RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Argentine government has decided to extend the closure of air and land borders with Brazil until at least March 12th.
The new health minister Carla Vizzotti, who took over from Ginés González García after the revelation that over 70 people close to the government had been vaccinated, justifies the measure on the grounds of new coronavirus variants.
The last decree provided that borders would be reopened as of this Monday, March 1st, but health authorities found it was necessary to maintain the closure and the 50% reduction of flights between the two countries.
Argentina is also closed to foreigners from other neighboring countries and the United Kingdom. Only Argentines or residents are allowed in the country. The decision was published in the Official Gazette.
Argentina is in a very early stage of vaccination, and has only started immunizing its citizens over the age of 80 since last week.
With respect to other countries, the flight frequency is also reduced by 30% for flights coming from the USA, Mexico and Europe. Also in these cases, only Argentines or residents can enter the country.