Argentina suspends flights from Brazil, Chile and Mexico

With the coronavirus spreading out of control in neighbouring Brazil, Argentina’s government has announced new measures to limit the entry of different strains into the country.

In a notice published in the Official Gazette, the Alberto Fernández administration announced that it was suspending flights from Brazil, Chile and Mexico starting this Saturday, March 27.

According to the notice, signed by Cabinet Chief Santiago Cafiero, the country's borders will be closed for tourism, so anyone who is not Argentine or is not a resident of Argentina who wants to enter national territory for tourism purposes will no longer be able to do so.

Travellers returning to Argentina from overseas will also face testing before boarding a flight, upon arrival and seven days after landing. The cost of all three PCR tests will be paid by those seeking to re-enter the country.

"Until further notice, regular flights will be suspended from... Chile, Brazil, Mexico," the government said in a statement.

A similar measure was already in place for flights from the United Kingdom after a new variant was detected there in December. Those restrictions remain in place.

According to government officials, the decision was taken as a result of the rising numbers of infections and deaths seen in recent weeks, the proliferation of new strains of the virus in national territory and to put a block on the influx of tourists.

Argentina has so far registered more than 2.2 million cases of Covid-19, with over 55,000 fatalities.

– TIMES with agencies