France has decided to impose a mandatory 10-day quarantine for travelers arriving from Brazil, Argentina, Chile, South Africa and Guyana due to the spread of Covid-19 variants in these countries: the government has announced. The flights with Argentina, Chile and South Africa are maintained, unlike those from Brazil, which Paris decided last Tuesday to suspend to curb the propagation of the Brazilian variant, considered more contagious and lethal. This suspension is extended until 23 April.
To justify maintaining air links with the other three countries, France explains that the presence of the most dangerous variants has not reached the levels observed in Brazil. But travelers arriving from Argentina, Chile and South Africa will have to remain in solitary confinement for 10 days, a measure that will gradually come into effect until it is fully operational from Saturday 24 April.
Protests against closures in Argentina
Several demonstrations took place in Buenos Aires to protest against the new restrictions imposed by the government to stem the Covid-19 pandemic. Waving Argentine flags and chanting hostile slogans to President Alberto Fernandez, the protesters focused in particular their protests against the 15-day suspension of face-to-face lessons in schools, which will take effect on Monday in the capital and its suburbs, the epicenter of the infection. “Education is essential”, “No to school closures” was written on the banners of the demonstrators. The new restrictions affect 15 million people out of a national population of 45 million.
In Buenos Aires, ICUs are occupied at 74.3%, against 64.8% of the national average. Restrictions include a night curfew from 8pm to 6am local time, until April 30th. Argentina recorded 19,119 new cases and 80 deaths, for a total toll of over 2.6 million infections and 59,164 deaths. To date, more than 6.2 million people have been vaccinated, of which 794,878 with the second dose.
Case record in India
India marks a record of infections for a fourth consecutive day with 261,500 new cases. The subcontinent has snatched Brazil the palm of the second most affected country after the US and the capital New Delhi is in lockdown. According to data processed by France Presse, an average of 12,000 deaths per day have been recorded in the last week. The spread of the new coronavirus continues to accelerate: last Friday the all-time high of new cases was reached with 829,596 infections in 24 hours worldwide. (TO
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