ARGENTINA FOOTWEAR. The sector is selectively launched
Within the framework of extension of the quarantine decreed until June 7 by the national government, the opening behavior of the different activities meets specific regulations of each place, which are generally established by protocols of local authorities, based on the national directives, and agreed with the unions and business and industrial entities.
Regarding the production of footwear and components, at present the epidemiological level is decisive in the process of flexibility. In this regard, Argentina has concentrated the largest number of coronavirus infections in Buenos Aires, which includes the capital and province, almost exclusively in the peripheral area where there is a large industrial belt and numerous neighborhoods with high population densities.
For this reason, the restrictions in these areas are more severe, and the controls are made more flexible as they improve.
The situation in the interior of the country is different, where a large number of provinces maintain very low levels of contagion or almost zero, therefore activities tend to gradually normalize.
Regarding the commercial sector -shoe stores, shopping centers, shopping malls, etc.- due to the characteristics of this activity, which implies a greater personalized relationship between customer-seller-product, the authorizations are delayed, depending on the evolution of the virus in each zone.
For the manufacture of footwear, in Capital, where there is a significant number of SMEs engaged in the activity, it is necessary to process the corresponding permit from the city government, under protocol, although there are no explicit regulations on the matter. Due to the strong operation implemented on the movement of people -closings of railway stations, restricted access to the city, limitations in the transport service, etc.- it is presumed that restarting work will be difficult.
Even more limited is the commercial footwear sector, which suffers from an almost total closure of sales points, especially in the well-known areas of greater concentration such as Once, Palermo, Retiro, Liniers, Flores, Santa Fe, Urquiza, etc.
The restrictive measures were tightened after a re-emergence in mid-May. Now the authorities await the evolution to define flexibilities.
As of the dissemination in late May of the Flexibility Protocol of the province government, through the Emergency Operations Center -COE- and the Ministry of Health, the production of footwear was formally enabled in the entire area of the province. For this, it is necessary for the industrialists to complement a series of procedures through the chamber that groups them and the corresponding official control bodies, in order to comply with the requirements established by the specific protocol. It includes sanitary measures for industrial biosecurity and the transport of personnel that cannot be carried out by mass means. The general control will be carried out by the COE and the Ministry of Labor, with the participation of the UTICRA union, with verification capacity.
For their part, the different municipalities where the industries are located will have the task of monitoring and specific regulations according to population density and functionality.
The commercial circuit of footwear in the capital was authorized to operate with specific measures, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. in unitary premises for local shopping, while galleries, shopping malls and department stores are still excluded.
In cities and towns in the interior, with fewer inhabitants and zero or minimal incidence of the virus, flexibility is greater.
By a previous management of the Industrial Federation of the province before the secretary of industry of the nation, Ariel Schale, together with the secretary of industry of the province of Santa Fe, Claudio Mozzus, the FOOTWEAR and TEXTILE sectors managed to be excepted from the quarantined and were empowered to resume their activities.
Through the joint work of the government and the chamber of the sector, on May 11 the production of footwear was enabled in the province.
In the first general evaluation made by the Santa Fe Footwear Chamber, it noted that “the restart of activities was very calm, ending the production of footwear in process, contacting clients in order to confirm orders prior to March 19, that in some cases they were totally suspended, in others only partially, and some confirmed”.
Since mid-May, footwear and clothing stores have opened their doors through protocols drawn up with competent authorities. Also depending on the population density and the epidemiological status of each city or place is the degree of flexibility of the established measures. This type of shops in Rosario, for example, operates from 1 to 7 pm. The decision on the testing of the products is left to each owner.
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