Argentina still plagued with virus 150 days into lockdown

[Thomas]

We can't lock down forever

Why is Argentina still plagued by the virus 150 days into lockdown?

Argentina passed a grim milestone at the weekend. Sunday marked 150 days in lockdown for the capital Buenos Aires and the surrounding area. The lockdown, which was one of the strictest in Latin America, began on 20 March and was originally slated to last until the end of March. Though there have been a number of relaxations and subsequent re-tightenings over the past few months, the current lockdown measures have been extended to the end of August.

Earlier in the pandemic, Argentina received a great deal of praise for its handling of the virus. In June, Time magazine included it in a list of the 'best global responses' to Covid-19. At the time of the Time article, Argentina had recorded just 726 Covid deaths. But deaths and cases have surged in the past two months, rising to over 5,800 deaths. According to Bloomberg, on a per capita basis, similar numbers have died in recent weeks to the US and Brazil – the world's two worst hotspots. All of this, of course, is occurring during the long and strict lockdown. Or as Bloomberg put it: 'The worsening outbreak stands at odds with a government that seemed to do everything right.

https://www.spiked-online.com/2020/08/19/we-cant-lock-down-forever/