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		</div><p>A cultural body for the Guna Yala people in Panama voted to ban the wearing of face masks used to combat coronavirus infections, arguing “it is not a custom of our people”.</p>
<p>The measure would drop a requirement for masks in schools and forbid government officials visiting the territories of the Guna Yala from wearing them.</p>
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<p>About 34,000 Guna Yala people, the second-largest of seven indigenous groups in Panama, live mainly on the Caribbean coast.</p>
<p>Although indigenous territories in Panama have significant autonomy, the possible effects of the vote by the General Congress of the Guna Yala Culture were unclear.</p>
<p>Panama’s government said that the cultural assembly does not have the authority to decide public health matters and that such a move would be up to the Indigenous territory’s official law-making congress.</p>
<p>Ausencio Palacio, Panama’s assistant minister of indigenous affairs, said that only the Health Ministry has the power to set public policy on such issues, and called the vote “a mistake”.</p>
<p><img src="https://londonglossy.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/E942B550-DDD6-4301-80BF-88F7ACA250C5.jpeg" alt="" width="600" height="408" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-163805" /></p>
<p>He said the communities’ two congresses might have to consult with each other in November on the issue.</p>
<p>Mr Palacio, a member of the Ngabe Bugle group, Panama’s largest Indigenous community, said that up to now, indigenous peoples had been observing lockdown and social distancing measures.</p>
<p>Mr Palacio, who was himself in hospital for a month with Covid-19, suggested the vote may have been in part motivated by anger in indigenous communities that authorities have not recognised traditional, plant-based treatments for Covid-19.</p>
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<p>In general, the country’s indigenous groups have been hit hard by coronavirus.</p>
<p>Wagayoguna Diaz, the health director for the Guna Yala territory, said the region has seen 967 coronavirus cases and 36 deaths so far.</p>
<p>Ms Diaz said 35 new cases were reported in the territory on Monday.</p>
<p>The contagion was believed to have been brought by tourists visiting the area’s beaches and islands.</p>
<p>Nationwide, Panama has recorded 129,000 cases and 2,600 deaths.</p>
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