Vanesa Lopez
05/29/2020 - 16:10
- Clarín.com
- Cities
“They came to take the census home. Thank God we have nothing. You are always afraid, especially when you have a family. I have two children, and I am afraid for them, ”says Nilda Santa Cruz, owner of a greengrocer in front of the plaza where, this Friday, the operation to detect cases of coronavirus was deployed in Villa Itatí de Quilmes.
At 45 years old, Nilda has just become a grandmother. “My granddaughter was born on May 3 and I couldn't see her. I met her on the phone, through photos. I am afraid for her. Because we are with people, although we take precautions ”, he comments. Nilda wears a chinstrap, keeps her distance, and every time she goes shopping at the Quilmes Market they take her temperature.
She tells her story behind a foot-to-ceiling fence that protects her. Through it, what he sees this morning are not boys or adolescents playing soccer in the “Papa Francisco” field on 700 Los Andes Street. That recreational space is now covered by a Ministry of Health truck and a row of people with coronavirus symptoms waiting to get a swab.
Nilda Santa Cruz says she is afraid of the coronavirus and cares about her family. Photo: Mario Quinteros
It is part of the operation called "Detect". On Thursday, a census began , house by house, asking each inhabitant if they had or had symptoms. Fever? Cough? Sore throat? Those who respond in the affirmative are sent to stand in line.
The same dynamic was repeated on Friday. “Yesterday the entire neighborhood was combed, but there were houses where there was nobody. Today we insist on the hairstyle of the neighborhood to see if there are people left outside, ”say sources in the municipality. They estimate that this will be the last day.
Villa Itatí seen from the air. Photo: Mario Quinteros
Thursday's symptomatic line was two blocks, Friday was reduced to one. It went from 33 to 25 people, according to what this medium could tell, every day, at the same time. In total, during Thursday there were 75 suspected cases . "Being suspicious does not mean it is positive," they clarify from the municipality, where they seek to "reassure the neighborhood."
The queue this Friday of people with symptoms compatible with coronavirus, waiting to be tested. Photo: Mario Quinteros
At the end of the line, people are greeted by a team of doctors who have them fill out a form with their details and sign an affidavit. Then, they enter the mobile where they do a swab . The result takes 24 hours, and then the doctors follow up.
People with suspicious symptoms are greeted by three doctors and then swabbed on their mobile. Photo: Mario Quinteros
What happens if it tests positive? According to the spokesmen of the municipality, if it is a serious condition, that deserves intensive or intermediate therapy, they are taken to a hospital. If it is mild, there are two possibilities. One, go to an armed isolation center at the University of Quilmes. Another, stay 14 days at home if you have someone who can bring you food.
According to official information, 15,000 people live in Villa Itatí, but the neighbors affirm that there are many more. Photo: Mario Quinteros
It is also isolated to their "close contacts" , which are those who shared dishes, mate, or were close for a long time. So, if they are family and they have decided who can bring them the food, they all isolate themselves in a house and fulfill the 14 days of quarantine.
The results of the tests on Thursday are not yet. On the other hand, the sources of the Municipality advanced that the analysis of sewers and water gave negative of traces of Covid-19.
So far there are 11 positives among the inhabitants of Villa Itatí. In the entire municipality of Quilmes there were 463 confirmed cases, 75 recovered, and 6 deceased. "In Quilmes we had a rate of less than 200 positive cases. The focus doubled when Villa Azul appeared ”, they say.
Far from that debate, the greatest concern of Héctor Daniel Borges, a 63-year-old neighbor, is economic. “ This got us out of work . I worked at the Dock Sud, in the sewer tunnel. They told me I don't have a job until this happens. What if I don't have enough to eat? ”, He analyzes.
Héctor Daniel Borges says that due to the coronavirus pandemic, he lost his job. Photo: Mario Quinteros
The man, who lived in the neighborhood all his life, assumes to be concerned about the progression of the coronavirus . Who is not afraid? There are 196 infected, says TV ", is confused with a fact that, in reality, corresponds to Villa Azul. For this reason, Héctor “thought it good” that they stop at his house to take the census.
They also came to Esteban Isidro Caseros, 63. In your case, you ensure you are not afraid of the coronavirus. Although this remisero - who now has no job - says that he does take precautions, because "you have to take care of yourself."
Esteban Isidro Caseros differentiates the periphery of the neighborhood from the interior, where the streets are dirt and water is missing. Photo: Mario Quinteros
"Here we are all well, quite calm, the problem is at the bottom," he says. It refers to the multiple features that coexist within the same neighborhood: "in the background" the streets are dirt and many neighbors do not even have water . For this reason, Esteban says that he does not know of any positive case, nor of the symptomatists who are queuing for a swab. "They come from behind. There it is worse. For now we are fine here," he insists.
In this peripheral part of Itatí, the situation is not extreme. Neighbors comment that they receive water and bleach that they leave on the soccer field and that they give them food at a club. Here, the streets are paved, the houses are built, and everyone claims to have a plate to eat.
Angela Aguayo agrees with the operation. He feels that it is a way that everyone is safer against the coronavirus. Photo: Mario Quinteros
Among them, Angela Aguayo, a 77-year-old retiree who has lived in Itatí for half a century. "There are many who complain. They have food, but they complain the same. The neighborhood is very quiet, nobody bothers us, it is not insecure, "he defends. As for the coronavirus, he says that he is not afraid of it and that it does not worry him, although it seems good to him “to come to make censuses”, because “this way we are all safe”.
NS
