Argentina went into full lockdown mode on Friday, with streets in Buenos Aires largely deserted, while workers and school kids in the capital logged on remotely to offices, classrooms and even digital dancing lessons, after a mandatory quarantine was imposed, Reuters reports.

On Thursday President Alberto Fernandez announced the isolation measure to keep all but essential workers in their homes until the end of March in what he called “a fight against an invisible enemy to save lives.”

“In the face of this crisis there is no place for individualistic attitudes, we need to maintain social distancing by avoiding leaving our homes... Faced with this threat, we are all responsible. Our destinies depends on each other.”

A man sprays bleach at Plaza de Mayo in Buenos Aires, Argentina on Friday, March 20, 2020. Argentina's government imposed a countrywide lockdown to contain the spread of the coronavirus. —AP
A man sprays bleach at Plaza de Mayo in Buenos Aires, Argentina on Friday, March 20, 2020. Argentina's government imposed a countrywide lockdown to contain the spread of the coronavirus. —AP

Argentina has so far registered 128 confirmed cases of coronavirus, with three deaths. The government has shut borders to non-residents, restricted long-distance domestic travel and curtailed large events.

Opinion

Editorial

Chinese diplomacy
Updated 14 Mar, 2026

Chinese diplomacy

THERE are signs that China is taking a more active role in trying to resolve the issue of cross-border terrorism...
Fragile gains at risk
14 Mar, 2026

Fragile gains at risk

PAKISTAN is confronting an external shock stemming from the US-Israel war on Iran that few of the other affected...
Kidney disease
14 Mar, 2026

Kidney disease

ON World Kidney Day this past Thursday, the Pakistan Medical Association raised the alarm on Pakistan’s...
Delicate balance
Updated 13 Mar, 2026

Delicate balance

PAKISTAN has to maintain a delicate balance where the geopolitics of the US-Israeli aggression against Iran are...
Soaring costs
13 Mar, 2026

Soaring costs

FOR millions of households already grappling with Ramazan inflation, the sharp increase in petrol and diesel prices...
Perilous lines
13 Mar, 2026

Perilous lines

THE law minister’s veiled warning to the media to “exercise caution” and not cross “red lines” while...