Horacio Rodríguez Larreta: “We do not agree with the restriction on circulation, but we are going to respect it”

The head of Government of the City of Buenos Aires acknowledged this Thursday that he does not agree with the restriction on night circulation imposed by the national government to combat the second wave of coronavirus, but clarified that they will also respect the letter of the decree that will be known in the next few hours.

In a press conference held this morning at the seat of government, he assured: “Regarding the restriction of circulation, we already express that we do not agree because it is proven that circulating outdoors and wearing a mask does not generate contagion”.

“Now, like any rule, we are going to respect it in accordance with the spirit that the national government told us that this measure aims to avoid concentrations of people and not those who are returning home or fulfilling an essential function.”, He added.

In this context, the head of the City Government clarified that the statement signed days ago by leaders of Together for Change at no time questioned compliance with the measures that the national government would implement. “The rules are to be met,” he answered in the last question of the press conference.

The mayor of Buenos Aires announced how they will implement the care measures in the Federal Capital

– In order to stagger the mobility of the morning and that agglomerations between workers, students and teachers are not generated, those non-essential shops will open at 10 in the morning.

– Mass shows, as stated by the national government, are going to be rescheduled and casinos and bingo halls are going to close.

– We are going to promote teleworking again for those who can carry out their tasks from home.

– A large part of the Government team is dedicated to tasks related to Covid and in customer service: in testing centers, vaccinations, hotels, airports and call centers.

– All the rest will work remotely and we ask the private sector to join us in this measure.

– We are going to free up parking in the City so that all those who do have to move can do so by car, avoiding public transport, which, as the national government pointed out, is only for people who perform essential tasks.

– And we are going to reinforce controls in public spaces, in commercial and gastronomic areas, in public transport and in transshipment centers, to guarantee compliance with the protocols and that the different activities can continue to operate safely.

The face-to-face classes

Rodríguez Larreta sent a message of “tranquility” to the boys and their families. He anticipated that the face-to-face classes will continue in force because it is essential for “the development and socialization” of young people. “We all have to commit ourselves to this: as a society, we cannot afford to have another year without face-to-face classes,” he added.

A difficult negotiation amid the political tension

Without agreement in the face-to-face meetings that were held between ministers at the Casa Rosada, the dialogue between Alberto Fernández and Rodríguez Larreta was broken when the general secretary Julio Vitobello’s phone rang. On the other side of the line was the deputy head of the City Government, Diego Santilli.

Until that moment, Alberto Fernandez had a draft Decree of Necessity and Urgency (DNU) that ordered to stop the circulation in the AMBA from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. the other day, while Rodriguez Larreta I only agreed to close from midnight to 6 in the morning.

In this impasse, the President authorized Vitobello to continue with the talks, while he prepared his speech and accepted the staging of his presentation in the Olivos gardens. Alberto Fernández already had all the measurements loaded into the Telepronter, and the only thing missing was to specify whether the closure of the night traffic began -or not- at 22.00 o’clock.

Santilli’s response, after talking with Rodríguez Larreta, came when the sun began to fall on the Presidential House. The City proposed to move from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. to close the restaurants, and once that peremptory deadline had expired, customers could stay inside the room after finishing the after-dinner.

Namely:

1. Pass closing from 22 to 23.

2. Agree that the circulation closed in AMBA starting at 00.00 each day.

3. Between 11pm when restaurants close and midnight, all diners finished their dinners and went home.

4. At midnight, minutes or so, the City of Buenos Aires should be a concrete desert patrolled by the security forces to enforce the DNU that will be released this afternoon.

Alberto Fernández accepted Rodríguez Larreta’s counter offer. And Vitobello called Santilli to announce that the secret negotiation had been successfully concluded.

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