EL SALVADOR’S congress voted overwhelmingly on Tuesday to impose a 90-day ban on sporting events, concerts, festivals and other mass gatherings because of a surge in coronavirus cases.

Face masks will be mandatory at any public event that’s still allowed. Fines and closures will be assessed against any venue or organiser that violates the ban.

Officials reported 2,284 news cases in the first 10 days of July, 35 per cent more than in the same period of June.

El Salvador has so far received enough coronavirus vaccine doses to cover about half of the country’s 6.5 million people. The country has registered 81,644 coronavirus infections and 2,457 Covid-19 deaths.

The US men’s national football team is scheduled to play its opening World Cup qualifier at El Salvador on September 2, the first of 14 matches through March for eight countries trying to secure the three guaranteed berths from North and Central America and the Caribbean.

It is unclear whether that match will be played behind closed doors in San Salvador or moved to a third country. US players are to gather in Nashville, Tennessee, on August 31 before heading to the match. They also play Canada on September 5 in Nashville and at Honduras on September 8.