Buenos Aires, Argentina – Two and a half years after the start of the pandemic of the new coronavirus, Argentina established on Wednesday that the use of a face mask is not mandatory due to the massive vaccination and the sustained decrease in infections.
The Health Ministry’s measure, published in the Official Gazette, argued that the high immunization coverage had achieved a “considerable decrease in the incidence of severe disease and mortality regardless of the circulating variant.”
On the other hand, there is currently a period of sustained decrease in the number of cases, he pointed out.
As the vaccination campaign progressed in the South American country, the mask was made more flexible in different areas, maintaining the obligation to wear it in closed spaces such as commercial establishments and public transport.
The Ministry of Health stated that although it is no longer mandatory in any area, it is still recommended “indoors,” Each province may adopt the recommendations it deems appropriate according to its epidemiological situation.
Since the pandemic hit in March 2020, there have been three major waves of infections in the country, the third at the beginning of this year.
The Ministry of Health specified that from the beginning of the vaccination campaign in December 2020 until September 6, 2022, in the country of about 47 million inhabitants, “a coverage of 82.5% was achieved in the general population and 81.7% in those over three years of age with two doses of vaccine, and 46.7% in the general population and 73.5% in those over 60 years of age with the first booster”.
In Argentina, some 9.7 million people have been infected, and more than 129,000 have died from COVID-19.