1. The government made official the flexibilization of activities

Through Decree 678/2021, the national government made official the new measures announced on September 21 regarding the relaxation of activities, which will be in force until December 31. In this sense, among the main measures is the elimination of the compulsory use of mouth covers outdoors without crowds, as well as the authorization of massive events of more than 1,000 people; activities in discotheques and/or dance clubs; and group trips of retired people, as long as they accredit a dose or the complete vaccination scheme, as the case may be. On the other hand, by means of Administrative Decision 951/2021, the Chief of Cabinet established a new migratory framework, with measures that include the progressive increase of the passenger quota for entering the country, which will gradually increase up to 28,000 places as from October 11. It is worth mentioning that the regulation specifies that when the country reaches a coverage of 50% of the population with a complete vaccination schedule, no quota of any kind will be applied. At the same time, it frees the entry of nationals or residents of neighboring countries who have stayed in these countries during the 14 days prior to entering the national territory, until October 31, 2021, since as from the following day the entry of non-resident foreigners of any origin will be enabled, as long as they comply with a series of migratory and sanitary requirements.

Decreto 678/2021
Decisión Administrativa 951/2021

2. Relaxation of restrictions on meat exports

On Tuesday afternoon, the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, Julián Domínguez, attended a meeting with the agricultural entities assembled in the Mesa de Enlace to find an intermediate solution to the issue of the restrictions imposed on meat exports. Although the rural leaders had expected a total liberalization of these restrictions, both parties agreed on a gradual opening, which means that cow breeders and producers will be able to sell abroad the canned and manufactured cow with main destination China, one of the main destinations of agricultural exports. In addition, on Thursday afternoon, Minister Domínguez headed an act in which the project for the promotion of agro-industrial, federal, inclusive, sustainable and exporting development was presented. During the speech, the contribution of the agro-industrial sector and the need to promote value added at origin were highlighted, without mentioning specific measures. President Alberto Fernández and Vice President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner took part in the event.

Cronista: Exportaciones de carne: el Gobierno anunció una apertura gradual a partir del lunes

3. Poverty reached 40.6% in the first half of the year

The National Institute of Statistics and Census (INDEC) released on Thursday afternoon the poverty and indigence index for the first half of 2021, which reached 40.6% and 8.2%, respectively, according to the Permanent Household Survey (EPH). In this way, almost 19 million people fall below the poverty line, that is, they do not manage to cover the cost of the total basic food basket, while 5 million Argentines are indigent. At the same time, it is highlighted that 54.3% of people under 15 years of age are poor. On the other hand, the statistical agency also published the Monthly Estimator of Economic Activity (EMAE) for July, which showed a growth of 0.8% with respect to June, and 11.7% year-on-year. In this regard, although some sectors are starting to grow again, economic activity is still at pre-pandemic levels, that is, if compared to February 2020.

Infobae: La pobreza llegó al 40,6% en la primera mitad del año y alcanzó a 18,8 millones de personas en todo el país
Infobae: Economía estancada: por qué aún no recuperó los niveles de la prepandemia y cuáles son los límites para seguir creciendo

4. Secretary of Domestic Trade had a meeting with supermarkets

Less than a week before the renewal of Precios Cuidados, the program that establishes reference prices for mass consumption products, the Secretary of Domestic Trade, Paula Español, met with representatives of supermarkets to discuss and align positions regarding the prices of products sold in those entities, in order to improve the purchasing power of citizens. In this sense, unlike other occasions, there were no demands from the official to increase price controls, penalties or reduce profitability.

5. The national government made economic announcements

The Chief of Cabinet, Juan Manzur, and the Executive Director of the National Social Security Administration (ANSES), Fernanda Raverta, announced the implementation of early retirement, the possibility for people with five years or less to reach the retirement age, and who have 30 years of social security contributions, to apply for retirement. It is a measure established by Decree 674/2021, published this Thursday in the Official Gazette, which covers all those who, in addition, were unemployed as of June 30 of this year.

La Nación: El Gobierno oficializó la jubilación anticipada: los cambios y a quiénes alcanza