FILE PHOTO: Guatemala's President Alejandro Giammattei looks on during a news conference with Michael Kozak (not pictured), acting assistant secretary for U.S. State Department's Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, in Guatemala City, Guatemala February 7, 2020. REUTERS/Luis Echeverria

GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) - Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei has banned travel between the different departments of the Central American country before and during Easter to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The ban comes as Guatemalans living in large cities were preparing to head home to celebrate Easter with family members in the countryside, many of them older and more vulnerable.

Giammattei also announced a ban on the sale and consumption of alcohol that will take effect on Sunday afternoon and end on April 12.

Even though Guatemala has only 61 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus and two deaths, one of the lowest numbers in the region, Giammattei had already put in place both a curfew and travel restrictions.