In the midst of the chaotic situation caused by the pandemic, the Argentine government announced the abandonment of Mercosur negotiations to prioritize the country’s domestic economy and the struggle against the virus. The rest of the bloc members must evaluate legal, institutional, and operational measures emerging from the decision.
Below normal rains in the Parana-Paraguay water basin is hampering grain transport through waterways in Argentina as the water level of the river has dropped significantly, Bolsa de Comercio de Rosario, or BCR, said in a report.
The World Bank Board of Directors approved today a loan of US$20 million to support Paraguay in strengthening its health system in the face of the coronavirus pandemic (Covid-19). In the context of the country's current health situation, already affected by the worst dengue outbreak in recent years, the project will help strengthen the already overburdened health system through the purchase of medical supplies and equipment.
The number of Coronavirus cases tested positive are increasing significantly, in the exponential leg of the process, in Mercosur country members and in Chile. Brazil reported the first death, a 62 year old man in Sao Paulo with a medical record of high pressure and diabetes.
Paraguay confirmed that five cases have tested positive to Covid-19, and announced it was closing all schools and universities, public and private, and suspending all public and private activities that involve crowding people, for the next fifteen days.
Brazilian football great Ronaldinho will remain in pre-trial detention in Paraguay after a judge on Tuesday rejected his lawyer's request that he be released on bail or to house arrest.
Brazil plans to push for its own candidate to lead the Inter-American Development Bank, vying with Argentina for the regional lender’s top job, as President Jair Bolsonaro seeks to capitalize on the political alliance with his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump.
Covid 19 might not be a priority in Argentina at the moment, although there are some cases under observation, but what is really threatening is the mosquito-transmitted dengue with 152 cases confirmed in the province of Buenos Aires and some 3.000 in the northern provinces of Misiones and Corrientes.
Mercosur health ministers will be holding an urgent meeting this week in Paraguay to address the spread of dengue, the outbreak of measles and the possible arrival of the China coronavirus to the region.
Although flooding rain has already hit parts of Brazil so far in 2020, more rain and flooding could strike the southern part of the country in the coming week. In addition to southern Brazil, other parts of South America may also be threatened.