Uruguay’s “ first wave ” of infections threatens gains against pandemic

Nine months after the registration of the first case of coronavirus, Uruguay suffers from an epidemic that has been listed by the president Luis Lacalle Pou as the “first wave” of contagion and threatening to derail hard-earned gains during the pandemic.

The government adopts a more difficult approach to contain the spread of the virus, which includes tighter border restrictions and a bill sent to Congress to get fast-track approval for dissolve meetings considered a threat to public health.

Uruguay still has the the lowest infection and death rates on the continent thanks to the initial success of a strategy that relied on voluntary preventive measures that Lacalle Pou called “the responsible exercise of freedom”. However, infections are on the rise and a record 547 new cases were reported on Thursday as Uruguayans weary of the pandemic kick off the summer with parties and big family reunions.

“The world’s second wave is our first wave,” Lacalle Pou said this week. “Responsible freedom had its moment. Today, we call for a coexistence of solidarity “.

Uruguay has gone from yellow alert to orange amid exponential growth in daily cases since November, according to the Harvard Global Health Institute. Although the government has increased examinations and more than doubled surveillance staff, it has not been able to find the source of contagion in 30% of cases and the virus is circulating at the community level in the capital Montevideo.

The group of scientists advising the government warn that daily cases could rise to 1,200 by the end of the year, down from less than 100 a day in early November, unless Uruguayans avoid high-risk behavior and take action to stop the movement of people.

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The total number of cases reported during the pandemic in the small country of 3.5 million people stands at just 11,436. Only 105 people have lost their lives from respiratory illnesses.

“We have not yet definitively lost control of the epidemic. The resumption of control depends on the whole of the company, declared Wednesday Rafael Radi, who heads the advisory group, a few hours before the president announces new restrictions.

Lacalle Pou has ruled out declaring quarantine to avoid causing further damage to an economy that is expected to contract 4.3% this year. The tourism industry, which contributed 7% of gross domestic product last year and relies heavily on Argentine visitors, is gearing up for one of the southern hemisphere’s worst summer seasons in history. International borders will remain closed to tourism in the coming months.

The president urged Uruguayans to help themselves and the economy by taking vacations this summer. “Anyone who has the option of going to the mountains, to the beach, to the river or anywhere else, let it be,” Lacalle Pou said. The president, who surfs, said he hoped to spend a few days on the Atlantic coast.