International borders in Uruguay are remaining closed until October 31st. The Government of Uruguay announced that they’d be monitoring local COVID-19 outbreaks in neighbouring nations from September 10th to October 31st. An informative assessment on safety conditions of Uruguay Civilians will be made after this period, with Government officials determining if international borders can be reopened or remain closed for extended periods.
Latin America has struggled to combat outbreaks of COVID-19, with nations like Argentina & Brazil seeing high percentages of infection. Uruguay has taken drastically different approaches to the COVID-19 Pandemic, enforcing safety protocols that’ve enabled their respective nation to support some of the lowest coronavirus percentages worldwide. Civilian support in Uruguay towards social distancing & safety measures has benefited Government officials in their fight against COVID-19.
Brazil & Argentina have supported prominently high infection percentages for COVID-19. An additional nine thousand cases were recorded in 24 Hours within Argentina. Brazil has seen substantially higher numbers with 40+ thousand other infections per day since August 21st. Brazil has more than 1.3 Million Active Cases of COVID-19, with 4.4 Million recorded since the outbreak occurred.
The Government of Uruguay cannot permit their borders to reopen with both neighbouring countries supporting infection rates. Brazilians actively engage with Uruguayan Businesses, or tourism destinations. Allowing Argentinian or Brazilian tourists into their borders would evoke outbreaks, with similar concerns regarding European & American nations for the Uruguay Government.
Explanations Given by Tourism Minister
An official statement regarding the continued closure of international borders was provided by Germain Cardoso, the Minister of Uruguay Tourism. He mentioned that their previous postponement announcement had presumed that COVID-19 outbreaks in Brazil & Argentina would’ve stabilized. Germain emphasized concern that neighbouring nations are continuing to get worse with infection percentages, prompting the Uruguay Government to implement a “60-Day Evaluation Period” on how international borders can be reopened after October.
Uruguay’s economy thrives on the involvement of international tourists, with their market accounting for an annual four million visitors. Large percentages of the Uruguayan Workforce is employed via companies in the tourism sector. It’s created a significant problem for the Government, choosing the safety of their civilians or ensuring that the tourism market is protected. This issue will likely be resolved by November 1st.