I haven’t posted for a week simply because there has been nothing much going on to write about. But today, I feel more down than any time since all this started on March 20.

Today, two iconic Buenos Aires eating places announced they would not be able to open again after the quarantine is over. One is La Biela, the famous cafe around the corner from me that I’ve talked about a lot in these posts. I can’t imagine the area without it, especially in the summer when so many of us spend so much time on its legendary patio.

Then, to make matters worse, the government is mulling the possibility of going back to phase one of lockdown. We have reached 1,000 deaths, most of them in Greater Buenos Aires, and the numbers are going up. But people are already losing patience, and there were huge pot-banging demonstrations on the weekend. Everyone has been patient and, for Argentines, remarkably obedient up till now, but that is changing.

As you may know, I have been working on a new book about the Bares Notables of Buenos Aires. La Biela is one of the most famous of them, and now it is gone. I can’t finish the book for now, because I’ll have to wait and see how many of the others will reopen.

I fear for my beloved Buenos Aires.