MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Facemasks no longer mandatory in Buenos Aires indoors

“It is time to transfer autonomy to the citizens,” CABA's Health Minister Quirós explained

Buenos Aires City authorities Wednesday lifted the rule mandating the wearing of facemasks in indoor settings and public transport units effective since Thursday. The measure was taken after almost three weeks of steady drops in COVID-19 infections and thanks to the “degree of vaccination of the population.”

However, the national Transport Ministry insisted the requirement was still in force on services under federal jurisdiction, such as railways, or on buses that cross boundaries between Buenos Aires City and the Province of Buenos Aires.

The Buenos Aires City describes “the non-obligatory nature of the use of protective elements covering nose, mouth and chin in the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires,” although people are still allowed to wear them at will.

Facemasks meant a contradiction in Buenos Aires banks. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, people were required not to wear sunglasses, caps, or any other element covering their faces when entering banks so that closed-circuit cameras could capture good images of customers for security purposes. The mandatory mask changed that concept. Not anymore. Guards who until Wednesday checked incoming clients for fever and instructed them on the proper use of masks covering chins and noses may now return to the old ways. “Will that be so?” a Buenos Aires resident told MercoPress.

The Transport Ministry explained that compliance with this sanitary protocol will still be enforced on trains and buses when traveling within the City of Buenos Aires, claiming that some lines fell under federal jurisdiction.

As far as buses are concerned, the 32 lines that run through the Federal Capital have the following numbers: 4, 5, 6, 7, 12, 12, 23, 23, 25, 26, 26, 34, 39, 42, 44, 47, 50, 61, 62, 64, 65, 68, 76, 84, 90, 99, 102, 102, 106, 107, 108, 109, 115, 118, 132 and 151.

”The mask is still mandatory on transport [units] of national jurisdiction such as trains and buses, as established by the CNRT (National Commission for Transport Regulation),“ the Transport Ministry said in a statement. ”The use of the chin mask, ventilation, and disinfection are fundamental conditions to be taken into account and controlled to continue taking care of each passenger,“ the document went on.

Meanwhile, the Health Ministry continued to recommend the use of face masks in indoor settings.

Over 2,200 infraction reports have been issued against carriers for non-compliance with sanitary protocols. ”It is recommended to continue complying with the requirements established for national urban buses (lines 1 to 199), stations, and automotive and railway long-distance services,“ the CNRT underlined.

On the other hand, Buenos Aires City Health Minister Fernán Quirós said that ”the regulation is general: for all places,“ which includes subways, which fall under CABA's authority with no exceptions.

”It is time to transfer autonomy to the citizens, who already know how to take care of themselves, how the situation of contagion is, and then they will decide what is the best decision for themselves and for their loved ones,“ Quirós said.

”We have had a systematic decrease in the number of cases for more than 14 days; this fourth wave of Omicron is completing its course in the City. That is why we have taken the decision, from now on, to change the condition of compulsory use indoors and in public transport in the City to a recommended use.”