Argentina curtails leisure, public transport use after hitting new COVID-19 record

[peppertree]

Argentina tightened movement restrictions on Wednesday including curtailing the leisure industry and blocking nonessential workers from using public transport after the country hit a record number of COVID-19 infections as it struggles with a second wave of the virus.

President Alberto Fernández announced a curfew between midnight and 6 a.m., the closure of bars and restaurants at 11 p.m. and the suspension of operations for casinos, bingo halls and nightclubs in areas of the country with the highest infection rates.

Sports in enclosed spaces with the participation of more than 10 people were also banned and in the Greater Buenos Aires area, where cases have increased 53% in a week, all but essential workers along with teachers and those with special authorisation are prohibited from using public transport.

Fernandez, 62, who recently disclosed he had asymptomatic COVID-19, said he was seeking to strike a balance between protecting the health and the economic wellbeing of Argentines. He vowed to keep schools open “as much as possible.”

Daily cases have soared in Argentina from around 7,000 just two weeks ago, to a record 24,130 yesterday. The country has registered 2.5 million cases and 57,350 deaths thus far.

At: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-argentina/argentina-curtails-leisure-public-transport-use-after-hitting-new-covid-19-record-idUSKBN2BU3KI

[pwb]

1. I think it is still bad all over the earth. We have big business

and the media pushing us to think normal. They need to sell their shit.

[BigmanPigman]

2. Look at the graphs for The World

on Worldometers and the 4th (current) wave is as bad as the 3rd. The numbers are increasing at the same rate...very bad!

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/The

[peppertree]

4. And they've got Brazil next door - a country with 5 times the population & run by Bolsonaro besides

This has become all that much more serious for Argentina due to its very close economic ties to Brazil: Argentina's largest trading partner and top source of foreign tourists.

Given all that, this pandemic - coupled with this virulent Manaus strain now pushing Covid numbers up - is putting Argentina in a near-death situation frankly.

[peppertree]

3. True.

Last edited Fri Apr 9, 2021, 08:46 PM - Edit history (1)

And in Argentina's case, you not only have the problem of the Manaus (Brazil) strain going around - hence the 3-fold jump cases in two weeks - you have a vicious right-wing that's actively doing everything they can to encourage the spread of Covid.

By calling protests over the smallest controversy, and by loudly encouraging viewers to defy any social distancing measure (last year, they were all in on the "Covid is a hoax" train - but that no longer works).

The rationale being, that if they can head into the mid-term elections this August with the worst possible numbers, they can use those against the incumbent administration (akin to Bernie Sanders).

All this is hard enough as it is - especially for a bankrupt country like Argentina - without their going full fifth column.

But as you know, that's how it goes.

[Karadeniz]

5. That makes me sad. I recently took a virtual tour around time and the globe, tracking all the

Incarnations of We Shall Overcome. Turned out that my most favourite version was one used in Argentina after years of a military dictatorship. Sorry to see things not working out better for them.

[peppertree]

6. It is, isn't it.

This is a country whose center-left administration moved early (March 19, last year) to enact a lockdown, then social distancing - but to no avail.

Besides which, they took office after 4 years of the "Trump of the Pampas" - leaving a massive debt and economic crisis, just before the Covid one.

At least, they've managed to beef up with ICU capacity by 40% in just a few months. And that's certainly helped them cope.

Still - a perfect storm if there ever was one.