News of lockdown

Millions in Chile capital emerge from lockdown

Yesterdat 19:17 Chile on Monday lifted strict coronavirus lockdown measures for millions of people in the capital Santiago, a month ahead of a key referendum to amend the dictatorship-era constitution.

CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

Death toll reaches 15,000 as Covid-19 surge continues

26-09-2020 09:17 More than 400 fatalities and 12,000 new cases confirmed Friday as total infections nears 700,000.

ECONOMIC INDICATORS

Argentina's GDP slumped 19.1% in second quarter of 2020

22-09-2020 17:30 INDEC says economy posted sharpest quarterly contraction in recent history, though still narrowly beating economists’ forecasts.

Global pandemic

Latin America's cities bustle like Covid is gone – but it’s not

20-09-2020 21:57 In Latin America’s big cities, as in other places around the globe, it almost feels like the virus never happened.

Former president

Macri 'breaks silence' to launch fierce attack on Fernández

13-09-2020 23:52 Former president pens column for La Nación, accusing Peronist leader of leading a “systematic and permanent attack” on Constitution.

Coronavirus pandemic

Lockdown extended until September 20 amid record infection rates

28-08-2020 22:24 Some restrictions eased: outdoor social gatherings of up to 10 people approved, while restaurants in capital can now serve customers at tables on streets. 11,717 new cases and 222 deaths on Friday.

JUDICIAL REFORM

Judicial reform bill clears Senate, heads to lower house

28-08-2020 18:04 Controversial proposal, which the opposition strongly rejects, passes to the Chamber of Deputies after early Friday morning vote along strict party lines.

Global pandemic

Covid-19 lockdowns blocked flu in some places but fall looms

26-08-2020 08:44 Winter is ending in the Southern Hemisphere and country after country had a surprise: Their steps against Covid-19 also apparently blocked the flu.

Presidential clash

Macri accuses Fernández of lying about coronavirus lockdown phone call

24-08-2020 22:36 Mauricio Macri hit back at Alberto Fernández on Tuesday, accusing his successor of misrepresenting a conversation between the two and of disrespecting the “value” of the presidency.

Coronavirus pandemic

Precarious workers struggle to get by on delivery jobs, state aid

21-08-2020 02:05 Many informal workers, who found themselves unemployed overnight when the pandemic hit, are scraping by on state support packages or low-paid delivery jobs.

JUDICIAL REFORM

Protesters call new rally against government’s judicial reform bill

21-08-2020 00:17 Demonstrators to stage new rally marching on Congress on August 26 in protest of the government’s judicial reform bill.

POST '17A' RALLY

Following rally, opposition calls on Fernández to drop justice reform

18-08-2020 23:15 Seeking to build on the momentum of 17A anti-government rally, Juntos por el Cambio calls on government to withdraw its judicial reform bill.

'17A' MARCH

Anti-government protesters defy virus lockdown to rally

17-08-2020 21:59 Large crowds of demonstrators take to the streets, in cities across the country, on to protest lockdown extension and government's proposed judicial reform bill.

Coronavirus pandemic

New poll points to lockdown fatigue in Buenos Aires City

15-08-2020 08:33 Eight out of 10 people admit to quarantine fatigue while also expressing fear of Covid-19 contagion, a University of Belgrano opinion poll has revealed.

CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

Fernández extends quarantine with appeal for ‘social responsibility’

14-08-2020 22:00 President confirms lockdown restrictions will remain in place until August 30; Stricter measures on cards for five provincial cities.

Coronavirus pandemic

Nerves fray in Argentina, as some flout pandemic lockdown

13-08-2020 15:02 People are on edge in Argentina, where the number of new coronavirus cases is surging despite nearly five months of strict limits on movement and activities in Buenos Aires and the surrounding area.

Global pandemic

Youngsters in Latin America vent pandemic fury after lost 2020

12-08-2020 23:30 For four young adults across Latin America, 2020 was meant to be a year of freedom and opportunity. Instead, the coronavirus pandemic brought confinement and frustration.

CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

President extends Covid-19 lockdown ‘on same terms’ despite surge in cases

01-08-2020 08:47 ‘Cuarentena sin cambios’ – Lockdown in Buenos Aires metropolitan area extended until August 16, after week of record numbers of cases and fatalities.

