On 12 January 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that a novel coronavirus was the cause of a respiratory illness in a cluster of people in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, which was reported to the WHO on 31 December 2019.
[8][6] On January 31, president of Guatemala Alejandro Giammattei issued a prohibition for the arrival of visitors coming from the People's Republic of China due to the international concern for the outbreak that originated in Wuhan.
[9] On February 25, the government implements safety procedures for travellers coming from high-risk countries who are entering Guatemala from any terrestrial, maritime or aerial transport.
Hence, there have been protests throughout the country, mainly in Guatemala City, where citizens stood up for more protective equipment for frontline workers, against ongoing labour rights violations and pandemic-related corruption.
[15] On March 21, 2020, the Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei alongside its vice-president and the Council Of Ministry declared a nationwide curfew and a global travel ban, in an effort to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic and prevent the spreading of the virus.
[citation needed] On April 23, the United Nations Commission on Human Rights calls on Mexican and Central American governments to halt deportations during the COVID-19 pandemic.
[16] On April 26, Mexico's National Institute of Migration (INM) empties the 65 migrant detention centers it has across the country by returning 3,653 people to Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras in the hope of preventing outbreaks of COVID-19.
[23] Furthermore, Guatemala has received donations from Israel, India and Russia which makes a total of 658,200 doses out of which 90 percent consist of AstraZeneca's Covishield vaccine.