The pandemic: The view after 5 months

[Alby]

And right on cue:


Coronavirus en la Argentina. El golf, otro punto de discordia entre Axel Kicillof y Horacio Rodríguez Larreta
Teresa García, con Axel Kicillof: "El golf no está en la agenda del gobernador", dijo.

"En este momento de crecimiento del virus parece inadmisible que se puedan habilitar actividades como el golf", dijo la ministra de Gobierno de Buenos Aires, Teresa García, una dirigente de máxima confianza de Cristina Kirchner.

El dardo de García sigue al que ayer le dedicó al gobierno porteño el ministro de Salud, Daniel Gollán. "En la ciudad hay cada vez más casos y eso hace que el virus se distribuya por otros lugares", señaló, como explicación del alza de contagios en el conurbano.

La ministra de Gobierno ahondó en la mirada de Kicillof sobre la próxima fase de la cuarentena, que el gobernador, el jefe porteño y el presidente Alberto Fernández prevén anunciar el viernes. "El golf no está en la agenda del gobernador Kicillof. Nuestra agenda son las industrias, los trabajadores y los comercios de proximidad", señaló.

 

[gracielle]

Precisely. Went in with soft options and more important options, and came out only with the soft options, the soft options which the same oficialism that approved them will now use against him in the class warfare strategy. Bad move.

In politics, trade-offs are expected as part of the negotiation process. In my opinion, it could have been worse.

 

[antipodean]

They can try these cheap shots as they always do but personally I think Laretta is being smart here. At this point he wins either way since the real impact of these measures and of a deterioration of the health situation affect many more people directly than most other political discussions that depend on division which Alberto and Axel excel in.

Let Alberto be the oppressor and kill off any lingering potential votes from those 13,000 odd shuttered business owners and their 250k odd affected employees. Meanwhile the R rate in the city and even curve of cases will continue to be better than the Provincia despite having been more free than Provincia.

Already the BA minister of health is back to blaming the city for the cases in the province - stating that most cases are being brought in from the city. Strange considering each infected person in the city infects about 1 person, and in the city there are 1-1,5k cases a day whereas in the province it’s 4 or 5 times this number. See what happens when you allow the people in the city to play Padle?!

 

[on the brink]

Larreta knows what he's doing, but poor Kiciloff is sadly out of this depth. A theoretic militant - "comunista de salon" - he's pitifully incompetent when it comes to dealing with real problems. Typical university student leader: lots of words but no results. If it wasn't for Cristina's backing, he would still be haranguing people in the UBA's hallways.

 

[Alby]

I hope that's right. But the alternative reading by the poor old business owners might be: I wish you'd go as hard for us as you do for the tennis players.

 

[Alby]

It's not just Larreta. His backers have a tin ear. Witness the prominence on the front page of Monday's La Nación to the protesting tennis players outside Olivos.

The opposition legitimately attacks the government for prioritizing judicial reform in the midst of a pandemic and economic collapse; meanwhile, in the same context, it goes hard to restore rights for tennis players and golfers.

Own goals.

 

[on the brink]

Just checked tennis court measurements. At 24 meters long by 8.23 wide, there should be enough space for ample social distancing. Plus, it's in the open, so it sounds pretty safe to me.

Wish Larreta would authorize cafes to operate with outdoor seating, as they do in New York.

 

[gracielle]

Wish Larreta would authorize cafes to operate with outdoor seating, as they do in New York.

In my opinion, it would not be a savvy move. The measure could backfire in a short time and he would be forced to shut them down again.

 

[on the brink]

I guess that is right, but how I yearn to sit at a sidewalk cafe with the dog sitting under the table....!

 

[gracielle]

I guess that is right, but how I yearn to sit at a sidewalk cafe with the dog sitting under the table....!

Me too....minus the dog since I don't own one.
I miss the impromptu get together with friends as well as the weekly Coffee Chats with fellow expat friends and newcomers.