BUENOS AIRES, May 28 (Xinhua) -- Argentina will not rush to restart football as the country continues to grapple with the coronavirus pandemic, sports minister Matias Lammens said on Thursday.

The comments come two weeks after President Alberto Fernandez announced the government had begun to discuss protocols for sport's return in the South American nation.

"We have been talking with the health ministry so that sports activities, not just football, can be played again," Lammens said in an interview with El Destape Radio.

"But right now the situation in the city of Buenos Aires and greater Buenos Aires is complex. We all have the feeling that in the past 15 days we haven't advanced and that in some situations we have actually regressed. The prospect of restarting football seems distant."

Argentina has around 14,000 confirmed coronavirus cases, more than 500 of which have been fatal.

Football in the country has been suspended since March 17, three days before the government imposed a mandatory lockdown that will remain in force until at least June 7.

Lammens said the government had not been consulted by the Argentinian Football Association (AFA) or its clubs about the possibility of staging matches in a provincial area with few or no COVID-19 cases.

"If the AFA eventually makes that decision, the government needs to be consulted to determine whether the necessary health protocols are in place," he said. Enditem

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