My husband's birthday is coming up, and it coincides with Halloween, so every year we like to celebrate big and with friends. But the pandemic has really made it difficult in 2020, especially with the new social distancing restrictions that went into effect on October 12 in Cordoba City (and other provinces with high rates of infection). Fortunately, we were able to have a pre-birthday celebration, but I'll get to that a little later.
Right now, let's talk about these new restrictions, which are slightly similar to the phase 1 quarantine that went into effect earlier this year. And let me start out by saying that we knew this was coming. Quite frankly, we were surprised that it didn't happened sooner given the insane increase in infections.
Cordoba City has had over 2,000 daily cases on more than one occasion, but fortunately that number has gone down to its usual average of 1,100 to 1,700 cases a day. However, a lot of local business owners are upset over a new health regulation demanding that businesses and foot traffic come to a screeching halt from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. starting in late September until October 11. And instead of seeing it as a lucrative opportunity to get some business from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., bar and restaurant owners protested. A few even rebelled by staying open only to get slapped by hefty fines for disobeying the law. And recently, the Cordoba government warned that it would punish those who break the rules.
But it's hard to judge businesses for defiant when cops are breaking the rules. Earlier in October, two cops were reprimanded for eating a barbecue, which is prohibited under the current regulations.
But with the even newer restrictions I mentioned earlier, gyms, language schools and dance classes are prohibited from opening 24 hours a day until October 25. The same applies to restaurants and bars. However, the latter will allow customers to place orders for pick-up and delivery. Also, supermarkets and pharmacies are exempt from the restrictions as they are deemed essential. But irate gym owners claimed that they had no intention of adhering to the rules and that they planned to open on October 12, and some did. Of course, this kind of mentality isn't limited to Cordoba City or Argentina. It's a worldwide mentality where everyone is trying to save their business, but in doing so risk putting people's lives in danger. And that's the thing most folks don't seem to care about... protecting the well-being of others.
On October 19, 2020, Argentina passed the 1 million mark of reported cases, and of that number, 26,716 people have died and 803,952 have recovered. So technically there are only 171,981 active cases, but that number fluctuates daily.
Obviously, we try to look after each other and avoid putting ourselves in harm's way. However, when we first learned about the new restrictions, we weren't sure if the government was going to extend them until October 31. So, we decided to go out and do some shopping and unofficially celebrate my husband's birthday at Chicago American Bar with one of our friends. But before I tell you about what we ate and how the restaurant followed health regulations, let me show you what Cordoba City looked like while we were out and about during these difficult times.
For the most part, people respected social distancing, but there were some areas (like the market near Plaza San Martin) where people were packed like sardines. Thankfully, most people wore masks. Unfortunately, as we made our way further through Cordoba City, we noticed a couple of people not wearing masks. I'm guessing they'll become statistics at some points.
When we got to American Chicago Bar, they took our temperature and sprayed our hands with alcohol. Then they escorted us to the outdoor seating area on the second floor where we waited for our friend, Franco to arrive. We had to write down our names, phone numbers, and addresses on a sheet of paper, so if the restaurant had a reported case of infection from the staff, they could notify us. We also had to use a digital menu, which was easy to access by scanning that box below with our phone.
Well, now that I've shared all the doom and gloom related stuff, let me show you what the three of us ordered.
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| Huge pizza slices and Cheddar Cheese Bacon Fries |
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| Chicken Signature Whiskey Sampler |
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| The mimosas were free as a promotion to get more people in the door |
We obviously didn't use our masks once we were in the restaurant because we needed to eat. Plus, we were the only three people in the dining area during the three hours we were there. But I'll admit, I got a lot worried when I heard our waiter sneeze. Then I thought, I'm sure, it was just him sneezing randomly and that there was nothing to worry about. At least, I hope it is or rather it better be for his sake.
I realize it was a risk going out for what seems like an indulgence, but we were going stir crazy in the house. We hadn't gone out together since February (except to pick up food we had ordered). It's been over a week since we went and we're fine. But we're probably going to have to do a virtual party through Zoom on my hubs' birthday.
Meanwhile, we have Halloween to look forward to, but that's a story for another post.
