Argentina extends lockdown until August 16 as coronavirus cases rise

Argentina will extend a mandatory lockdown until August 16 as its coronavirus cases continue to rise, President Alberto Fernandez said on Friday. The lockdown, which has been the strictest in the capital Buenos Aires, was due to expire on Sunday.

The South American nation has seen its caseload spike in recent weeks and recorded a record daily tally on Thursday with 6,377 new cases. There are now 185,373 confirmed cases and 3,466 deaths, Reuters reported.

“The big problem that we have had in the last 15 days is that we relaxed, we felt that it was contained,” Fernandez said. Argentina has been under lockdown since March 20. Restrictions were previously relaxed in many parts of the country.