Coronavirus in Argentina: Horacio Rodríguez Larreta sees a “slight slope” in the number of cases and is already preparing new openings in the City

“It is not necessary to shout the goals before the ball enters”, they warned near the head of government, Horacio Rodríguez Larreta, determined for these hours to moderate the overflowing optimism of his team, who -with data in hand- speak of a “clear light at the end of the horizon” in the battle against coronavirus. Hand in hand with the drop in cases and the bed occupancy rates and infection rate, the Buenos Aires government is already thinking about new openings in the city.

“We are increasingly optimistic. We are in a position to give answers to the people, just when the social exhaustion in the quarantine reached the limit,” said a member of the Buenos Aires cabinet last night, when the extensive columns of cars and pedestrians dispersed after the march of 17A against the Government, a demonstration of whichthe Buenos Aires administration took distance.

After another morning dedicated to reviewing the situation and future plans – the head of government excused himself to not participate in the virtual meeting of Together for Change-Another minister described the health situation as a “slight downward slope” in relation to the number of infections. “There may be some jumps up, but the trend is down,” said the official, before yesterday’s daily report from the Ministry of Health confirmed 710 new cases, almost half of those recorded last week.

In this context, and with a curve that would begin to decline ostensibly “in two or three weeks”, the reopening plan announced on Friday is accelerated. To the return of individual sports (golf, tennis, rowing, paddle tennis) that took place yesterday, will be followed by the meetings that Buenos Aires officials will hold today with owners of shops in the Once and Calle Avellaneda areas, in Flores, to agree protocols that allow them to reopen their doors. Also today will be launched the partial reopening of hotels of the City not affected to the care of coronavirus cases, with the corresponding protocols.

And forward? “We think about reopening more activities that give work, and recovering all that can be social life,” they affirmed from the Buenos Aires administration.

Back to class?

Many of the main guns are also on “some kind” back to school next month. On the one hand, the city started today with the “Decí Presente” plan, whereby they “went looking” house to house for 6,500 boys from a state-run establishment who lost all contact with the school, relieve their needs and reinstate them from some form to virtual teaching.

On the other hand, and in a project that arouses irritation in the national teaching unions, the Buenos Aires government will present this week to the National Ministry of Education its project of reopening of computer cabinets, so that children and adolescents without internet access or with access difficulties can do so within schools.

The plan of Larreta and his Minister of Education, Soledad Acuña, consists of enabling three spaces (or classrooms) of five boys each, so that they develop their tasks there. It would begin with the secondary schools, and a week later the primary schools would be added. “It will be easier for them to be infected in the supermarket than in the school,” they affirmed from that ministry, and attributed the resistance of the teaching unions to the fact that “many cannot allow themselves to be run away by a theoretically right-wing government “like the one headed by the Pro leader. In any case, it is almost a fact that this year there will be no return to” normal “classes for anyone in the city.

“There are many plans, we hope we can carry them out if the cases continue to decline,” they said near the head of government, obsessed with reopening more activities and showing an “autonomous” path beyond his agreements with the Casa Rosada.

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