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.
The electoral roll for Sunday's primary election in Argentina included four names with Falkland Islands' addresses, according to reports in the Argentina media.
“This is one of the best cruise seasons we've had in years”, said Tierra del Fuego governor Rosana Bertone underlining that tourism is an industry which creates jobs and helps the province's economy. Ms Bertone made the statement during a visit to the port of Ushuaia where she attended the departure of the “Celebrity Eclipse” and welcomed the French flagged “Le Soleil”
The port of Ushuaia in the extreme south of Argentina is undergoing an emergency dredging on its southern access ahead of December 16 when the cruise Celebrity Eclipse with its 3.000 passengers and 1.100 crew is scheduled to dock.
Argentina could be a late candidate to host the 2026 Winter Olympics, the country's Olympic Committee said on Wednesday, as the three current bidders face major obstacles ahead of next year's decision by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).