Unable to work, Argentines at the fringes turn to army for food

Hilda Acosta, a volunteer at a soup kitchen, sews face masks for the low-income people at her home, during the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Florencio Varela, in the outskirts of Buenos Aires, Argentina March 26, 2020. REUTERS/Agustin Marcarian

QUILMES, Argentina (Reuters) - In a suburb of Quilmes, south of Buenos Aires, dozens wait in line at an army field kitchen to get rations of food, their pockets emptier than normal due to a nationwide shutdown aimed at stemming the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

In a country where at least 35% of people live below the poverty line and many are employed informally in piecemeal work, Argentines are being hard hit by the obligatory quarantine.