Uruguay accused of squandering early Covid success amid deadly surge

The tiny country has the highest death rate in Latin America after the centre-right government abandoned social restrictions

Enrique Soto, a senior cardiologist in Uruguay knew that, at the age of 65, he was at higher risk of Covid-19. His 40-year-old son Marcos had warned him as much but Soto replied he could not abandon his patients.

When Soto died at the beginning of Uruguay's devastating recent second wave of infections his death became emblematic of the disaster that has unfolded in recent months in the tiny South American country.