This sort of blanket statement does a lot of damage to tourism in Chile. People will assume this is countrywide and will not travel to places which never felt the earthquake assuming there will be nothing to see. Where do most visitors go? Torres del Paine, San Pedro de Atacama, Chiloe? None of those places even felt the earthquake. Chiloe is full of old churches which are national monuments. All still there.
The earthquake affected many old churches and houses. They were in places important to Chileans but not tourist destinations for visitors from abroad. How many had gone to Cobquecura to look at a street of small adobe houses which were declared 'zona típica' (typical zone) and would therefore come under your umbrella of 'historical sites'? How many visited, or even knew about, the Museo O'Higginiano in Talca, damaged but not reduced to a pile of rubble? How many ever went to Curico, pictured in the article, and if they did, visited the church in the picture? Doñihue, Alhue? Small towns with small adobe houses and an old church. These were historical sites. This is what was destroyed.
What was damaged or destroyed affects the heart of Chileans but does not take anything away from the enjoyable visit of any foreign tourist. Aside for some cornices and one market, Valparaíso is intact. This includes La Sebastiana, Pablo Neruda's house. Anyone who has seen it, and it is a genuine tourist sight, will tell you it sits on the side of a hill and is packed with collections of everything you can think of. It suffered no damage and has been open for weeks. The ascensores? All but a couple are working. Visitors can take long distance buses the lebgth of the entire country, visit Torres del Paine, Santiago and its museums, Valparaíso, La Serena, the Elqui valley, go on wine tours, visit San Pedro de Atacama, visit any of the country's national parks. They can do anything that they wanted to do before the earthquake.
Quoting from the article you link, "The most extensive damage, however, occurred in the south-central regions of Maule, O’Higgins, and Biobio, where many adobe homes were destroyed." None of these places were destinations for foreign tourists although they were historical sites.
In short, I find that your quote is misleading for people who wish to visit Chile and damaging for those who make a living from tourism.
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