Chile Suspends All Classes in Valparaíso Region Due to Intense Weather Front

Government Expands Class Suspensions Across Valparaíso Region

The measure was finalized following coordination between the Ministry of Education (Mineduc), the regional directorate of the National Service for Disaster Prevention and Response (Senapred), and the regional presidential delegate. According to Pavez, the suspension was necessary due to the intensity of the rainfall recorded in the area.

This directive encompasses all educational establishments throughout the region, including the provinces of Petorca, Marga Marga, Valparaíso, Quillota, San Antonio, San Felipe de Aconcagua, and Los Andes. The action serves as an escalation of previous, more localized suspensions that had been announced earlier in the week.

Evolution of the Emergency Response

Prior to the region-wide closure, authorities had initially limited the suspension of classes to specific provinces and communes. On Monday, July 20, the Ministry of Education had focused its measures on the provinces of Petorca and Marga Marga. In other provinces, such as San Antonio and Quillota, suspensions were initially applied only to select municipal establishments.

For example, in the province of San Antonio, the municipality of El Quisco suspended activities at the Complejo Educacional Clara Solovera, Colegio El Quisco, Escuela Poeta Neruda de Isla Negra, Escuela Básica El Totoral, and local early childhood centers. Simultaneously, the municipality of Cartagena canceled classes at all its municipal schools, lyceums, and kindergartens. Similar preventive measures were adopted in the province of Quillota by the municipalities of Quillota, Nogales, and La Cruz.

By Tuesday morning, however, the government determined that the severity of the weather front required a uniform suspension across the entire continental territory of the region.

Regional Exclusions and Continuity of Services

While the suspension is widespread, it specifically applies to the continental area of the Valparaíso region. According to official communications, the measure does not include the communes of Juan Fernández and Rapa Nui, where school activities have been maintained with normality.

Despite the suspension of academic activities, the government has taken steps to ensure the continuity of essential services for students. The Ministry of Education and the Seremi of Education of Valparaíso confirmed that the National Board of School Aid and Scholarships (Junaeb) school feeding program will remain operational. Students who receive and require this benefit are still able to access their meals, with specific arrangements made by municipal administrations to distribute food at designated educational centers.

Wider Context of the Weather Front

The suspension in Valparaíso is part of a broader national response to the intense system affecting the country. According to statements from the biminister of the Interior and General Secretariat of Government, Claudio Alvarado, the government has been monitoring the activation of ravines, increased mass removal events, and rising river levels.

Additional suspensions were reported in other parts of the country: * Región de Coquimbo: Suspension of classes in all 15 communes. * Región de Atacama: Suspension of classes in the province of Huasco (Vallenar, Alto del Carmen, Freirina, and Huasco) and the province of Copiapó (Copiapó, Tierra Amarilla, and Caldera). * Región Metropolitana: Suspension of classes in the communes of Tiltil and San José de Maipo.

In the regions of Coquimbo and Atacama, where the situation was deemed particularly critical, the government declared a State of Catastrophe. The administration continues to evaluate the meteorological data to determine whether further measures, such as potential curfews, will be required as the weather front progresses.

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