COVID-19 pandemic in Uruguay

On 12 January 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that a novel coronavirus was the cause of a respiratory illness in a cluster of people in Wuhan, Hubei, China, which was reported to the WHO on 31 December 2019.[7][8]

The case fatality ratio for COVID-19 has been much lower than SARS of 2003,[9][10] but the transmission has been significantly greater, with a significant total death toll.[11][9]

The first four cases, all imported, were reported on 13 March. One of them had attended a wedding with 500 people,[12] and two others had taken a six-hour bus trip from Montevideo to Salto. Some of the other passengers on this ride were contacted by the authorities and developed symptoms.[13]

On 14 March, it was announced that the two patients who took the bus ride on 8 March generated some 200 contacts, who were categorized as suspected cases with home quarantine recommended.[14][15]

Local transmission was established with two non-imported cases reported on 15 March.[16] The first patients showed mild symptoms of COVID-19.[17] In the preceding days, more than 60 suspected cases had been analyzed and ruled out at air and sea ports in Uruguay. It is believed that the relatively late arrival of COVID-19 cases in Uruguay is related, among other things, to the country's scarce direct air connections with the countries most affected by the virus: China, Germany, northern Italy, Iran, and South Korea.[18]

On 15 March a doctor who works at two medical institutions tested positive. The patients who had visited him and the members of the medical team were contacted.[19][20]

On 16 March, it was announced that one of the infected people was at a wedding in Paraguay and later on Friday, 6 March, went to a Uruguayan First Division football club pre-game meeting, which generated at least 20 suspected contacts.[21][22]

On 17 March it was learned that other wedding attendees, three students at a private university who had attended in-person classes since then, had tested positive for the coronavirus. Their classmates were asked to quarantine.[23]

Of the first 29 confirmed cases, 26 were in the capital of Montevideo, which is home to about a third of the country's population. Two cases were in Salto and one in Maldonado. Nine of the cases were imported and the remaining twenty were transmitted from one of the confirmed cases. Many of these early cases were related to a 7 March wedding in Carrasco with 500 people, attended by a returnee from Spain who later developed symptoms and tested positive for COVID-19.[24][25][26] Of the country's first 55 cases, 44 were traced to the wedding.[27] The passenger returning from Spain later said, "I asked if there were any measures at the airport because I was coming from Europe and they said no."[27]

Uruguayan doctor Martín Stryjewski said that a "cultural change" was necessary. In Uruguay it is common to greet people with a kiss on the cheek; Stryjewski recommended that people instead greet each other without touching. He also recommended that people avoid sharing mate, a Uruguayan beverage that is traditionally drunk communally, sharing a straw. He advised that people use diluted bleach to clean frequently touched surfaces.[28]

In early April, an outbreak was discovered at the Hospital Vilardebó. The hospital was closed and placed under quarantine as a result.[29]

After the first cases were confirmed, various measures were introduced. Public performances were canceled, and some public places were closed. The Gremial Única del Taxi union asked passengers not to sit on the front seat of taxis. All political parties temporarily suspended campaign events ahead of the municipal elections, which were postponed from May to September. Movie theaters started requiring customers to sit on every other seat. Catholic bishops modified some ceremonies.[30] Shopping centers were closed on 17 March 2020 and the Interior Minister advised residents to stay home as much as possible.[31]

The University of the Republic cancelled classes on 13 March 2020,[32] and later announced plans for distance learning for the remainder of the semester.[33] The government announced a two-week suspension of classes at public and private schools on Saturday, 14 March. Schools were to remain open to provide meals to students, but without classes.[32] The suspension of classes was extended to 13 April and beyond that.[34] A plan to let students return to school on a voluntary basis starting in June 2020 was announced by president Luis Lacalle Pou on 21 May 2020.[35] Students transitioned to online classes using the computers and online tools that had already been set up through the Plan Ceibal. Private schools that don't use Ceibal instead started using Zoom, Webex, WhatsApp, Google Classroom, and Moodle.[36]

On 16 March, the government issued an order to close all border crossings except Carrasco International Airport.[37] The border with Argentina was closed effective 17 March at midnight.[38] The closure included river and air travel.[38] President Luis Lacalle Pou said that the idea of closing the border with Brazil was "a little more complex", because it is a dry land border, and many people living near the border live a "binational life".[38] Lacalle Pou advised people over 65 to stay at home.[38] Flights from the United States were suspended effective 18 March,[39] and from Europe effective 20 March at midnight (00:00),[40] at which point the airport was to close.[37]

The government recommended working from home and not traveling, and introduced a free service for medical consultation by phone. To free up hospital beds, surgeries were permitted to be rescheduled.[40] The Ministry of the Interior announced that patrol officers would circulate with loudspeakers asking citizens not to meet in large groups.[31] Temperature checks were introduced in prisons and activities for prisoners restricted.[41]

On 17 March, the Ministry of Economy and Finance published a list of prices of products such as alcohol gel, rectified alcohol, and surgical masks, in order to prevent price gouging. The list gave locations where the products could be obtained and their prices at each location.[28][42]

On 18 March, the government said "everything is on the table", including the possibility of a "general quarantine", to address the virus.[24] Amid thousands of unemployment insurance claims, the government announced subsidies and other measures to cushion the economic impact of the pandemic.[43]

The Medical Syndicate of Uruguay (Sindicato Médico del Uruguay) called for a general quarantine (shutting down all nonessential businesses and activities). As of 19 March, the possibility was being discussed in the government but had not been implemented due to concerns about its economic effects.[44]

In late March, the government closed Uruguay's borders to foreigners, with the exceptions of Uruguayan residents, transit passengers, and cities on the border with Brazil.[45]

On 30 March, the government announced that from 1 April to 12 April measures would be taken to restrict movement within the country in the lead-up to "Tourism Week" (the Uruguayan term for Holy Week). Residents were advised not to use RVs or to travel with hunting weapons, and campgrounds were closed. The public was advised to stay home and avoid going to public places or campgrounds.[46]

As of December 2, given the increase in cases (especially in Montevideo), a series of temporary measures were put into effect to slow growth. Among them the closure of sports activities in gyms and closed places, the implementation of teleworking in public offices, closing of restaurants after midnight and the suspension of end-of-year parties.[47]

On December 16, due to the exponential growth of cases, the Executive Power announced a new set of measures: the regulation of Article 38 of the Constitution (the power of the executive power to dissolve agglomerations); the prohibition of entry from abroad between December 21 and January 10; the reduction of the capacity in interdepartmental transportation by half on those dates; the extension of the opening hours of shopping malls and street markets; the reopening of gyms (with a maximum capacity of 30%) and the suspension of public shows.[48]

Unemployment claims increased dramatically in mid-March 2020, went down somewhat by the end of the month, then increased again in early April. There were 86,000 unemployment claims in the month of March, whereas an average month sees about 11,000. The majority (about 85%) of claims were due to suspension, and only 3% were due to layoffs.[49]

By early April, home internet usage had increased by 32% and mobile usage had increased by 44%, according to the state-owned telecommunications company Antel.[50]

• COVID-19 pandemic by country
• COVID-19 pandemic in South America

• Ministry of Public Health – official website of the Coronavirus National Plan (in Spanish)