President leaves isolation after second negative Covid-19 test

President Alberto Fernández will exit his week-long period of isolation and return to normal work after testing negative for Covid-19 for a second time.

The news was confirmed by the Casa Rosada's presidential medical team. The Peronist leader has been in isolation since November 11 after close aide Gustavo Beliz tested positive for coronavirus.

The duo had been together just days earlier in Jujuy Province, at a host of events marking the departure of ex-Bolivia president Evo Morales, who returned to his homeland last week. Fernández embraced the strategic affairs secretary in celebration last Monday, after the Bolivian indigenous leader crossed the Argentine-Bolivian border.

"During this period [of preventative isoation] he has not presented symptoms of the disease, and his clinical evolution has been absolutely favourable. A second control swab [test] was performed, the result of which was negative," the government said in a medical update.

For this reason "the termination of preventive social isolation has been decided," according to Covid-19 health protocols, the medical team said in a statement.

A number of other officials who came into contact with Beliz at a farewell dinner for Morales went into isolation last week. They too were tested for coronavirus, though the results for all of them came back negative.

To date, Argentina has recorded more than 1.3 million confirmed cases of Covid-19, with more than 36,000 fatalities.

– TIMES/AFP