RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – After a meeting of over eight hours in which he discussed with Ministers, Governors and the Health and Economy teams (many by teleconference), Argentinian President Alberto Fernández said that the quarantine to contain the spread of the coronavirus will be extended, at first, until Easter on April 12th. On that date the measure will be reassessed and, if required, it may be extended again.
The mandatory quarantine only permits individuals to go out to shop for food and pharmaceutical products. More than 6,000 people have already been prosecuted for failing to comply with the measure.
Only health, food and fuel distribution professionals are exempt from quarantine. Journalists need special permission for each coverage.
Air, sea and land borders are also closed until further notice, and restrictions on public transport continue.
Fernández said that the assessment of the quarantine so far is positive and that Argentina is conducting an experiment that he said was unprecedented in the world. “We implemented strict quarantine as soon as the first cases occurred in our country and we are achieving good results in the face of this threat”.
He added that the time saved by quarantine will reduce the impact of the epidemic when the peak of the disease reaches the country.
Regarding the economy – the banks will also remain closed until April 12th – Fernández said: “The economy can be saved, a person who dies, can not”.
In the afternoon, Health Minister Ginés González García said he had advised that restrictive measures be maintained until at least April 20th.
“Our projections show that the peak of the epidemic in Argentina, which we had projected for early April, could now occur in May. That’s good, it’s a sign of precisely what we want, to flatten the curve, and for the peak to be lower, with fewer deaths”.
He added that the measures are being taken with a time advantage over Spain and Italy and that this suggests that “every day we get, is one more day to equip the country”.