Peru has imposed even stricter quarantine measures that mean men and women will be assigned designated days they can leave their homes based on their gender.

President Martin Vizcarra announced on Thursday that only men are allowed to leave their homes to get essential supplies on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Women, on the other hand, are allowed to go out on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. On Sunday, no one is allowed to leave home.

According to Reuters, Vizcarra said in a virtual news conference with his cabinet of ministers that the authorities were implementing these gender-based measures to get more people off the streets.

He added that the new restrictions would make it easier for security forces to enforce the quarantine order, instead of a method used in other countries, whereby citizens must carry certain documents.

Men and women in Peru must adhere to their designated days until 12 April, but the measures would not affect people with an emergency or key workers who are authorised to work during the quarantine period.

But Interior Minister Carlos Moran said the restrictions apply to every single person on Sundays, warning: “On Sunday, everyone has to be at home. Banks will not work and supermarkets, markets and shops will be closed.

“There will also be no pharmacies. No one has justification for leaving.”

Peru imposed a nationwide lockdown on 16 March, and the country has recorded 1,414 coronavirus cases with 55 deaths so far.

A day before Peru announced its gender-based restrictions, Panama also said women and men would only be allowed to leave the house on specific days depending on their gender.

Loading....

Panama’s rules are the opposite of Peru’s – men will be allowed out on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, while women can run errands on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Both genders will only have two hours to complete their shopping for supplies on any day, reported CNN.

Sundays are also off-limits to anyone in Panama. The restrictions will last for at least 15 days, said government officials.

Panama Security Minister Juan Pino said at a virtual press conference: “With an absolute quarantine, men and women will have a schedule to transit. The decision is part of an operational strategy to reduce the spread of Covid-19.”

Words at the window: Social isolation and the Coronavirus Show all 12 1 /12 Words at the window: Social isolation and the Coronavirus Words at the window: Social isolation and the Coronavirus Agnetha Septimus, Matthew Septimus, and children Ezra and Nora Stephen Lovekin/REX/Shutterstock Words at the window: Social isolation and the Coronavirus Husband and wife filmmakers, Claire Ince and Ancil McKain pose for a portrait for the series by Shutterstock Staff Photographer, Stephen Lovekin, shot around the Ditmas Park neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York Stephen Lovekin/REX/Shutterstock Words at the window: Social isolation and the Coronavirus Khadijah Silver and son Eliot Stephen Lovekin/REX/Shutterstock Words at the window: Social isolation and the Coronavirus Anna Beth Rousakis and daughter Mary Rousakis Stephen Lovekin/REX/Shutterstock Words at the window: Social isolation and the Coronavirus Mike Pergola and Denise Pergola with children Henry, Jack, and Will Stephen Lovekin/REX/Shutterstock Words at the window: Social isolation and the Coronavirus Artist Shirley Fuerst Stephen Lovekin/REX/Shutterstock Words at the window: Social isolation and the Coronavirus Jean Davis and Danny Rosenthal, with children Simone, Naomi, and Leah Stephen Lovekin/REX/Shutterstock Words at the window: Social isolation and the Coronavirus Robert E Clark Jr Stephen Lovekin/REX/Shutterstock Words at the window: Social isolation and the Coronavirus Lisa Draho and Josh Zuckerman, with children Ruby and Ava Stephen Lovekin/REX/Shutterstock Words at the window: Social isolation and the Coronavirus Professor and activist Dr Kristin Lawler Stephen Lovekin/REX/Shutterstock Words at the window: Social isolation and the Coronavirus Tom Smith and Laura Ross, with daughters Caroline, Elizabeth, and Abigail Stephen Lovekin/REX/Shutterstock Words at the window: Social isolation and the Coronavirus Callie Lovekin and Lucas Lovekin Stephen Lovekin/REX/Shutterstock

Under the lockdown, Panamians must adhere to a nightly curfew and cannot leave their homes between 5pm and 5am. The country also banned all domestic and international travel.

Pino also warned that a substantial rise in people needing intensive care treatment could overwhelm the country’s health system.

Panamian President Laurentino 'Nito' Cortizo said in a statement on Twitter that the decision to restrict the public’s movement further was made because of a “great quantity of people circulating outside their homes, despite the obligatory national quarantine”.