Argentina has temporarily stopped issuing visas to travelers from countries hardest-hit by coronavirus, including the United States, China and countries in Europe, in a bid to stem the spread of the virus in the South American nation, Trend reports with reference to Reuters.
The Argentine government’s decision, published in the Official Gazette on Thursday, comes a day after the World Health Organization (WHO) said the coronavirus outbreak was a pandemic, and the United States restricted travel from Europe.
The decree also suspends visa issuance to people from South Korea, Japan, Iran, Britain and many European countries.
Argentina has so far registered 21 confirmed coronavirus cases and one death. All the cases so far have involved people who had recently traveled abroad, mostly to Europe.
The country’s immigration authority said the “rapid worldwide spread” of the virus had led to the new measures to tighten the country’s borders.
The city government in capital Buenos Aires also announced on Thursday it would ban public attendance at sporting events and large-scale gatherings to limit the spread of the virus, state news agency Telam reported.