Mexican health authorities acknowledge the country’s true death toll from the coronavirus pandemic is far higher than previously thought, saying there were 193,170 “excess” deaths in the year up to Sept. 26.
Of those, 139,153 are now judged to be attributable to COVID-19. Mexico’s official, test-confirmed death toll is only about 89,000, but officials previously acknowledged many people didn’t get tested or their tests were mishandled.
So there is approximately 50,000 differential between the official death numbers and unofficial numbers. We can put the actual death toll in Mexico at around 150,000 (Since I'm mentioning the United States, there are data points that indicate that the United States is also under-counting deaths.)
With this backdrop, how are various parts of Mexico dealing with the outbreak:
Travel Weekly (Nov 3) reports on the state of Jalisco, which is known for Puerto Vallarta:
Jalisco's Gov. Enrique Alfaro Ramirez has issued a statewide activity restriction in the face of rising cases of Covid-19. The two-week restrictions will run through Nov. 13, banning nonessential activity from 7 p.m. to 5:59 a.m. Monday through Friday and all day on weekends.
. . . In addition, meetings of more than 10 people indoors and more than 50 people outdoors are prohibited. The closings in Puerto Vallarta specifically include:
• Economic, commercial and service activities, with the exception of industry and hotels
• Mechanical workshops
• Squares, centers and commercial corridors
• Self-service stores, price clubs and department stores
• Public markets and tianguis
• Cultural, recreational and sports activities
• Sports units and urban forests
• Religious activities and ceremonies
Some of those restrictions are similar to those in Los Angeles and in many situations stricter.
Mexico Daily (Nov 5) reports about the state of Chihuahua, which borders the United States:
A two-week curfew on nonessential commercial activities designed to slow the spread of the coronavirus takes effect Thursday in the state of Chihuahua.
Governor Javier Corral announced Wednesday that the curfew will apply between 7:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. on weekdays and all day Saturday and Sunday.
The manufacturing sector, which is considered essential, can operate without restriction on weekdays but must shut down completely on weekends.
. . . Most other businesses including supermarkets and department stores are subject to the commercial curfew.
Like Jalisco, Chihuahua is implementing a curfew. I wonder how Los Angeles (which now has a 10 p.m. curfew that doesn't apply to essential activities) or any part of the United States would deal with similar curfews. Honestly, since I do most of my shopping these days between the hours of 8 p.m. and 9 p.m., I wouldn't like it much. It sounds like the equivalent to Los Angeles would be that Trader Joe's, Vons, Ralphs, and other such Los Angeles grocery stores would need to close down over the weekends. Doesn't this in fact cause more people to crowd into grocery stores over 5 days instead of spreading out over 7 days? I would think that limiting hours would actually increase the possibility of virus spread.
Reuters (Nov 6) reports about the state of Durango, which is just south of Chihuahua:
The northern state of Durango will as of Monday join Chihuahua, a neighboring region on the U.S. border, in the red alert phase following an increase in hospitalizations.
Mexico Daily (Nov 3) has the following about Mexico City:
. . . The Mexican economy has already taken a massive hit from the pandemic and associated restrictions, slumping almost 20% and 10% in the second and third quarters, respectively, compared to the same periods last year.
. . . In addition, there is widespread flouting of existing rules and restrictions in Mexico City: masks are supposedly mandatory but many people choose not to wear them with impunity, parties and other large gatherings are becoming increasingly common and keeping a “healthy distance” from others is evidently not a priority for some.
. . . The deputy minister warned that if large groups of people also gather on December 12 – the feast day of the widely venerated Virgin of Guadalupe – there will be an “extremely high risk” of coronavirus transmission.
Mexico's economy has taken a harsh hit like much of the world.
It looks like December 12th will be a key date. Will Mexico discourage people from gathering on this feast date? The article mentions that millions come to the Basilica of Guadalupe in northern Mexico City during this fest day.
Mexico Daily (Nov 6) has the following about Mexico City:
[Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum] said that restaurants, gyms and casinos will be required to close one hour earlier for the next two weeks and that events will be limited to a maximum of 10 people in enclosed areas and 25 in open air spaces.
The normal operation of nightclubs, cantinas and bars remains “strictly prohibited,” Sheinbaum said.
However, cantinas and bars will be permitted to continue operating as long as they serve food with drinks and offer table service to customers.
Hard to tell, perhaps, but maybe Mexico City is a little more open than Los Angeles. I believe in Los Angeles, casinos have to set up outdoor tents - but probably need to close at 10 p.m. Not sure if the same applies to Mexico City.
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