The city of Buenos Aires will require a long-term, internationally-connected strategy to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic and take advantage of new opportunities, according to Horacio Rodríguez Larreta, the mayor of the city.

Larreta, 55, previously served as director of the National Social Security Administration during the presidency of Carlos Menem, before moving to the Ministry of Social Development. In 2000 - during the presidency of Fernando de la Rua - he led the Comprehensive Medical Attention Program.

In 2015, he succeeded Maurico Macri as mayor of Buenos Aires, where he has worked on a number of large-scale infrastructure projects and in 2017 formed the Buenos Aires City Police by merging officers from existing federal and metropolitan forces.

In an event organized by the New York City-based Americas Society' Council of the Americas, Laretta said that "in this difficult moment, it's very important to exchange strategies and see how we combat the virus."

As an example, Larreta said that "international collaboration" with cities around the globe including Berlin, Bogota and Madrid helped the city craft a four-pillar strategy that included expanding Covid units at hospitals, bringing in 6,000 additional health workers and rapid testing.

"This strategy was created in large part due to a dialogue, and by learning from other cities," he said.

Among the most important lessons learned from other cities, Larreta added, was the impact of restricting in-person education for students.

 Larreta said that "international collaboration" with cities around the globe including Berlin, Bogota and Madrid helped the city craft a four-pillar strategy that included expanding Covid units at hospitals, bringing in 6,000 additional health workers and rapid testing

"After collecting evidence around the world, what we found is the profound damage that a year without in-person classes causes," he said. "There are children that can't write their name, and some 70% of children show signs of anxiety and loneliness...the last thing that should close is education, and 2021 cannot be the same as 2020 in terms of education."

Earlier in April, Larreta harshly criticized President Alberto Fernandez for a decision to close schools without consulting, accusing the government of breaking "with the mechanism of dialogue and consensus that we have sustained for a year."

"We have to keep working to build quality education," he said.

Additionally, Larreta said that that as part of the city government's plan to ‘re-insert' Buenos Aires into the world, the government would bolster efforts to boost the city's tourism sector. While in 2019 the city had achieved record numbers of 3 million international tourists and 7 million national tourists, he said the tourism sector had been "hit hard" by the pandemic. 

Earlier in April, Larreta harshly criticized President Alberto Fernandez for a decision to close schools without consulting, accusing the government of breaking "with the mechanism of dialogue and consensus that we have sustained for a year."

"We are working to encourage investment in hotels, and are working to renovate El Casco Historico, which represents our identity and our history, but is also the most attractive area for tourism," he said. "I have no doubt that once the pandemic is over, we will have a strong push for tourism. But we need a Buenos Aires that is more connected to the world."

"In Buenos Aires, we are clear that our development strategy is one that projects us internationally," he added. "That is one of the challenges post-pandemic."

As part of a plan to attract both tourists and foreign students, Larreta said the city would work to "take advantage of the rise of working from home, and digital nomads."

"By 2023, we want 22,000 foreign students, and to continue to position Buenos Aires as a hub for talent."

Additionally, he said he sees an opportunity for the city to become a hub of tech entrepreneurs in the post-pandemic area, in which digital channels play an increasing role in daily life.

"There's an enormous amount of opportunities and creative industries post-pandemic," he said "I see a very big opportunity there, as well as with audio-visual entrepreneurs. We've been supporting them as always, but I see a very good opportunity."

The main challenge in the post Covid-era and integrating Argentina into the world, he said, was ensuring a dialogue that will ensure long-term continuity even when administrations change.

"We must have a consensus for a 30-year plan. We have a tendency in which when someone comes, they want to start over. There are always things to build and to improve, but we can't start from zero each time. That's the challenge."

"We have a goal to re-insert Argentina into the world," he added. "We must be able to sit and talk, and find a common project."