As of this Saturday, a DNU has been in force that provides targeted measures for areas of epidemiological risk.
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The national government is betting that with the new measures announced by President Alberto Fernndez, which came into effect this Saturday with their publication in the Official Gazette and will last until May 21, the controls of the restrictions will be reinforced, to reduce the circulation and lower the tension of the health system, while the vaccination process of the population at risk advances.
With the accent placed on the control of territorially “focused” measures and betting on covering the greatest number of people in risk groups with vaccination, the Government faces May and the first cold temperatures with the hope of containing the viral circulation that already puts the health system in various areas of the country in check.
In the last weeks of April, the arrival of the second wave of infections in the country was confirmed, with high numbers of cases and deaths, especially in the Buenos Aires Metropolitan area (AMBA) but also with record numbers of vaccines arriving in Ezeiza, surpassing 11 million doses already in the country.
The political correlate of the pandemic included, in recent days, judicial challenges still unresolved in the Supreme Court on the subject of face-to-face classes.
From the first minute of this Saturday a new Decree of Necessity and Urgency presidential that provides targeted measures for various areas of epidemiological risk with the focus on “alert” areas where high viral circulation is perceived and the consequent stress on the healthcare system.
In this group, where the most rigid measures are established to reduce the circulation of people, there are more than 40 Buenos Aires districts, the City of Buenos Aires, Greater Mendoza, Rosario and part of its suburbs.
The DNU establishes, among other points, closing times for commercial premises and specific marketing modes for the gastronomic sector, but the suspension of “face-to-face classes and face-to-face non-school educational activities at all levels” is of utmost relevance.
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The national government already took a good part of these measures two weeks ago for the AMBA and understands that they were fundamental to ensure that the curve of cases slows down and falls slightly, even though their compliance was rejected 15 days ago by the administration of Horacio Rodrguez Larreta. .
At that time, the leader of Juntos por el Cambio questioned before the Supreme Court the constitutionality of the presidential decree and it availed itself of a ruling by the local Justice to maintain educational presence.
The urgency of the pandemic scenario did not alter, however, the judicial rhythms of a highest court that will have to issue its opinion – at some point – on a DNU that has already expired and that was succeeded by another with similar, although not identical, characteristics to the previous.
The measures announced on Friday by President Fernndez were preceded this time by a round of consultations between experts, officials from various areas and jurisdictions, and by two videoconferences between the Head of State, the provincial governors and the Head of Government of Buenos Aires.
Measurements in the City of Buenos Aires
In the second of these virtual meetings held on Wednesday, Rodrguez Larreta recognized the effectiveness of the measures taken by the Casa Rosada, expressed his concern about a “high” plateau that generates tension in the health system and said he agreed to “reinforce measures ”to restrict mobility.
However, after the presidential announcement in which the suspension of face-to-face classes was once again included “to reduce the circulation” of people, the head of the City Government again rejected the measure.
In that sense, Rodrguez Larreta will maintain face-to-face classes for the next few weeks in the initial and primary level, while for the secondary a bimodal system is applied, which combines virtuality with presence.
When announcing it, the Chief Executive Officer insisted on the idea that classrooms are not sources of contagion, that they should be kept open since “they are fundamental in the training of children” and estimated that, in any case, adolescents are the who can better adapt to remote education since they have “greater autonomy and are the ones who use public transport the most to go to school”.
The impact on the provinces
In turn, the Buenos Aires governor Axel Kicillof said that the province adheres to the presidential DNU, while announcing an investment of 70 billion pesos destined to reinforce the social and productive containment of the sectors affected by the measures.
On Mendoza, Governor Rodolfo Surez, this morning inaugurated the sessions of the provincial Legislature and announced that he would summon the mayors to debate on the application of the measures dictated by the Casa Rosada.
Omar perotti He also gave his speech to the Santa Fe parliament this Saturday, making inevitable reference to the difficult situation generated by the pandemic in all areas, but it was only on Sunday that the provincial decree that establishes how the measures are applied in the territory will expire and a new one should be expected. .
For this reason, after the prosecution of the port and the opposition questions in recent days, the President not only clarified that he made and continue to take “the corresponding decisions without any political speculation”, but also announced the sending of a bill that establishes clear epidemiological criteria that allow making concrete decisions.
Fernndez also took up yesterday an idea that had ceased to be repeated but that was current again: “The time we gain with prevention we use to vaccinate.”
In the “credit” of April, the progress to manufacture the Sputnik V vaccine in the province of Buenos Aires can be counted and the minimum objective of 4 million monthly doses that is discussed in Casa Rosada has been exceeded by almost 20 percent.
While negotiating with various laboratories to reach new agreements, different government offices are working on the portfolio of AstraZeneca, a company that has committed to delivering more than 20 million doses to the country, which manufactures the active component of its vaccines in Argentina. and that they did not meet the stipulated deadlines.
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