Lottery agencies in Buenos Aires have been given the green light to reopen their businesses following the publishing of Administrative Decision 919/2020 in the Official Gazette of Argentina late last week which establishes that lottery vendors are now exempt from the quarantine.
The agencies had received permission to resume operations in mid-May, but a couple of hours after they reopened, a number of mayors urged the closure due to large groups of people outside the shops.
The Provincial Institute of Lottery and Casinos (IPLyC) said that the local government had decided to postpone the reopening of the agencies “until further notice” and “for sanitary and operational reasons.”
This new decree establishes that lotteries can operate following a “protocol approved by the national health authority.” In addition, it requires that employees and employers guarantee hygiene and safety conditions.
Governor Axel Kicillof can overturn this decision at any time, following the evolution of COVID-19 in the province, which is one of the most affected areas in Argentina.
The decree adds that vendors can’t use public transportation, and that they must find a private service to go to work. Employees must also apply for a ‘Unique Enabling Certificate for Circulation – Emergency Covid-19’, which will allow them to circulate without receiving a fine.
“On a weekly basis, the provincial health authority must submit to the national Ministry of Health an Epidemiological and Sanitary Follow-up Report COVID-19, which must include all the necessary information to evaluate the progress of the virus and the capacity to help the population. If the provincial authority detects an epidemiological or health alert, it must immediately notify the national health authority”, says the decree.