Argentina surpasses 7,000 virus cases in a single day

Argentina recorded 7,147 new cases of Covid-19 on Wednesday, exceeding the previous record of 6,792 cases in 24 hours, a tally reached the previous day.

Health Ministry officials also said that 127 fatalities had been registered over the same period, pushing the death toll to 4,106.

To date, 220,669 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus have been recorded in the country.

Argentina exceeded 200,000 cases on Sunday, with a clear surge seen in coronavirus numbers since the end of June.

On Monday, the government responded to the increase with a decree banning social gatherings nationwide until August 16.

Residents in the Buenos Aires metropolitan area have now spent more than 139 days under lockdown, though some businesses have been granted permission to re-start activity and re-open their doors. Children have also been granted permission to leave their homes for recreational outings, while residents are also allowed out for exercise, though with limitations on hours. 

In most of Argentina's provinces, more flexible measures apply as few cases are registered, although there were strong growths in Jujuy (north) and Córdoba (center).

With the appearance of outbreaks in some districts, which led local authorities to back out of misconduct, the federal government banned social gatherings across the country for 15 days from last Monday.

The occupation of intensive care beds in the AMBA stands at 66.1% of the total available.

– TIMES/AFP