The South American country will impose a rule which means on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays only men will be able to leave their homes to stock up. Women can go out on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. No-one at all can leave home on Sunday.

"We have to get fewer people to be on the streets every day," the country's President Martin Vizcarra said on Thursday in a virtual news conference with his cabinet of ministers and experts.

Vizcarra said it was easier for security forces to monitor the circulation of men and women to enforce the quarantine order, rather than using serial numbers of identity documents to divide up days which some other countries have done.

The president said that the new measure, which will be in place until April 12, would not impact people who have an emergency or are authorised to work during the quarantine, such as those in essential food production, pharmacies and banking institutions.

"We have 10 days left. Let's make this additional effort to get into this curve and we can have control of the evolution of this disease," Vizcarra said.

The country has recorded 1,414 confirmed cases with 55 deaths.

Australian Associated Press