Uruguay
Pfizer vaccines arrived in Uruguay on Wednesday. Today, an Air Force helicopter was responsible for transporting 180 doses crashed. The authorities started an investigation suspecting that the cause was a mechanical failure.
The crew managed to operate an emergency landing, resulting in no casualties but several injuries. After landing the vehicle was on fire and the load was completely lost.
On Wednesday the first batch of 50.000 Pfizer/Biontech vaccines arrived in Uruguay. The jabs will be applied first to health workers.
50.000 more doses are expected to arrive in the next week, plus 60.000/week later until complete the order of 460.000.
Firsts jabs are available only for education, police, and military personnel.
The Health Ministry's goal is to achieve herd immunity with the vaccine (around 70% of the whole population). Vaccination is not mandatory, but health minister Salinas pointed that being vaccinated is a civic duty. People that don't want to be vaccinated will be put at the end of the line.
The UK has banned people who are from or have travelled through Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Cape Verde, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay and Venezuela in the last 10 days. The ban will come into force from Friday and is due to a new variant identified in Brazil. British, Irish and foreign nations may enter the country but must isolate for 10 days.
With almost a daily record-breaking peace, on Sunday reached a new record of positive covid cases in a single day, counting 339 of a total number of 7.362 tests, 258 cases of which were placed in Montevideo, and a total number of 26 patients in ICU.
His family informed that last night the former president died after struggling with pulmonary cancer. Also informed that for coronavirus reasons will no be placed any public large ceremony and ask to the population to follow the ceremony by the media staying at home, in order to avoid crowds.
A new round of tests done this week raised the number of Uruguayan national team players and staff members who tested positive for Covid-19 up to 20.
Washington Tabarez, the national team coach tested negative. The whole country's numbers of cases raised abruptly in the last weeks, and the latest numbers pointing to 108 positive cases for one day.
Without a strict lockdown or any enforced measure, the Uruguayan government relies on citizens' common sense and suggests keeping social distances, reduce meetings as much as possible, permanent use of masks, and so on. Although, there are 792 currently infected cases and 12 ICU patients.
"There is a time to arrive and there is a time to go in life." Thus began his final speech in the Senate, and thanked all the legislators who in these years have "endured" and with whom he shared "hard hours and others even funny."
Known worldwide as "the poorest president in the world", and until today a senator of Uruguay, he left his place at 85 years old and haunted by an immunological disease, receiving praise from his colleagues from all parties.
Soccer star Edinson Cavani revealed he contracted Covid-19 weeks ago, after spending a few days on vacation in Spain. After a dinner with former PSG colleagues, his girlfriend began to feel the symptoms.
He also said he told Óscar Tabárez, Uruguayan national team coach, that he was not fit to play in the World Cup Qualifiers.
The German Chancellor Angela Merkel stated she has "considerable doubts" about backing the EU-Mercorsur deal due to environmental concerns. The chancellor met Thursday climate campaigners in Berlin.
Steffen Seibert, spokesperson for the German government, told reports that "Serious questions have arisen due to the ongoing environmental concerns "as to whether the implementation of the agreement in the intended spirit would be guaranteed at present."
The trade deal between the EU and the Mercosur states of Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, would create the world's largest free-trade zone.
In a response to the newest Covid-19 outbreak in the country, the Uruguayan president told that CoronavirusUy, the official coronavirus mobile app, would be mandatory when using public transport.
It was also announced all patients and medical staff from Montevideo and Canelones states would be tested for Covid-19, and no one will be able to visit Uruguay without a negative test for the new coronavirus.
Uruguayan government reported a total of 32 new cases Tuesday.
The European Union has named 14 countries whose citizens are deemed "safe" to be let in from July 1, and the only Latin American country is Uruguay.
As infection rates in Brazil, Mexico and Colombia are still high, their nationals will face travel restrictions.
The current list is formed by Algeria, Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, Montenegro, Morocco, New Zealand, Rwanda, Serbia, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia and Uruguay.
Last week, a conversation between the Uruguayan vice president and the public relationships person Fernando Cristino was publicized.
In that record, the vice president said that "everything is known, everything is recorded".
He further mentions they have "a team" of lawyers dedicated to "process every kind of extorsions or requests they receive the whole time", so he (Fernando) should not mention "the Luis' dealer" because phones are wiretapped.
President Luis Lacalle Pou has now publically denied the accusations.
Lacalle Pou tested negative for Covid-19, also did the other government members that last week were in a meeting with a confirmed case of Covid-19.
It is reported that Natalia López, the person with Covid-19, was wearing a mask during the meeting with Pou.
Lacalle Pou and other members of the government will remain isolated, after having been in contact with a person who tested positive of COVID-19
Mercosur released a statement last Friday (April 26) that Argentina decided to withdraw from ongoing trade negotiations with the South American trade bloc to focus on the growing economic crisis at home. The bloc, formed by Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay, has recently been hobbled by political squabbling and government changeovers.