Argentine Official Offers Sex Advice for Isolation

LOS ANGELES—Though some Latin American countries have been notably lax in their response to the global coronavirus pandemic, Argentina’s President Alberto Fernandez has won praise for his relatively decisive actions, imposing a nationwide shutdown on March 20 to curb the spread of the virus.  “The choice is to take care of the economy or take care of lives,” Fernandez (pictured above) said at the time. “I chose to take care of lives.” But the Argentine government is not requiring the country’s population to make another difficult choice—between coronavirus and sex.  In a television broadcast last Friday, a top doctor with the Argentine Health Ministry offered his tips for staying safe while also engaging in sexual activity—including solo activity—during the shutdown, which Fernandez has now extended until April 26 at least.  “It’s more important than ever to wash your hands after having sexual relations, after masturbation, or virtual sex,” health ministry physician Dr. Jose Barletta told the country—advice that appears much needed as online porn viewing has risen sharply since much of the world’s population went under stay-at-home orders.  “It is important to disinfect keyboards, telephones, sex toys and whatever else you might be using, whether or not you are sharing these things with others,” Barletta advised Argentines. But his advice appeared similar to guidelines issued in March by the New York City health department, which also outlined hygienic measures for sex in the time of coronavirus.  Argentina, according to Worldometers stats, has just under 3,000 cases of coronavirus infection as of Monday, with 136 fatalities. In Brazil where President Jair Bolsonaro has scoffed at the pandemic, comparing coronavirus to “a little flu,” and has been harshly critical of Brazilian states that have implemented their own shutdowns, the virus has inflicted more than 2,500 deaths with about 40,000 cases. In other words, with about five times the population of Argentina, Brazil has suffered more than 18 times as many deaths, and about 13 times as many cases. Despite the advice offered by one of his top health officials, however, the Argentine president refused to offer his own sex advice for his country’s citizens. “If it’s what the health ministry says, you should listen,” the 61-year-old Fernandez said in a weekend TV interview. “Don’t make me offer my own opinion about this.” Photo By Esteban Collazo, Casa Rosada (Argentina Presidency of the Nation) / Wikimedia Commons