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Coronavirus tests on travelers entering the City: they give shifts a week late

2021-01-15T10:04:54.728Z


The six authorized centers, to which another in La Rural is added this Friday, are collapsed. They recommend making a reservation before returning from the trip. Where to get checked.


Silvia Gomez

01/14/2021 21:11

  • Clarín.com

  • Cities

Updated 01/14/2021 9:11 PM

Since December 8, all people who enter the City or who return from a trip for more than four days more than 150 kilometers away, have to take a test for coronavirus within 72 hours of their arrival.

The only way to fulfill that obligation is to be proactive and take the turn while traveling or even earlier.

The centers where the tests are carried out work at 100% of their capacity and

give shifts a week late

.

Until this Thursday there were six centers for tourists and travelers to take control.

From this Friday one more is added, in La Rural.

You can choose between two tests: the saliva test or the antigen test, which is a quick swab whose results are available 20 minutes later.

In nearly 40 days,

the City tested 172,377 tourists and residents

who returned from vacation.

Of this total,

2,481 cases tested positive

, with a cumulative positivity rate of 1.54.

The Buenos Aires government's strategy is to detect sick people and isolate them to stop the spread of the coronavirus, more in the context of a new sustained rise in cases.

Similar numbers are being recorded in Buenos Aires to those of August, when the first peak of infections occurred.

The lines to enter the Costa Salguero test center.

Photo Guillermo Rodríguez Adami

The testing of people who enter the City, whether they are residents returning from vacation or tourists, is part of that strategy.

The problem is that shifts are being delivered with delays of up to a week.

And many tourists and neighbors complain that it

takes many days for the results to be delivered to them

.

The City confirmed

 the delays

to

Clarín

.

In the Buenos Aires government they ensure that the centers are working at 100% of their capacities.

Some 265 people participate in

the operation

, including doctors, nurses, biochemists, coordinators and administrators.

To reduce the impact of the delay, this Friday

a new headquarters is set up in La Rural

, which will be exclusively for vehicles.

It is added to those located at the Ezeiza airport, in the Dellepiane bus terminal, in Callao at 600, in the Munich Building, in Costa Salguero and next to the Law School of the UBA. 

In the exclusive testing centers for people who go by vehicle, it is not necessary to get out of the car.

Photo Luciano Thieberger

According to official information, in

Dellepiane

the tests are carried out at the time of the arrival of the buses.

However,

the center located there is not always operational

.

A neighbor from Palermo told

Clarín about

her experience: "I spent a few days in Villa Gesell and arrived in Dellepiane on Sunday at 5. There was no one at the testing center, only an employee of the City who owes you a photocopy with instructions to take the turn and test you. I went to the web and put as an option the possibility of going to any of the testing centers.

The first turn was for the following Sunday

, "said Romina, incredulous.

The little piece of paper that Romina was given at Dellepiane clarifies:

"You have 72 hours to do it

.

"

This neighbor looked for a turn at any of the centers, because she was willing to go by car to be able to test herself, either in an Uber or with a friend who could take her.

Finally he didn't.

"I understood that it did not make sense, so I gave up," he lamented.

Rapid swabs or antigen tests on the Dellepiane terminal.

Results are in 20 minutes.

But some travelers find that the testing center is closed at certain times.

Photo Germán García Adrasti

This is one of the many cases of neighbors who found it difficult to carry out this control.

Is it mandatory?

At first, the Buenos Aires government had reported that yes, they were going to send messages to neighbors whose cell phones had not been captured by City antennas in a period of 72 hours.

Faced with the infeasibility of the idea, the authorities decided to 

appeal to the individual responsibility of the people

, "who must be aware of the importance of going to have the test done as soon as they return from their trips," they explained.

They aim for neighbors to understand that detecting the coronavirus in time will prevent a chain of infections.

They also hope that people will see in these tests an opportunity to question whether they have the virus.

In the City's social networks, residents not only complain about delays in finding an appointment, but also complain that they take a long time to report the results.

Two, three and up to four days.

It would be great if they walked.

When downloading the affidavit, the data does not even appear, when wanting to take an appointment for the tests, it does not allow us to choose a date, then?

