7, 2020. (Chilean Health Ministry/Handout via Xinhua)

Health Minister Enrique Paris pointed out during a press conference that there has been a persistent increase of COVID-19 cases in the last few days, as in other countries after the end of summer vacation in the Southern Hemisphere.

Due to the increase, Paris explained, a plan was designed to increase control, as well as to prepare hospitals with more intensive care unit beds.

Among the communes that will enter quarantine are nine in the Santiago Metropolitan Region.

On Monday, the ministry registered 5,117 new COVID-19 infections in the last 24 hours, which brought the accumulated total to 896,231 cases, as well as another 98 deaths, for a total of 21,772.