The Government decided on Friday (10.04.2020) to extend until April 26 the mandatory quarantine that has been in force since March 20 to mitigate the spread of the new coronavirus (COVID-19) in the country, where a total of 1.975 cases have been confirmed, 82 of them fatal.
President Alberto Fernández addressed the population on Friday night and explained the reasons that led him to establish the third phase of preventive and mandatory social isolation, after the first two stages, established from March 20 to 31 and from April 1 to 12.
«We are facing a pandemic of unprecedented scope, and we still do not know the remedy and the vaccine that will prevent it, so the only remedy that makes sense is to stay at home.", said the president.
The quarantine is extended "until April 26 inclusive". We will discuss it again on April 27, because we are in a dynamic scenario.", said the head of State, who announced the decision after leading a meeting with ministers and members of the Committee of Experts advising him on the disease at the Official Residence in Olivos.
The Argentine president said that the quarantine in force has allowed "slowing down the rate of contagion to ensure that the health system can respond to those who need care. On March 20, the number of infections doubled every three days. Today, for the rate of contagion to be the same, 3 days have to pass."
"If we continue to maintain this quarantine, we will surely succeed in slowing the rate of contagion even further. It is important that we know that so much effort is not in vain. According to the initial forecast, today we should have had 45.000 cases without having taken the measures we took, but we have 1.975 cases," the president compared.
The quarantine «It makes sense, we have managed to limit the contagion a lot, but we are far from having achieved any success. Nobody knows when all this torment will end. The effort was and is worthwhile, staying at home was not in vain, it was good, it alleviated the problem, which still exists.", Fernandez said.
For this reason, the Government has decided "continue with the quarantine, with the same terms that exist today in large cities and large urban centers. It is a managed quarantine and we are going to focus on places or activities where the quarantine can be released.", added the head of state.
These places and activities must be proposed by the provincial governors to the National Executive, for approval..
Fernandez stressed that "It is a difficult fight, we continue to fight against an enemy that enters our bodies and we must protect ourselves, and the only way we have to protect ourselves is to stay at home. We are very far from having reached the goal, and it is important that we continue to comply with the quarantine, that no one becomes complacent.«.
The president highlighted the economic measures adopted by his administration in the last three weeks to compensate for the slowdown in the economy as a result of the quarantine, especially aid to low-income sectors.
The measure announced on Friday night maintains the restriction on movement, and most citizens must remain at home, with permission to go out only to buy food or medicine.
Government officials, security forces and the Armed Forces, as well as those who perform essential activities, remain exempt., such as food and pharmaceutical production, the oil and gasoline refining industry, and journalistic activity.
Banking entities will also be allowed to operate from Monday, which will serve the public in shifts and maintaining social distancing, vehicle repair workshop activities and walks for people with disabilities.
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