Nor do they take into account the cases of people who go to the City for less than 24 hours.

- Victoria.

(@mdevicky) January 10, 2021

@ BA147 We did the Hisopado in Costa Salguero since we had traveled more than 150km and we resided in CABA.

It was Friday 1/8 at noon and we still don't have the result.

we get tired of sending messages to WhatsApp in CABA and nothing !!

HOW CAN IT BE??

- Emiliano Tizziani (@Etizziani) January 11, 2021

Soledad is a neighbor of Villa Crespo and she also told

Clarín

her experience: "I was arriving in Buenos Aires on Sunday night, so two days before I returned, I went on the web to look for an appointment. The first thing I found was in Balvanera for the following Saturday,

almost a week later

. On Monday night I started with symptoms, on Wednesday they swabbed me from my prepaid and finally

I tested positive for Covid

. Even though I was informed about how everything was, I should have anticipated even more. I think that the system fails in this sense, in the delays, "he reflected.

That is why Soledad recommended to all her friends who are traveling to take their shifts many days in advance.

The Dellepiane terminal testing center has several checkpoints.

Photo Germán García Adrasti

The question is what would have happened if Soledad had not developed symptoms and had not been tested through her prepaid.

Because it is very possible that during the six days until the shift he had in Balvanera, he would have circulated through the City and infected other people.

Claudio, another Palermo neighbor, said that

the system was down in Dellepiane on

Wednesday

.

"They told all the passengers to ask for turns on the web. I was already alerted on the issue of delays so I preferred to wait at the place.

I stood up

, and since they realized that I was not going to loosen up, in the end I they did the swabbing and took the data manually. "

Then he stayed to wait in a side sector.

Half an hour later, a person with a megaphone announced the names and the test results.

According to the City's data, the diagnostic tests by PCR and antigens that are carried out in these controls tripled the number of tests that had been carried out in the City.

It is estimated that 82% of the people who took the test are residents.

At the Ezeiza airport there is also a testing center that depends on the City Government.

Photo Guillermo Rodríguez Adami

What are the testing centers

  • Building of the former Munich confectionery (Av. De los Italianos 851, Costanera Sur).

    With shift, from Monday to Sunday from 8 to 20.

  • Callao 628, with shift, from Monday to Sunday from 9 to 19.

  • Costa Salguero, with shift, every day from 8 to 20 and the peak replacement days of the fortnight, from 7 to 21 (from January 15 to 20).

    Exclusive for service in vehicles.

  • Parking Beach attached to the Faculty of Law: entrance through Avenida Figueroa Alcorta and Julio Víctor González.

    Monday to Sunday from 5:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m., with shift.

    This center is also for vehicles.

  • Pabellón Ocre de la Rural: entrance by Sarmiento 2704. From Monday to Sunday from 8 to 20. You can only go by vehicle.


  • Terminal Dellepiane.

    It is to do the test to those who arrive by bus, at the time of their arrival.

  • Ezeiza Airport.

    It began operating on December 15 for national and international tourists and for residents of the City who arrive by plane.

    It attends 24 hours.

Who should be tested

Testing is

mandatory

for non-residents who stay at least one day in the City and arrive from more than 150 kilometers.

Also, for Buenos Aires residents who return from a trip of more than 150 kilometers after more than 4 days.

Only those over 12 years of age should do it.

The procedure

You must complete a sworn statement online at turismo.buenosaires.gob.ar/es/RequisitosTuristas.

It can be done before leaving.

The term to take the test is

up to 72 hours after entering the City

.

For those who arrive in private vehicles or other means, it is necessary to take an appointment at the centers, which is also managed online.

It should be done before making the trip in order to meet the deadlines.

It is one turn per cohabiting group.

For those who arrive by plane or by bus, according to the Buenos Aires government, the test is done inside the corresponding terminal and without a previous turn.

The tests are free for the passenger.

They will be covered by social works and medical insurance or by the City Government.

Residents of other countries must pay $ 2,500.

NS

Look also

Coronavirus in the City: infections are approaching the peak of August and the rise is very fast

Coronavirus: they add a testing center in La Rural for tourists and travelers who return to the City

Source: clarin

All news articles on 2021-01-15

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