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Argentina in times of Covid: the world's laughingstock


Written by Mr. Currywurst.

"This is a government of scientists" and "we are a unique case in the world" were two of the most repeated phrases by president Alberto Fernández after the country entered what was to be the longest quarantine in the world.

Considering that Alberto Fernández is a puppet of Vice President Cristina Kirchner (former president, 2007-2015), both left-wing populists and extremely corrupt, and that his party is made up of former members of the armed guerrillas of the 1970s, communists, feminists with links to various extreme left groups, the handling of the crisis could not end otherwise if it is not in disaster.

The government pushed for a change of the judicial system so that the corruption cases of the Kirchner administration (2003-2015) were not investigated. Several companies moved to Uruguay and Brazil, thousands of small business closed and went bankrupt. Criminality is on the rise with violent attacks, and several far-left movements encouraged the illegal occupation of private lands in the area of Greater Buenos Aires and the rest of the province.

Many families building precarious tin, plastic and wood huts on usurped land. An image that is repeated throughout the province of Buenos Aires. Source: Twitter.

The world admires us, we are an example!
That phrase, and that Argentina was a role model during the last months, were said incessantly by the president to highlight the work that the government was doing to face the pandemic.

Thus, taking that obsession of superlatives, many Argentinians celebrated having started an early quarantine before many countries. Many celebrated being among the first to close borders and domestic and international flights. Although most of the people didn't imagine that there was something else behind these decisions: a barrier to the flight dollars in an economy that is collapsing.

The government celebrated having low numbers of infected and deceased and even compared Argentina to other European countries

Today, Argentina is in its 169th day of quarantine, the longest in the world, but the average Argentinian who loves superlatives, this time has nothing to celebrate. The country is within the top 10 nations with infected cases and the economy has been destroyed.

Last Thursday the number of new cases reached a new record: 12,026, and 313 deaths. Argentina now has total of 451,198 infected and 9,467 deaths, surpassing some countries that the government criticized.

Almost 47% of people tested get a positive result back. The higher the rate, the more testing is needed to detect, trace and isolate infections. The World Health Organization suggests nations push the rate below 5% for several weeks before reopening their economies.

Do what I say, but I do what I want
Solange Musse was taken to a hospital from her hometown of Alta Gracia in the Province of Córdoba to the capital of the province. She had cancer and her situation had deteriorated.

Pablo Musse, her father, was in the province of Neuquén and did everything at his reach to see her daughter, but he was denied to visit the hospital because of the traveling restrictions. Solage died alone.

“I have all the permits. I have the result of the swab, so much they were busting my balls with that shitty COVID ... I did it on Monday and it was negative. These motherfuckers wouldn't let me pass to see my daughter. This is not going to end like this", said the father.

Days later, president Alberto Fernandez organized a meeting with many people hugging and taking pictures and then had a 6-hour meeting with truck drivers union leader Hugo Moyano, The most corrupt unionist in the country.

From left to right: Liliana Zulet, Fabiola Yáñez (the president's girlfriend), Alberto Fernández, Hugo Moyano and his son, Jerónimo Moyano.

Social meetings are banned in the country, but the rules don't apply to the mafia. No face mask, no social distancing. What a nice image for the father of Solange.

Pandemic circus
On August 16, the Ministry of Health aired their daily report of infected cases and deceased, but this time with the clown artist Filomena, from the group "Vuelta Candela". Next to her were Carla Vizzoti, Secretary for the Access to Health (talking in gender neutral language) and Alejandro Costa, Subsecretary of Social Health. They sang a song after announcing that 66 people had died on that day.


International embarrassment
In March, the government closed the airports and canceled all international and domestic flights, shortly thereafter, given the number of Argentinians stranded abroad, Felipe Solá, the foreign minister accused several airlines of leaving many people without the chance to return to the country: "Iberia, Air Europa, KLM, Air France, British, Norwegian, Lufthansa, Edelweiss, United Airlines and Aeroméxico, among other companies, sold the tickets and as the flights are now not profitable they left the Argentines stranded. They will have to respond to that"

The Spanish company Iberia responded harshly: "Hello. The Argentine government has prohibited foreign airlines from flying to your country. Therefore, it is not a decision that we have made, but your government. Greetings."
In May, Fernández said that he did not want to imitate the "Swedish model" due to the high number of deaths, so the embassy of that country responded that it is "difficult to make direct comparisons between the containment measures that different countries have adopted" and that "This is a new disease and it will be time before we know which models work best."

More recently, the president announced the freeze of prices of communication companies until December and tried to justify the control over these companies by declaring them "essential public services" in the country arguing that in Finland cell phones, Internet and cable TV are public services. The Finnish embassy responded that such statement was incorrect because "the Finnish market in general is based on open competition among its players, which encourages a climate of greater choice and competitive prices for consumers."

The madness continues
More recently Fernández said on tv that according to his birth chart, he is "predestined to build from the ashes", and then on another interview as if he were living in another country added that "there is no quarantine, do not confuse people. If we had 160 days of real quarantine we would not have any of the problems that we are having, because they are derived from the greater circulation and the greater contact of people with each other".

Sources: La Nación, Perfil, Todo Noticias, Infobae
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