Argentina has extended a mandatory lockdown in the capital Buenos Aires and other parts of the country until June 28 as confirmed coronavirus cases continue to rise, surpassing 20,000 earlier in the day.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The three-week extension of the lockdown, which had been due to expire June 7, will affect the capital city, the province of Buenos Aires and some other areas that account for the highest concentration of confirmed infections, President Alberto Fernandez said during a news conference on Thursday.
The rest of the country would move to a phase of "mandatory and preventive social distancing", he said.
The next phase will include new permissions, including outdoor exercise during certain hours in the city of Buenos Aires, which has the highest concentration of cases, officials said.
Argentina recorded 929 new infections on Thursday, one of the highest daily counts since the pandemic began.
The country has 20,197 cases, mostly in the city Buenos Aires and the province of Buenos Aires. The death toll is at 608.
"Our results are still good, but we have not yet overcome the problem," Fernandez said.
Argentina has been under mandatory lockdown since March 20, though officials already relaxed restrictions in some areas of the country.
Australian Associated Press
