Seven provinces of Argentina - out of a total of 23 - mostly located in the north and center, have announced new measures as the shadow of infections is on the rise in the country with 8,222 new cases on Monday compared to 5,884 on Sunday and 5,240 on Saturday .
In total Argentina has 1,648,923 cases of Covid-19 and 43,634 deaths for a population of 44 million inhabitants.
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Authorities attribute these increases to gatherings during the end of year celebrations and the proliferation of underground parties, especially in tourist areas, especially on the Atlantic coast of Buenos Aires which began its summer season on December 1.
Large-scale gatherings, such as the funeral of Argentine football legend Diego Maradona at the end of November, or demonstrations for or against the law legalizing abortion approved by Parliament on December 30, were also pointed out.
"We have observed a marked and very accelerated growth of cases, first in the city of Buenos Aires, then in its periphery and throughout the province,"
Provincial Governor Axel Kicillof said at a press conference on Tuesday.
In the province of Buenos Aires, which has 40% of Argentina's population, only traffic restrictions have been imposed in some cities where outbreaks have appeared.
But no general curfew or closure of tourist places has been decreed, despite an average of new cases increasing in a few weeks from 1,000 to 3,000 per day.
“It's in our hands.
If we want to change this situation, we have to reduce contacts.
There is no other solution until we have a higher percentage of people vaccinated, ”
added the governor.
On December 29, Argentina began a national vaccination campaign with 300,000 doses of Russian Sputnik-V vaccine intended for healthcare workers.
A million and a half more doses should be available by the end of January.
Buenos Aires was confined in mid-March for several months.
Since September, restrictions have been relaxed, as the virus has spread from the capital and its outskirts to all provinces.