The Río de la Plata (or River Plate as football and military history fans know it) is ordinarily an exceedingly calm body of water, with barely a ripple to break the dulce de leche-coloured surface.
But this week, there must be waves of schadenfreude washing up on the western shore – in downtown Buenos Aires.
Uruguay’s selection as the only Latin American nation to be named on the EU’s safe countries (a decision likely to influence whether Britons can visit or not) is bound to rankle with Argentines, who pride themselves on being the “most European”, most sophisticated, and most well-connected South Americans.
The decision is based purely on scientific evidence. Only 936 Covid-19 cases have been reported in Uruguay, and 27 deaths. A lockdown, initiated on March 13 with the cessation of university classes and quickly expanded to cover schools, shopping centres and the Argentine border, has been a triumph.
A small country, with a population of only 3.5 million (the Wales of South America?), Uruguay is arguably more manageable than the vast territories of its neighbours. But Brazil, on its northern border, is a global hotspot of the virus, and Argentina, despite some early successes, has not been able to control the outbreak. Cases in Buenos Aires are now rising at an exponential rate and deaths, from a relatively low base, are on the increase.
The country’s verdant interior
Credit: getty
Montevideo is coy about reopening the country’s borders to incoming travellers. After hearing of the EU’s decision, foreign minister Ernesto Talvi told local media, “Without doubt there will have to be coordination and reciprocity so there can be a bilateral opening of the border, point to point, with countries where we can be certain that the health of the population can be assured.”
Some restaurants and bars began to open in April. Shops have gradually been reopening since May. Local tourism is restarting, though it is now winter; Uruguay’s tourism industry, concentrated around Atlantic coast resorts such as Punta del Este and José Ignacio, Unesco-listed Colonia de Sacramento and the wine-growing regions, depends hugely on the Argentine middle-classes, who arrive in huge numbers from Christmas. If the border were to remain closed, Europeans might choose to fill their places once the sunshine returns.
One of the most important early regulations issued by local authorities was for Uruguayans to “stop sharing matés”, in reference to the national habit – a near-obsession – of drinking the locally grown green yerba maté (similar to tea) at every hour of the day. The beverage is customarily served in a gourd, sipped through a metal straw and passed around a group.
It’s not time for champagne yet, or even for sharing maté. But Uruguay’s EU rosette is a significant, if small, bit of good news from a region confronting a health crisis on many fronts.
Montevideo
Credit: getty
“In recent weeks, much of the Covid-19 exposure has turned to Latin America; given the evolution of the crisis in a few South American countries,” said Colin Stewart, chairman of the Latin American Travel Association here in the UK.
“This example from Uruguay shows a positive illustration of how the pandemic is being managed in a country which borders Brazil and Argentina; and helps showcase a more diverse picture in terms of how the pandemic is being managed throughout the continent.
“This news gives us and many of our LATA members confidence that tourism to Latin America will bounce back soon. Although we anticipate that this will happen in stages and will be subject to the epidemiological situation in each specific country; the inclusion of Uruguay in this safe list is certainly a step in the right direction.”
Source link : https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/south-america/uruguay/articles/uruguay-travel-post-coronavirus/
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Publish date : 2020-07-02 03:00:00
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