Argentina keeps borders closed amid Delta variant fears

The government in Argentina decided to extend border closures for foreign tourists until at least July 9, in an effort to avoid importing cases of the highly contagious Delta coronavirus variant. 

Now, local officials will allow a maximum of 600 Argentinian nationals to enter the country per day, down from the previous limit of 1,500 people. “We expect the variant will be dominant in Europe by the end of August, undoubtedly making its way to Argentina,” reads a government statement.

The increase of Covid-19 cases and deaths in the last two months — June 22 was the deadliest day of the pandemic to date — has overwhelmed the Alberto Fernández administration. After taking part in a ceremony in the memory of the country’s 90,000 coronavirus victims, the president canceled an official visit to France, where he has set to attend the United Nations’ Generation Equality forum. 

In the meantime, Argentina struggles to make progress with its vaccination plan. As of today, less than 9 percent of the population is fully vaccinated. 

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