Camila Gil
Florence Bonavento
03/11/2021 7:28 PM
Clarín.com
Zonal
Updated 03/11/2021 7:28 PM
After a busy year, with staggered restrictions, protocols and limitations when it comes to being able to exercise nightlife,
the gastronomic centers of the Conurbano
resumed their activities almost on a regular basis.
In the areas with the greatest nightlife in the South and West of the GBA -such as Las Lomitas in Lomas, Lanusita in Lanús or Santa Rosa in Ituzaingó / Morón, among others-, bars, breweries and restaurants
practically returned to their pre-pandemic rhythm
.
The most noticeable difference is in the greater occupation of outdoor tables and that many places spread more towards the sidewalk and the pavement in streets that in some cases become pedestrianized on weekends during the night.
The reactivation is due to the fact that the provincial government lifted the hourly limitation that had been in force since February 2 and now the current restrictions are those maintained by the municipalities in relation to their epidemiological situation.
In
Lanusita
, for example, on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, the spaces can remain open until 4 in the morning, while the rest of the days only until 2.
On the other hand, in
Las Lomitas,
the closing time is at 5 in the morning regardless of the day and there are personnel patrolling that the safety and hygiene regulations are met to prevent the spread of covid-19.
The restrictions after the lifting of the Preventive and Compulsory Social Isolation, were a strong motive of constant struggle for the merchants of the gastronomic centers, who had to adapt to the so-called new normal, with what that implied: having to strengthen the delivery systems and take away, to face the reduction in the capacity of its personnel,
not to exceed a capacity of 50 percent
, and to that the hourly restrictions were added.
It is that during the first days of January, after the Holidays, the contagions had skyrocketed, and the municipalities had to comply with the orders of the provincial government, which demanded to regulate the closure of all their night activities at 1 in the morning and then return to open at 6. At that time, the new cases of Covid-19 had registered a peak of infections.
The Kick Off bar has locations in Lanús and Lomas.
(Instagram)
Now, faced with a notable decrease in the number of new cases, the restrictions were ended.
But Governor Axel Kicillof pointed out that they will continue in force in municipalities where local health authorities consider it necessary, due to the epidemiological situation.
Attentive to this,
the municipalities of Lanús and Lomas de Zamora, arranged different time slots
and measures, with respect to each particular situation.
Lanusita has grown exponentially in recent years, with more than 40 gastronomic businesses within a 10-block radius, and the pandemic did not go unnoticed among them.
Since last week, they are allowed to work from Thursday to Sunday until 4 in the morning, and the rest of the days until 2.
"The extension of the time slot allows bars to have a wider margin and can recover little by little," says Marcelo Gutiérrez, the president of the Gastronomic Chamber of Lanús.
Other sectors, meanwhile, remain on hold.
“
Party rooms
still do not have permission to open.
We are waiting for more definitions from the Province.
Events can be held outdoors with reduced capacity during the day, but not at night ”, they explain from the commune.
Omi, resto-bar with disc jockey in Lanusita.
(Instagram)
On the other hand, in
Las Lomitas,
the permit was extended at 5 in the morning every day.
“During the week there are inspection personnel visiting the few shops that remain open, most of them close early.
We do it to verify that the sanitary protocol is complied with, the distancing, the number of people, and others ”, they indicate from the Municipality.
And they assure that Friday, Saturday and Sunday
operations are carried out "more intensive and with a greater presence"
because that is when there is more influx of people.
“In parallel, we continue working to dismantle clandestine parties.
In the case of finding open a space that is not enabled, the place is closed and fines are applied ”, they add.
Although the release of protocols that reaches bars, restaurants and gastronomic businesses in general, does not include dance clubs or party halls, in some places they are looking for the return to take advantage of the more flexible protocols.
One of the best known clubs in Lomas de Zamora is
Mi Club,
emblematic in the South.
The space is operating outdoors, and has been transformed into a resto bar, which operates from Friday to Sunday.
At the beginning, the space did not allow dance sessions but now, there are three small ones, so that people can dance from their tables or from a distance on the floor that they set up outdoors.
“The temperature is taken, there are sanitizing mats, alcohol gel and people monitoring.
The bowling alley is open until 3 in the morning, and they can dance in three rounds of half an hour each.
It is not massive like when bowling was used, "says Juan Ignacio, manager of the" bowling Saturdays "at Mi Club.
"People are changing the chip"
In the bars and restaurants of the
east of Greater Buenos Aires
, since the announcement given by the governor
Axel Kicillof,
the merchants assumed the green light to return to the hours prior to the pandemic, even before the permit was officially confirmed by the Municipalities.
In any case, there were no conflicts or sanctions since everyone understood that it was a bureaucratic issue more than anything else.
The gastronomic centers of the western centers took advantage of this new arrangement and invited their customers "to stay a while longer."
It happens that,
according to what they reported, many were not aware of the new provision
and when they asked for the bill and prepared to leave at the time that was handled in the area in recent months, they
were surprised with the news.
This also left behind differences between Municipalities, as is the case of
Santa Rosa Avenue
that divides the Morón and Ituzaingó districts and that had different official hours - those arranged during the previous phase - of closure allowed according to the path in which the business was located. : at 2 in the first case and at midnight in the second.
“People have to adapt because they
already have the chip that they have to leave early
.
But little by little they are going to stay and it will be very beneficial for us ”, assured Francisco Arrom, one of the owners of the Laundry House Bar in Castelar.
In the case of the municipality of Ituzaingó, they indicated that they extended the hours until 3.30.
"We enable the closing scheme at 2 AM in the week and at 3 on weekends, but we are evaluating extending to 4.30 for this Friday and Saturday," highlighted, instead, Javier Fernández, Director of Inspection, Control and Hurlingham ratings.
For their part, from Tres de Febrero they adhered to the lifting of restrictions, but recommended that all gastronomic shops close
between 2 and 3
in the morning.
The Laundry House Bar, on Santa Rosa Avenue.
"Our recommendation is that they respect a not too late closing time, thus trying to avoid excessive crowds of people, problems with alcohol and inconvenience to the neighbors," explained Daniela Ramos, Secretary of Labor and Production of the Municipality.
La Matanza fully adhered to provincial guidelines and allows businesses to sell alcohol until 4.30 AM, as indicated by ReBA, and extend closing hours until 6 AM.
The truth is that almost all the gastronomic centers of the West opened until later (José C. Paz was one of the exceptions and the shops closed around 2 o'clock).
From the communes, even those that did not officially announce the permit, they did not prevent businesses from extending their hours.
The bar owners agree that "the permit was given in fact" and in line with the provisions of the province.
One of the aspects that the communes highlighted is that the lifting of the restriction refers only to hours of nightclubs such as bars and restaurants, respecting the protocols and the 30% capacity in covered places that had been arranged by the province on January 9 given the increase in cases of coronavirus registered in those days in Buenos Aires.
The
clubs and private parties
in ballrooms remain of the few activities that were not yet enabled, and there is
no estimated date for his return.
“In favor of the epidemiological situation, I would relegate the bowling alleys, I agree.
But they should fine those who make clandestine parties because they are billing illegally while we cover costs and we are closed, ”lamented Arrom, who is also one of the owners of Roca Bruja, one of the most recognized clubs in Hurlingham.
JT
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