RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Uruguayan President Luis Lacalle Pou announced on Thursday that the Uruguayan borders will be “basically closed” during the summer. “Based on reports we have had, it is going to be a restricted summer. It is a difficult decision for us, but the factors are compelling,” said the President.
Lacalle Pou recognized that “the loss of income is going to be significant” because of the decision. But he said that he was willing to “force the fiscal aspects as much as possible, in a responsible way”.
The statements were made during a press conference at the Executive Tower, where Lacalle Pou spoke about the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of positive cases has increased over the last few days and there are currently 444 people infected with the disease, a record number for the South American country whose approach to the pandemic has been globally praised.
On Thursday, Uruguay recorded 38 new infections. That is 23 less than Wednesday’s 61, the highest figure since the start of the pandemic. In total, Uruguay has reported just over 2,700 infections and only 53 deaths since it declared a health emergency on March 13th.
A point of concern for Lacalle Pou’s administration is the binational city of Rivera/Livramento that it shares with Brazil, one of the countries most affected by COVID-19 globally with nearly 5.3 million infections and over 155,000 deaths.
In addition, the President announced at the press conference that in-person classes in the city will be suspended for two weeks. The suspension of large events had already been determined in recent days, raising the requirements for the wearing of masks and reducing the number of people who may access stores simultaneously.
However, both Lacalle Pou and the Minister of Public Health, Daniel Salinas, emphasized that the situation is “far from being out of control. “We are far from saying that the epidemiological chain has been lost,” said Salinas. The official also said that “there is no evidence of a link in ten percent of the cases” registered in Rivera and that more trackers will be added to the containment efforts if required.
Furthermore, Salinas warned about an “unrealistic sense of safety” regarding the COVID-19 in the country. He was referring to pictures that became public and showed large groups of people on public beaches. The Minister also said that another concern is that after over seven months of a health emergency, “people are tired”.
Source: infobae