Guatemalan president bans most protests for 15 days

The president of Guatemala has banned most protests for two weeks, arguing they have been spreading the coronavirus

GUATEMALA CITY -- The president of Guatemala on Tuesday banned most protests for two weeks, arguing they have been spreading the coronavirus. President Alejandro Giammattei's Cabinet approved the decree and it will go into effect Wednesday. Protesters in recent weeks have demanded Giammattei’s resignation, saying the government has mismanaged the coronavirus pandemic and botched efforts to get vaccines. There have been delays in shipments of Russia’s Sputnik vaccine, even though Guatemala paid half up front. It is the latest of more than a dozen decrees that Giammattei has issued to temporarily limit constitutional rights, and even Vice President Guillermo Castillo says enough is enough.