News of quarantine

Protesters rally in capital to demand justice for Facundo Castro

04-09-2020 02:50 Protest held one day after forensic experts confirm remains of a body found in a rural area of Buenos Aires Province belong to Castro, a 22-year-old who had been missing for more than 100 days.

Judge confirms found remains belong to Facundo Astudillo Castro

03-09-2020 04:11 Bahía Blanca Federal Judge María Gabriela Marrón confirms remains of a skeleton found earlier this month belong to missing 22-year-old, who was last seen alive on April 30.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

What we learned this week: July 25 to August 1

01-08-2020 09:18 The most important stories that caught our eye in the last seven days.

Judicial reform and jumping the queue

01-08-2020 09:07 The judicial reform bill announced this week suffers all the problems of Caesar’s wife – it must not only be honourable but seen to be so, a challenge which neither its context nor origin nor timing favour.

CONMEBOL forces Argentina to step up plans for return of football

18-07-2020 10:12 While many South American leagues have already retaken the field or are preparing to restart leagues, in Argentina even the return to training remains pending. That, however, hasn’t stopped CONMEBOL.

by Dan Edwards

Search continues for missing 22-year-old, UN calls for ‘exhaustive’ probe

18-07-2020 10:03 Facundo Astudillo Castro was last seen on April 30 after being stopped by police in Buenos Aires Province for breaching Covid-19 lockdown.

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.

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.

Apocalypse now

11-07-2020 08:27 Quarantine saves thousands of lives but lockdown spells meltdown – both these truths are irrefutable and yet completely in conflict despite the efforts to present this as a false dilemma.

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.

Giorgio was right

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

by Pola Oloixarac

Is isolation the best expression of independence?

04-07-2020 08:32 The pandemic is a curious ally of ultra-nationalism, feeding the notion that Covid-19 will destroy globalisation and the private sector in a world dictating a self-sufficiency of which very few countries can even dream.

Hibernation time

27-06-2020 08:09 The pandemic is a tremendous challenge for the metropolitan area. Only history will explain the true extent of economic devastation in the region.

by Martín Gambarotta

100 days of quarantine

27-06-2020 07:48 On March 20, President Alberto Fernández told the nation in a televised address that all citizens would enter a mandatory quarantine period in an effort to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Though restrictions in some regions have now been loosened, many Argentines are today waking up this morning to their 100th day of lockdown. Here’s a look back at how the pandemic has changed our lives.

by Michael Soltys

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

The Argentine who sailed across the Atlantic to be with his parents

18-06-2020 23:41 Juan Manuel Ballestero, seeking to bypass the lockdown and be reunited with his parents decided to cross the Atlantic in a small sailboat, setting off from Portugal on March 24 and finally reaching Mar del Plata on Wednesday.