Guatemala City, Sep 19 (IANS): Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the government said in a statement.

The statement issued on Friday said that Giammattei, 64, underwent a Covid-19 test for the sixth time and was declared positive, reports Xinhua news agency.

The Office of the President stated that the head of state was currently undergoing medical monitoring and evaluation.

"The President will continue with his activities and will work for the benefit of the country, and will do so by taking the necessary measures to safeguard his health.

"In addition, he will be isolating himself from all public activity, so all communication will be done remotely," the Office added.

The Guatemalan government also said that the President's case is a further sign of the highly contagious nature of the virus, and that citizens should continue to follow preventive health measures such as mask wearing, hand washing, and social distancing.

The announcement came the same day that the country reopened its borders and international flights.

Guatemala had closed its airports and borders with Mexico, Belize, Honduras and El Salvador in March.

The Health Ministry has said that travellers wanting to come to Guatemala will be required to provide a negative coronavirus test.

According to the Ministry, Guatemala has registered a total of 84,344 cases and 3,076 deaths to date.