Santiago, Jul 2 (IANS): Chile will lift lockdowns in 17 communes across the country starting from July 5, Undersecretary of Healthcare Networks Alberto Dougnac announced.

During a press conference, the official explained that the communes will advance to phase 2, where quarantines will only apply on weekends, reports Xinhua news agency.

Of the 17, seven belong to the Santiago Metropolitan Region, including Maipu, the second most populated commune in Chile.

The drop in Covid-19 cases in recent days has led to the lifting of lockdowns in about 50 municipalities nationwide this week, in addition to the opening of local businesses and educational facilities.

However, specialists are warning that the recent detection of the Covid Delta variant in the South American country could lead to new cases in the coming weeks and even cause another wave of infections.

Dougnac also reported that in the last 24 hours, 2,677 new cases were registered, to total 1,558,557 cases, as well as 43 more deaths, bringing the death toll to 32,588.