BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) -Argentina on Tuesday unveiled plans to ease coronavirus pandemic restrictions, including loosening strict border controls, allowing more commercial activities and getting rid of the mandatory wearing of face masks outdoors.

Health Minister Carla Vizzotti said the easing of rules would allow more economic, industrial and commercial activities in closed places, while maintaining COVID-19 prevention measures.

“We are in a very positive moment, we know that the pandemic has not ended, we have to maintain care,” Vizzotti said in a news conference in Buenos Aires. “We are moving towards the full recovery of activities.”

Argentina, after a slow start to its COVID-19 vaccination campaign, has now administered more than 49 million doses, including fully inoculating more than 20 million people out of its population of about 45 million. Cases and fatalities have fallen sharply.

The pandemic has hit the South American country hard, with some 5.24 million confirmed COVID-19 cases, and has hurt the popularity of center-left President Alberto Fernandez, who was recently forced into a Cabinet reshuffle after a bruising primary election defeat.

The president has pledged to roll out various measures to help Argentines, who have seen poverty levels rise steeply amid the pandemic, which led to a tough lockdown last year.

Cabinet chief Juan Manzur, newly sworn in on Monday, said that if the numbers kept improving then the country could be edging out of the worst of the health crisis.

“The data are very promising because if things continue in this direction, it means that we are perhaps experiencing the last stage of the pandemic,” he said.

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