Argentina Considers a 10-Day Lockdown to Beat Coronavirus

(Bloomberg) --

Argentina is mulling a lockdown to fend off the coronavirus before fall arrives in the southern hemisphere and the weather gets colder, President Alberto Fernandez said.

Fernandez tightened controls on Sunday night, stopping all people coming into the country and closing schools until the end of the month. A complete lockdown is also on the table, although the economic consequences would be severe, he said in a news conference.

“We’re looking into stopping movement for 10 days, not leaving home,” Fernandez told Radio Mitre earlier in the day. “The quicker we halt this, the less risky winter will be.”

So far, Latin America has had relatively few reported cases. Even so, the countries have been ratcheting up their responses. Peru is weighing a mass quarantine, and Uruguay and Chile suspended school for two weeks.

Mexico, which now has 41 confirmed cases, will also halt classes for a month from March 20.

Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro ordered a quarantine in the capital and six states starting Monday. “Either we quarantine or the pandemic could tragically and painfully take down Venezuela,” Maduro said on state television.

Panama has closed its borders to foreigners, the president said in a tweet. Transmission in the Central American nation has become increasingly local, prompting the World Health Organization to consider categorizing Panama as a country with community spread, according to La Prensa newspaper. Nearby El Salvador has declared a state of emergency.

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.