COLONIA DEL SACRAMENTO, Uruguay– The Uruguayan federal government was hailed as one of the world’s finest COVID-19 crisis handlers. Despite liing in between two of the countries most impacted by the pandemic– Argentina and Brazil where the cases never ever appear to end– Uruguay had one of the smallest break outs in the region, and the authorities prevented a necessary quarantine.
In September, the British Medical Journal released a post under the headline: ” Uruguay Is Winning Versus COVID-19″
The miracle did not last. A few months later, cases are increasing by the hundreds every day and specialists fear that it will not be long prior to Uruguay, which when felt prepared, finds that the pandemic is out of control.
On March 13, when the first 4 cases of COVID-19 were spotted in the nation, the Uruguayan government ensured the population that a compulsory quarantine would not be used in Uruguay. They said it would be the duty of the population to comply with the confinement which, although recommended, was never ever obligatory. Procedures were embraced by the federal government to encourage individuals to stay at house, such as closing schools, suspending shows, and restricting public transport. They proved successful in those important first months.
By Sept. 20, there had been simply 1,917 cases of the illness spotted in Uruguay, and only 40 people had passed away. The number of deaths has now doubled, reaching 98 on Dec. 16, and active cases in the country are up to around 3,500
Natalia Venturini, a psychologist from the military school of the Ministry of National Defense informed The Daily Beast that the population had actually not always been loyal, but that frightening images of the pandemic hitting Europe had at first terrified Uruguayans into sheltering. “Although confinement was not compulsory, companies chose to close and individuals remained inside their homes … I think all this was a product of fear and uncertainty,” she said.
For many people, preventing what was occurring in other countries was factor enough to stay with the government’s suggestions and take the needed precautions, which worked in avoiding the spread of the virus.
Emilia Margor, who lives in the capital Montevideo, was one of those who stopped interacting socially and took the steps extremely seriously. “In the beginning of all this, I would state that from March to July, the care was quite severe,” she stated.
However things changed very quickly. Given the relative success of its actions, the federal government got over-confident. It started to set out a vision called “the brand-new normality”– it was a progressive process however recommended to people that the worst of the hazard was over. In May, they resumed the bars and dining establishments that had actually decided to close, with a new protocol and lowered hours, and in early July the schools finished the last phase of the plan that had actually been taken to open them, staying open to this day.
Dr. Ricardo Bernardi, who is advising Uruguay’s government on its pandemic reaction, admitted to The Daily Monster that the path ahead was unclear in the small Latin American country. “At this time there is a great deal of uncertainty and expectation about whether the procedures taken are sufficient,” he said.
Bernardi– a psychiatric professional who belongs to the Honorary Scientific Advisory Group– said individuals had actually started to lose perseverance with the limitations. “The population’s attention reduced in time because fear decreased and individuals started to have some fatigue and need for contacts and activities,” he stated.
After months of emphasizing specific responsibility, Uruguay now deals with a big section of the population who chose that the circumstance in Uruguay was not so bad– so they ought to proceed with their lives.
In Montevideo alone, over one weekend in November, 195 clandestine parties were broken up by cops. Much of the break outs across different regions of the country, can be linked back to youths partying.
Alfonsina Devicenti, an 18- year-old student from the Colonia department, said individuals her age were now back to their old methods and there were parties occurring all the time. There was a huge current one in Los Fogones, a meeting point in the city, where youths openly ignore the standards. “Many teenagers here spend a great deal of time outside with other teenagers in very large groups,” she said.
Dr. Néstor Campos, previous president of the Uruguayan Medical Association, informed The Daily Beast that the government’s messaging campaign had stopped working amongst younger people.
” A lot focus has actually been placed on the truth that COVID does not cause severe results [among the younger age groups], that youths are losing regard for it,” he stated. “We should continue to communicate and engage more with youths, and likewise take stiff steps even if they are out of favor.”
Venturini, the psychologist from the Ministry of Defense school, confessed that the population followed the government’s lead and began to relax prematurely. “The reality that the federal government has actually never ever decreed obligatory confinement undoubtedly impacts the reality that we have actually ‘unwinded’ and deserted the voluntary quarantine that we did,” she stated. “Possibly with a more stringent regulative framework, as in other countries, the situation would have been different.”
This unexpected boost in cases, which continues to rise, is worrying health-care experts and threatening to overwhelm hospitals in some areas, but it also has an important financial effect. Tourist is huge for Uruguay with more than 3 million visitors every year, equivalent to its entire population. With the borders closed, numerous services had actually hoped that domestic tourist would comprise a few of the shortage this coming summer season, but the spike in COVID-19 cases has actually rushed those hopes.
Not everyone is panicking yet, Dr. Jorge Mota, the previous department director of the Ministry of Health in the department of Colonia, told The Daily Monster that rates were still relatively low on an international scale. “I think something like this was to be anticipated, due to the fact that considering that the infection has neighborhood flow, it is sensible that increasingly more individuals have contact with it,” he stated.
For most professionals, however, the circumstance remains in risk of spiraling out of control.
As the pandemic edges up, the judgment National Celebration is still popular. For now, it is mainly seen as the fault of the public, not the government, that cases are skyrocketing. There’s a growing set of voices who say tougher measures would relieve the scenario.
For the minute, Uruguay is backtracking its steps, enforcing limits on the opening of restaurants and threatening to end “the new normality.” The question remains: Does the federal government still have the power to convince the nation to listen to its cautions?
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