Virus hits beach resort, as pandemic surges in Argentina

MAR DEL PLATA, Argentina (AP) — Hundreds of Argentine flags dotted the sand of a beach at the Mar del Plata resort, a poignant memorial to the victims of the novel coronavirus in one of this South American country’s new virus hotspots.

When the flags were planted last week, they were a tribute to the more than 500 people who had died from COVID-19 over the previous seven months in Argentina's top resort. Since then, about 100 more have died and Mar del Plata has become an epicenter in a coronavirus surge through Argentina's interior that has given it the fifth-highest confirmed case total in the world.

The resort's new reality is starkly visible: Its beaches and businesses are deserted at a time when Argentines normally would be booking lodging and renting beach gear for the fast-approaching Southern Hemisphere summer. In contrast, the Modular Hospital on the other side of town is busy with ambulances bringing COVID-19 patients and several days earlier had been on the verge of collapse.

“Today, from a health standpoint, Mar del Plata is in a very serious problem,” said Argentine Cabinet chief Santiago Cafiero.

When the pandemic emerged, Argentina was one of the first countries to take strict isolation measures to stop the spread of the coronavirus, winning plaudits from global health officials, and has had one of the world's longest quarantines. But in recent months the number of confirmed cases has surged as Argentines weary of seven months of lockdown and pressured by a devastating economic crisis have stopped staying at home and obeying quarantine orders.

While the country's initial outbreak was focused in Buenos Aires and surrounding areas, the new outbreak is taking place in Argentina's provinces and cities like Mar del Plata on the coast and Rosario in the country's east. Initially, up to 90% of the...