Eight South American countries take joint action against coronavirus

Eight South American countries that form part of the regional alliance PROSUR have coordinated their response to the novel coronavirus, according to Ecuador’s President Lenin Moreno.
Ecuador, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, Colombia, Peru and Guyana have agreed to “unify measures for the entry of people into each country,” Moreno wrote on Twitter.
He added that the countries would “undertake campaigns to deal with disinformation, biased messages and #FakeNews” and “establish joint purchasing protocols to avoid price speculation.”
PROSUR was formed last year as an alternative to UNASUR, founded in 2008 on the initiative of Brazil’s former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Venezuelan head of state Hugo Chavez.
The 12-member alliance was created to promote regional integration as a bulwark against US influence, but was plagued by political divisions and infighting over how to handle the economic and political crisis in Venezuela.
dpa/NAN.