Latin America, except Brazil, increases restrictions due to the advance of covid

International Writing, Dec 21 (EFE) .- From curfews on Christmas Eve to suspension of flights from Europe. A good part of Latin America, with the notable exception of Brazil, has been closing in the last hours to try to stop the advance of the coronavirus.
Meanwhile, the United States announced today that it already has the capacity to administer the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines in some 4,000 points throughout the territory, according to official data, after this Monday the Americans began to receive the first doses of the serum of the second pharmaceutical.
While waiting for the arrival of the vaccine to the rest of the continent, most countries, some during the summer holidays, try to control the spread of the disease with more restrictive decisions, closure of air routes and demanding citizen control.
CHRISTMAS EVE AND NEW YEAR’S EVE WITH A TOUCH OF REMAIN
In Colombia, which on Saturday marked a new record of almost 14,000 infected daily and where the previous day more than 40,000 deaths were exceeded, several local authorities imposed new restrictions on Monday, including an unprecedented curfew on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.
“Christmas is not canceled, but it will be different. These are not measures that we like to take but it is our duty because not taking them would be irresponsible,” Daniel Quintero, mayor of Medellín, the second largest city in the country, told reporters today. Where you will not be able to go out between 8 at night and 6 in the morning of those dates.
Bogotá also implemented from today until January 15 the “pico y cédula”, which means that citizens can only buy odd or even days that do not coincide with the last number of their identity card.
The government of Ecuador, for its part, announced the adoption of a new state of emergency of 30 days and a curfew of 15 days between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m. local time, which includes a dry law.
“The increase in the number of infections in the capital has continued between 15% and 17%. Today we are in a vulnerable situation.” These words from the Chilean Undersecretary of Health, Paula Daza, explain the decision of her Government of advance the curfew by two hours throughout the territory and maintain the quarantine in the Metropolitan Region, which is home to the capital, on Christmas and New Years.
In this way, the curfew, in force since the first cases were registered in March, will be in force from next Saturday starting at 10:00 p.m., instead of 00:00 a.m., and until 05:00 a.m. throughout the nation.
WITH RESTRICTIONS UNTIL JANUARY 31
Argentina (1.54 million infections and 41,813 deaths) began a new extension on Monday, until January 31, of the measures to stop the coronavirus, in the face of a high infection curve.
In addition, facing the celebration of the Christmas holidays, the national director of Epidemiology, Analía Rearte, called to respect the recommendations of social distance and try to celebrate in open or well ventilated spaces and in meetings that are not massive.
In neighboring Uruguay, with fewer cases (119) and infections (13,048), a law also began to govern this day that closes the country’s borders until January 10 and prohibits the agglomeration of people for 2 months, to which added the suspension from this Monday until next January 10 the presence in religious celebrations.
SUSPENDED FLIGHTS FROM THE UNITED KINGDOM
To all this is added the suspension of air routes with the United Kingdom after the appearance there of a new strain of covid-19, in countries such as Argentina, Chile, Colombia, the Dominican Republic and Canada.
Peru, which like most other countries in the region made that decision on Sunday, went further on Monday and suspended “preventively” for two weeks all flights from Europe.
Some measures, which despite the start of vaccination, also extend to the United States, particularly New York, where the authorities made a non-binding request to three airlines that operate flights between the United Kingdom and this city -British Airways, Delta and Virgin Atlantic – to test their passengers for covid-19.
SELF-CARE AND MEASUREMENT ANALYSIS
However, neither Brazil (186,764 deaths and 7.2 million cases) nor Mexico (118,202 deaths and 1.3 million positive cases), the most populous Latin American countries most affected by the pandemic, have taken any step towards the closure of air routes with the United Kingdom.
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said this morning that the health authorities will study this Monday whether to adopt measures in this regard and will announce their decision on Tuesday, while in Brazil it only seems to be the continuation of a policy where they are applied new restrictions are not on the horizon.
In Sao Paulo, with some 46 million inhabitants and the most affected state in the country, the authorities “asked to respect the existing restrictions” despite the fact that “the pandemic continues with full force” and they continue to bet on self-control: “Before we said stay at home. Now we say try to stay at home and, if you have to go out, go out responsibly, “Sao Paulo Health Secretary Jean Gorinchteyn said Monday.
This, while waiting for the start of vaccination in said state, which is expected next Friday, Christmas Day, after the agreement of the State Government, together with the Butantan Institute, with the Chinese laboratory Sinovac to receive from here at the end of the year 10.8 million doses of the so-called “coronavac”.
In Rio de Janeiro, although the use of intensive care units in the state already exceeds 90%, this Sunday the beaches of the homonymous capital saw crowds of bathers on the eve of the beginning of the austral summer.

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