Pandemic cancels Argentina's whale watching season

Groups of humpback whales frolic just off the coast of southern Argentina, but this year there are only a handful of people on shore watching.

Like the rest of the South American country, Puerto Piramide, a famous whale watching tourist spot, has been closed since March, shut down because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The 200 residents all make their livings exclusively from the tourists that flock here to get a glimpse of the marine giants up close and personal, be it from a guided boat tour or standing on the beach, and this year is gearing up to be an economic catastrophe.

"The tour guides are floundering and without any means of income," said Maria Leoni Gaffet, a whale watching tour guide.

Almost all of the people who work in the whale watching industry here are freelance workers who most likely won't make any money until at least next season which begins July 2021.

The Argentine government had extended a zero interest line of credit which residents have to pay back and a few have been eligible for a small one-time payment of 50 thousand pesos (77 US dollars).

In town, employees at Peke Sosa, a whale watching business that has been up and running there for 50 years, said they didn't know if they would open.

No national or international flights are scheduled for at least the next two months, making the likelihood tourist will arrive anytime soon nothing but a pleasant thought for residents.

According to a Johns Hopkins University tally on Wednesday, Argentina had reported over 305,966 COVID-19 cases and more than 6,000 deaths.