ECONOMIC INDICATORS

Hit by Covid-19 lockdown, exports fell 11% in the first half of year

28-07-2020 22:23 In the first six months of 2020, exports reached US$27.388 billion, reveals INDEC national statistics bureau.

ECONOMIC INDICATORS

Economic activity slumped 20.6% in May from previous year

24-07-2020 01:42 INDEC confirms 13.2% contraction in first five months of 2020, though activity was up 10% on April, recovering some of lost activity during pandemic lockdown.

Global pandemic

Jobless and desperate: post-lockdown reality kicks across globe

23-07-2020 11:26 Many workers' lives have been abruptly upended by the coronavirus pandemic, as job losses in tourism, air travel, food and drink or other industries, hit those both on fixed contracts and in the informal sector.

Coronavirus pandemic

Buenos Aires begins to slowly emerge from virus lockdown

20-07-2020 23:17 Capital begins gradual reopening of activities in a phased scheme running until August 3, including a limited number of industrial, commercial, service and recreational activities.

capital controls

Banks block accounts of those suspected of trying to circumvent dollar quota

17-07-2020 00:11 At least three of country's biggest banks have started to block dollar purchases via online platforms for clients suspected of using loopholes to purchase greenbacks beyond the US$200 limit.

Global pandemic

Colombia: Illegal groups using violence to enforce lockdowns

16-07-2020 23:27 Illegal armed militias are imposing strict Covid-19 quarantines in parts of Colombia where the state has a weak presence, threatening those who don’t comply, Human Rights Watch has warned.

BLOOMBERG

World drinks less coffee while office workers stay home

13-07-2020 12:52 Global coffee consumption is set to fall this year for the first time since 2011. In a work-from-home world, hitting the local cafe for a daily caffeine fix has become a ritual of the now-forgotten past.

#9J: Día de la Independencia

Anti-government protesters rally against quarantine on 9 de Julio

10-07-2020 02:18 Opposition supporters descended on the Obelisk in downtown Buenos Aires on Thursday, staging a protest in defence of freedom and against the coronavirus lockdown. Event marred by outbreak of violence, as demonstrators attack TV van from pro-government news channel C5N.

Coping with quarantine

Keep happy: Porteños try to make the most of quarantine

08-07-2020 14:57 Experts say quarantine measures have increased anxiety, uncertainty and feelings of extreme weariness. Some, however, have found a positive side to the pandemic.

OPINION

Giorgio was right

04-07-2020 08:51 Quarantine has been renewed, presented as a lifestyle by the government.

by Pola Oloixarac

Coronavirus pandemic

Cold, windswept and frozen, Buenos Aires returns to isolation

03-07-2020 03:37 On a chilly winter Wednesday, a lonesome Buenos Aires reverted to the first and most restrictive phase of the quarantine, in a renewed bid to halt the advance of Covid-19.

Coronavirus pandemic

New phase of stricter lockdown begins in Buenos Aires

02-07-2020 00:17 Officials said Wednesday that the new measures were working well – the Buenos Aires City government said that on Wednesday 107,000 vehicles had used the capital's highways, a 33 percent drop from one week ago.

ECONOMIC INDICATORS

Argentina's economy tanked in April as virus hit home

30-06-2020 12:33 Construction was the worst hit industry, plummeting 86.4%, with hotels and restaurants not far behind (down 85.6%). Manufacturing, down 34.4%, and business, which lost 27%, were also hard hit.

CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

Fernández tightens AMBA lockdown until July 17 amid virus surge

27-06-2020 07:36 Government cranks up coronavirus lockdown in capital, as Peronist leader calls on citizens in Buenos Aires metropolitan to respect restrictions and ‘return to isolation’ until July 17.

Coronavirus pandemic

Argentina surpasses 50,000 Covid-19 cases, new restrictions on way

26-06-2020 02:58 President Alberto Fernández set to announce return to strict lockdown in Buenos Aires metropolitan area, running from July 1 to 17.

