Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro said on Wednesday that the country’s health authorities have detected at least three cases of the Brazilian P.1. coronavirus variant in the country, and that it will be necessary to “double down on preventive measures.”
Detectamos en 3 estados del país: Miranda, Bolívar y Caracas, la variable brasileña del Covid-19 que es más peligrosa y contagiosa. Estamos haciendo estudios para determinar su magnitud y en contacto con las autoridades mundiales de la Salud para redoblar las medidas preventivas. pic.twitter.com/iUtk6WoHEZ
— Nicolás Maduro (@NicolasMaduro) March 4, 2021
On February 28, Argentinian President Alberto Fernández extended the closure of the Brazil-Argentina air and land borders, blaming the spread of the P.1. variant. At the beginning of February, Mr. Fernández asked Argentinian airlines to reduce flights to and from Brazil by 50 percent, days after four cases of the P.1. variant were detected in Argentina.
According to research by newspaper Folha de S.Paulo, Brazil is behind only the United Kingdom in terms of international entry restrictions around the world. Seventeen countries have placed controls on Brazilian citizens and people arriving from Brazil.
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