Argentina is rejoicing because Germany's flag carrier Lufthansa formally requested the Civil Aviation National Administration and the Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica and South Atlantic Islands provincial government over flight and landing authorization for two charter flights to the Malvinas Islands from Hamburg.
At the extreme end of Argentina in a city known as “The End of the World,” many thought they might be spared from the worst of the coronavirus pandemic. Sitting far from Buenos Aires, health workers in Ushuaia were initially able to contain a small outbreak among foreigners hoping to catch boats to the Antarctic at the start of the crisis.
According to reports in the Argentine media next November the Australian flagged icebreaker Aurora Australis will be docking in Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, and then head for Buenos Aires where, allegedly, she will be incorporated to the Argentine navy fleet and will be participating next to ARA Almirante Irizar in the 2020/21 Antarctica campaign.
Planning and first budget funds for an Argentine integrated naval base and an Antarctic Logistic Pole in Ushuaia have been announced by the Argentine Executive cabinet chief Santiago Cafiero, during a presentation to the Lower House of Congress.
Argentina is trying to solve a medical mystery after 57 sailors were infected with COVID-19 after 35 days at sea, despite the entire crew testing negative before leaving port. The Echizen Maru fishing trawler returned to port after some of its crew members began exhibiting symptoms typical of Covid-19, the health ministry from Tierra del Fuego province said on Monday.
An Argentine federal judge lifted precautionary measures impeding the access and docking at Mar del Plata port of a cruise vessel with 37 crewmembers which were originally believed to include some positive cases of COVID-19.
Uruguay's foreign and public health ministers have said that none of the over 200 people on board the cruise vessel Greg Mortimer will be allowed to disembark in Montevideo for the moment since several passengers and crew members seem to have coronavirus symptoms.
The Argentine Tierra del Fuego province government rushed some 400 passengers from a cruise vessel, by air, to Buenos Aires before the implementation of a coronavirus fourteen-day quarantine which becomes effective this Monday. The Norwegian flagged vessel Midnatsol arrived on Saturday to Ushuaia from Antarctica.
Maritime and port operators in Ushuaia, extreme south of Argentina are disappointed because they have been relegated which means delays and additional costs, since cruise vessels have top docking priority, and this has been quite a successful season with many visitors' landings.
Ushuaia, extreme south of Argentina and the hub which handles most Antarctica bound cruises are expecting an exceptional 2019/20 season with some 431 calls, up from the 392 of the previous season, according to provincial port authorities.