BUSINESSES, SHOPS, STORES

Double whammy of virus and recession forces closures in the capital

25-06-2020 00:59 According to a survey by the Federation of Commerce and Industry of Buenos Aires, at least 18 percent of the 110,000 businesses in the capital have shut down since the coronavirus began.

BLOOMBERG – ANALYSIS

In perennial economic crisis, Argentina faces worst year yet

23-06-2020 23:15 Some analysts are predicting a record contraction for Argentina's economy this year, with double-digit estimates of decline beginning to emerge.

AS I SEE IT

The year of the scientists

20-06-2020 11:20 Throughout the world, complaints about the tyranny of “Science” are becoming more frequent. We are not laboratory rats, people say, and demand that other factors be taken into account.

by James Neilson

Coronavirus Pandemic

Officials debate future of quarantine, likely to limit public transport

15-06-2020 16:10 National, Buenos Aires City and provincial health ministers meet to debate future of quarantine and preventative steps to tackle Covid-19, as officials in Chaco announce return to stricter lockdown in province.

Bloomberg

Uber sees grocery delivery sparking its next wave of growth

15-06-2020 15:05 Delivering groceries is Uber Technologies Inc’s next frontier – at least in Latin America.

AS I SEE IT

The great Anglo-Saxon meltdown

13-06-2020 10:30 It is hardly surprising that the prolonged lockdowns are changing people’s behaviour. Perhaps this is why the US, and to a slightly lesser extent, the UK, are now experiencing bouts of collective madness.

by James Neilson

Coronavirus pandemic

Virus deepens economic crisis as poverty soars

13-06-2020 08:58 Number of Argentines receiving food aid since crisis began has gone from 8 million to 11 million, according to officials.

POLITICS IN THE PANDEMIC

Nationalise this

13-06-2020 08:08 A raw nerve has been touched that is at the centre of Argentina's perpetual political rift – to the nation’s business community the Peronist administration has crossed a line, trying to grab a private-sector company which has never been under state control.

by Martín Gambarotta

Global pandemic

In poor regions, easing virus lockdowns brings new risks

09-06-2020 13:37 Monday saw the biggest-ever one-day total of coronavirus cases: more than 136,000 cases, 75 percent of which were from 10 countries in the Americas and South Asia.

FOOTBALL UNDER LOCKDOWN

Deportivo Riestra in hot water after lockdown training breach

06-06-2020 10:28 Villa Soldati side gain the dubious honour of becoming Argentina’s first club to break coronavirus lockdown rules.

by Dan Edwards

POLITICS & THE PANDEMIC

Lockdown limbo

06-06-2020 09:32 Coronavirus has put everyday life, or the remnants of it, in a loop. Home is where the office lies.

by Martín Gambarotta

argentina

Lockdown extended until June 28, with 'two types of quarantine'

05-06-2020 03:15 President Fernández announces extension of lockdown for Buenos Aires metropolitan area and other areas of high Covid-19 contagion, with restrictions lifted and 'mandatory social distancing' introduced for most provinces.

BLOOMBERG - OPINION

Good behaviour won't deliver Argentina from economic pain

03-06-2020 15:50 Argentina deserves debt relief, but also a credible way forward. The country still needs a path to growth, new investment and the prospect of fiscal reasonableness beyond the pandemic – and that is where the road map ends.

by Mac Margolis

Coronavirus pandemic

BA City government studying restart of ‘low-risk activities’

02-06-2020 19:33 City Hall considering the restart of 'low-risk' activities, but says decision depends on evolution of virus over next few days; Re-opening of some shops and approval for running at night under consideration.

Coronavirus pandemic

Protesters rally in Buenos Aires to demand end of Covid-19 lockdown

01-06-2020 16:10 Approximately 1,000 people gathered at the Obelisk on Saturday in downtown Buenos Aires to call for an end to the mandatory quarantine that's been in force since March 20.

GLOBAL PANDEMIC

‘I chose to stay’ – Argentine med student details life on Spain’s Covid-19 frontline

30-05-2020 10:35 When the coronavirus pandemic hit, third-year med student Celeste Basaez, on residency in Barcelona, had a choice: head home or join her hospital’s fight on the frontlines against Covid-19.

by James Francis Whitehead