ReliefWeb

REFUGEES AND MIGRANTS IN THE SUBREGION 235,000

PEOPLE REACHED WITH SOME FORM OF ASSISTANCE 11,273

FUNDING SITUATION 16% FUNDED: 6.8 MILLION REQUIREMENT: 41.7 MILLION .

Situation

• Argentina reached 112k deaths and almost 5.2 million confirmed cases of coronavirus by the end of the month. At the beginning of the month President Alberto Fernández confirmed that COVID-19 restrictions would be loosened nationwide after 10 consecutive weeks of improving indicators and that the 1,000-person daily cap on returning residents would be raised to 1,700 up until 1 October. In addition, the government included new exemptions for “family reunions” which will allow close relatives of Argentinians and residents who live abroad to enter the country. In Bolivia the vaccination campaign advanced and President Luis Arce indicated that by December 90 per cent of the population over 18 years old will be immunized. At the end of the month, Bolivia had a total of 3.1 million vaccines against COVID-19 "stalled" or not yet administered to patients, out of 9 million received, raising concerns of new infection outbreaks. President Luis Arce issued Supreme Decree N* 4576, which established an exceptional procedure for migratory regularization in Bolivia, to grant 2 year residence permits to foreigners of any nationality in an irregular situation, who were present in Bolivia by 24 August 2021 and comply with documentation requirements. In Paraguay, as of 25 August, according to a new regulation issued by the Ministry of Public Health, the sanitary requirements for those entering the country were modified. The regulation is applicable for both Paraguayans and foreigners and sets forth that isolation will not be mandatory for persons presenting a negative test for COVID-19 and a full vaccination certificate. People who are not fully vaccinated must comply with preventive isolation. In August, Uruguay recorded two consecutive days with no deaths from COVID-19, and by the end of the month, the country had fully inoculated 72 per cent of its population. Uruguay began administering a third booster dose of Pfizer to deal with the Delta variant and President Luis Lacalle announced that borders will be open by November for all foreigners who are fully vaccinated. The Ministry of Public Health announced the development of a border contingency plan that include a center that welcomes people in a critical context with positive COVID-19 diagnosis who require quarantine.

• At Argentina's northwest border with Bolivia, refugees and migrants from Venezuela continued arriving to the city of La Quiaca (Jujuy), with some 145 persons arriving during August. Local hospital Jorge Uro started testing refugees and migrants with PCR tests. During the last week of August, 38 refugees and migrants (16 families) were tested, therefore reducing the length of isolation periods in the city. Most Venezuelans applying for asylum in Argentina are not having their claims registered, as their protection needs are not recognized by authorities in both San Salvador de Jujuy and Puerto Iguazú migration border offices. In Bolivia, between 700 - 800 people per week are passing through irregular points from Bolivia to Chile (from Oruro bound for Pisiga and then crossing to Chile).