Argentina tries to protect older people from COVID-19

Silvia Romero inched backwards with her shopping cart on a muted Buenos Aires street, maintaining a spatial buffer of about a metre around her.

It was 8:30 Monday morning and the 68-year-old cook was out earlier than usual to avoid crowds and beat the run on goods that has gripped the city.

Romero is part of a demographic to which the Argentine government is paying special attention as the tally of COVID-19 infections climbs daily in the nation.

On Monday, the number of COVID-19 cases in South American country grew by nine. As of Monday, 65 people including one person who is a healthcare worker have confirmed infections.

“To the people who are over 65 years old, we’re asking them to stay home, where it’s calm, to enjoy their homes,” Argentine President Alberto Fernandez said Sunday night at a news conference, underscoring the advice of medical experts that older people may suffer more serious consequences from the coronavirus.