Controversial phrase by Mauricio Macri about the coronavirus: 'It's a little more serious than the flu'

06/18/2021 5:28 PM

• Clarín.com

• Politics

Updated 06/18/2021 5:28 PM

Former President Mauricio Macri visited the province of Mendoza with the excuse of the presentation of the book

Primer Tiempo

.

Once the event was over, he spoke with journalists and left a controversial phrase about the coronavirus: "I never believed that

this slightly more serious flu

is something for which one should be without sleep."

This is how Macri referred to the pandemic while

again criticizing the

national

government

for its health model to face it, for the lack of vaccines and

for the restriction measures in place

to prevent the spread of the virus.

"I am not one of those who have really believed that this flu, a little more serious, is something for which one has to be without sleep due to this situation," Macri replied during the interview in which he was consulted for a statement that He had made last February that he would not be vaccinated against Covid

until the last Argentine did

.

Explaining why he finally agreed to inoculate himself outside the country, the former president said: “I complied,

I did not use a vaccine that entered Argentina

, and I would not have used it.

What I said is: 'Instead of my turn coming, who are over 60, I'm going to take advantage and get vaccinated here so I release a vaccine.'

I went and paid for my vaccination

.

I did it as a contribution ”.

In the report published this Friday by the newspaper El Sol, Macri also said that if he had had to govern in a pandemic, "he

would have bought all the vaccines that were available

because, if a day in a closed country costs billions of pesos or more than one hundred million dollars,

how can you not buy all the vaccines

. "

And he added: "Without ideological prejudices, with absolute transparency and guaranteeing the

same level of vaccination of Chileans

."

For Macri, "the pandemic is a disgrace, but the quarantine, the abuses of authority and the curtailment of freedoms only

brought more problems

."

"The handling of the pandemic has really been a disgrace for Argentines. Fortunately, the people of Mendoza have a governor (by Rodolfo Suárez) who has not followed the line set by the President and has managed freely so that the people of Mendoza could survive this misfortune, "said Macri, who presented his book

Primer Tiempo

via streaming.

LM