Argentina initiates a new containment at the worst moment of the pandemic

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Argentina started this Saturday with nine-day total confinement. All non-essential activities are suspended in the country’s high-risk areas due to the second wave of covid-19, leaving a record number of infections and deaths and raising the tension in hospitals.

The administration of Alberto Fernández has established that people must remain in their usual residences. It will only be able to circulate in the vicinity of their homes, between 6 am and 6 pm, or for specially authorized reasons, in the areas of the country at “high risk” and sanitary “alarm”.

It also suspended social, economic, educational, religious, and sports activities in person.

Only essential businesses (such as those selling food, medicines, and cleaning supplies) were allowed to operate. On the other hand, non-essential businesses will only operate through home delivery or on-site pick-up.

“The measure is transitory”, said today the Minister of Health, Carla Vizzotti, to Radio 10, and pointed out that the situation will be evaluated after these nine days and “intermittent measures” will be taken if necessary.

WORST MOMENT OF THE PANDEMIC

The restrictions that begin today deepen those implemented by the Fernández government since April 9, particularly in Buenos Aires and its outskirts, as cases continued to increase and experienced strong growth in the country’s interior.

Argentina is going through a second wave of covid-19 infections -which this week reached a daily record of 39,652 infections on Wednesday and 745 deaths on Tuesday-, so that it accumulates, since the beginning of the pandemic, 3,482,512 million positives and 73,391 deaths.

This dizzying increase in the number of cases has put the health system under stress, with an occupancy of intensive care units for all types of pathologies of 73.1 % at a national level, but 76.4 % if only Buenos Aires and its populous periphery are taken into account.

“There are cities and provinces that today have their health system at the limit. The problem is no longer limited to a certain territory. It is severe, and it is evident throughout the country”, warned President Fernández last Thursday.

In the midst of these restrictions, the Government expects the arrival of new vaccines because the country, with some 45 million inhabitants, has so far applied some 10.9 million doses. However, only 2.3 million people have been inoculated with two doses.

ECONOMY AND CLASSES

The Fernandez government expanded state assistance to protect vulnerable sectors and businesses and companies affected by the restrictions being applied, reminiscent of the long quarantine that last year caused the economy to fall 9.9% and poverty to rise to 42%.

TRAFFIC CONTROLS

Since midnight on Saturday, strict controls began at accesses and on routes, made difficult by the rains – 71 accesses to the country’s capital have been closed, to leave open another 56 with controls – and at railroad stations, subway stations, and bus terminals.

As of this Saturday, tourism and inter-jurisdictional crossings have been closed, while it was announced that long-distance transport might only be used by essential workers.

Meanwhile, the border closure for tourism was extended until June 11 and the suspension of flights to and from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Chile, Brazil, Mexico, and India.