Poll: More than half of Argentines disapprove of Covid response

A new survey by the Buenos Aires-based consultancy firm Poliarquía shows that 59 percent of Argentines disapprove of President Alberto Fernández's management of the government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Disapproval increased by 11 percentage points from the first to the fourth week of May and reached its highest level since the beginning of the pandemic, in March 2020. Meanwhile, 32 percent approve of the president’s handling of the crisis, according to the survey.

Answering another question in the survey, 59 percent of respondents said that they feel that the government should not extend the current confinement measures beyond May 30. Fernández imposed a strict nine-day lockdown on May 21, given an increase in the number of cases and deaths .

A large majority of people also said they are opposed to the hosting the Copa America football tournament on Argentine soil in two weeks’ time.

The South American championship, already postponed from last year due to the outbreak, last week lost a co-host in Colombia which had its games stripped by the CONMEBOL federation amid social unrest that has claimed dozens of lives. 

It left Argentina as the sole host, but Poliarquía found that 70 percent believe the country should withdraw as hosts. Only 20 percent believed the championship should continue on Argentine soil, and 10 percent were undecided.

The survey was conducted May 27-28 with 1,274 participants via automated ‘IVR’ (interactive voice response) phone calls, said Poliarquía. The poll has a margin of error of 2.8 percent. 

– TIMES/BLOOMBERG/AFP