Argentina expands to 1,700 the daily quota for nationals and residents to enter the country

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Argentina announced this Friday (6) that as of Saturday it would increase to 1,700 the number of Argentine nationals and residents it will allow to enter the country per day, which represents an increase over the 1,000 people per day allowed to enter since the end of last July.

In the middle of the second wave of Covid-19, between June 28 and July 9, Argentina reduced to 600 people per day the maximum entry quota for Argentines and residents in the country, which generated uneasiness in the airlines and among Argentines stranded abroad.

Read also: Check out our coverage on Argentina

Thereafter, the number gradually improved to 7,000 people who could enter Argentina by air between July 31 and August 6.

This Friday, the Ministry of Health informed that the weekly quota would benefit 11,900 places for Argentines and residents from this Saturday to next September 6. And it is anticipated that the weekly quota will increase to 16,100 places if new safe corridors are enabled.

Meanwhile, the entry of foreign tourists is still forbidden, and land borders remain closed.

Travelers will continue to be required to take a test to be able to take a plane to Argentina; another upon arrival in the country and a third one on the seventh day after entry. In addition, they will have to isolate themselves for 10 days, counted from the test carried out in the country of origin.

The Minister of Health, Carla Vizzotti, stressed at a press conference that “fewer than 100 cases” of the delta variant have been identified in the country and that “it is not the predominant variant in Argentina.”

EPIDEMIOLOGICAL ALARM

Since the beginning of the pandemic, Argentina has accumulated 5,002,951 cases and 107,213 deaths, and has been applying an epidemiological traffic light since the beginning of May to determine the restrictions to be adopted to deal with the coronavirus pandemic.

Vizzotti indicated that the indicators to be considered to move forward with restrictions would be modified to observe if the inter-weekly percentage variation in the occupation of intensive care beds by patients with Covid-19 exceeds 20% and if the occupation of total intensive care beds exceeds 80%.

Meanwhile, she indicated that in the event of an epidemiological alarm situation in an urban conglomerate, measures limited to nine days are foreseen in relation to the reduction of capacity (50% for economic activities and 30% for cultural activities), night traffic is prohibited from 8 PM to 6 AM the following day, and mass gatherings are suspended.

THREE STAGES

The Argentine President, Alberto Fernández, had anticipated this Friday that he is preparing a gradual end to the restrictions still in force in the country to stop the coronavirus pandemic, which will include returning the public to events and the authorization of international tourism.

According to Vizzotti, the Government is working on “the gradual recovery of activities” in “three stages”.

According to details, the first stage will be in force until October 1 and is called “protection in progress”, since the Government’s objective is to achieve the completion of the vaccination scheme in as many people as possible.

With a population of some 45 million inhabitants, Argentina has applied 33.8 million doses of the vaccine, but only 7.98 million have been vaccinated with two doses.

The second stage envisages increasing the capacity limits of indoor venues, allowing open-air meetings with no limit to the number of people, and mass events, first at 30% and then up to 60%. Also, group trips for seniors with the complete vaccination schedule are planned.

And in this stage, a progressive opening of borders is foreseen so that Argentina can receive vaccinated foreigners, first from neighboring countries.

Stage three would be the total recovery of all activity. The minister said that they are working on vaccinating non-prioritized adolescents in September and October to reach this stage.