(Bloomberg) -- Peru’s government ordered millions of school children to stay home next week to keep the streets of Lima clear for visiting world leaders.
U.S. President Joe Biden and China’s President Xi Jinping are among those attending the meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, or APEC.
In a decree published in the federal gazette on Friday, the government said that schools will be closed and all classes will be held virtually, while public employees will also have to work from home starting Monday.
The government also urged private employees to stay home. Nov. 14-16, the central dates of the summit, have been declared a public holiday. The measures also affect the town of Chancay, which Xi will visit to inaugurate its new Chinese-built port.
The decree said it was necessary to keep students and workers home “for the attention and security of the leaders of the APEC economies.”
Peruvian President Dina Boluarte is battling a 4% approval rating - one of the world’s lowest - at the same time she will host some of the world’s most powerful leaders.
The high profile of the APEC conference has created extra headaches for Peru’s embattled government. Transport workers are threatening to strike and protest next week, part of a longstanding battle against extortion rackets that has led to the killings of several drivers. The government has called on them not to strike, but has so far failed to improve their security.
Airport controllers also threatened a strike earlier this week that was averted after the government acquiesced to their demands, but not before thousands of passengers had suffered disrupted flights.
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