Uruguayan President Luis Lacalle Pou Wednesday announced virtual schooling in his country would continue until at least May 3, amid soaring numbers of covid-19 infections.
Uruguay's Foreign Ministry Monday submitted a formal request to the Argentine government to hold a meeting to discuss the flexibility of Mercosur, it was reported.
Uruguay's President Luis Lacalle Pou Monday stood by the words he said during Friday's virtual Mercosur Summit which led to a rife with his Argentina counterpart Alberto Fernández.
In Uruguay, 35.6% of operational intensive care beds (ICBs) are occupied by Covid-19 patients, reported the Uruguayan Society of Intensive Care Medicine (SUMI). Medical specialists warn that this is a limit that could lead to problems in the functioning of the ICBs.
In the aftermath of Friday's presidential clash between Alberto Fernández and Uruguay's Luis Lacalle Pou over the Mercosur's alleged lack of “flexibility,” Argentine Foreign Ministry's Cabinet Chief Guillermo Chaves said Saturday in a radio interview that the bloc's fundamental identity was to negotiate jointly on behalf of all members, but if each partner was allowed to hold deals individually, the association would lose its raison d'être.
Argentine President Alberto Fernández told his Uruguayan counterpart Luis Lacalle Pou his country did not want to be “a burden on anyone” when the latter called for signs of “flexibilization” on the part of Mercosur to allow member states to seek unilateral foreign trade agreements elsewhere without the bloc's approval.
The government of Uruguay has ordered all schools and public offices to remain closed at least until the end of Tourism (Easter) Week, President Luis Lacalle Pou announced Tuesday evening during a press conference after a long Cabinet Meeting with Ministers.
The Uruguayan government will discuss this Tuesday a radical reduction of mobility in the midst of a new wave of Covid-19 cases. This Monday, the highest number of new cases was detected, with almost 2,700 confirmed cases and a positivity rate of 18%, and the community spread of the Brazillian P-1 variant of the virus was confirmed.
Although a few weeks ago we talked about Uruguay as a milestone in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, with very few daily cases and a lower mortality rate than any other country in the region, the country of 3.5 million inhabitants surpassed this Sunday the 13 thousand active cases after several record days of daily positives. Scientific and medical societies are demanding measures to stop the spread of the virus despite the fact that 1 out of 10 Uruguayans have already received the first dose of the vaccine – Pfizer or Coronavac – against the disease.
The former Uruguayan president José “Pepe” Mujica criticized the government of Luis Lacalle Pou and assured that the Covid-19 pandemic “helped” to improve his image. ”The pandemic is white (in reference to the color of the ruling party)“ and ”brought a big help“ to the government, said the former president in a radial interview on Wednesday. ”He has no responsibility, but he positioned himself well in the situation and knew how to take advantage of it”, he assured.