Coronavirus: Life Goes On in Mexico Despite Concerns

Text by: Alix Hardy Follow

In Mexico, life continues its course despite the coronavirus epidemic. The attitude of the country, which has not yet adopted any restrictive measures, contrasts with that of its neighbors.

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From our correspondent in Mexico,

So far, Mexico, which on March 12 recorded only 15 active cases of coronavirus, has chosen to apply no restraint measures. On the continent, the majority of countries have chosen to take more or less drastic restrictions in order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, such as the suspension of flights from China and Europe, or the cancellation of public events.

But in Mexico, the Viva Latino festival, which attracts tens of thousands of people every year, will take place this weekend in the capital. The street stands are full and the airports are in service. Francisco went out to lunch on the street. " Nothing so far, " he explains. Everything is normal. We just get the hygiene recommendations. My children continue to go to school . ”

Last days of tranquility

If the World Health Organization (WHO) welcomes the experience of the Mexican health authorities, acquired during the H1N1 epidemic in 2009, several experts question the low number of detection tests carried out, like Doctor Alejandro Macias on the air of a local radio. " We only find what we are looking for ," he laments. You have to look at how many tests have been done in Mexico! In South Korea, they were at 100,000 tests when the United States did not reach 1,000 . And in Mexico, it is the same : we did not exceed 1,000 ”.

The authorities are defending their decision. But the population doubts: are we losing the opportunity to avoid contamination on a large scale? wonder Francisco and his colleague Israel. " The state does not oblige companies to make us work at home, for example , they recall. It is inaction. And then, we will end up with an overwhelmed health system ! "

" They may say that they are prepared, we do not know how many people they will be able to treat or how many will be reached in their forecasts , said Francisco. A million ? Ten millions ? All agree on one point: the country is going through its last days of normalcy. The local transmission phase will result at the end of the month in a sudden multiplication of cases and, no doubt then, of the measures which accompany it.

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