FROM THE FIELD
It’s one week after the first announcement was made by the authorities. It’s been seven days with swine flu at large. Seven days since hygienic measures were put into in place. After one week and the signs are that, at least in Mexico, the numbers are stabilising.
The last big impact on the life of the Mexicans, especially in Mexico City, was the decision to close the restaurants (at the weekend, the impact will be bigger because the bars will be also closed…). So now, when you walk in the city, it is easy to find people literally eating on the streets.The biggest problem didn’t come because people need to cook at home to have some lunch during working hours (deliveries are still running). It is more about the impact on the economy of cooks, waitresses and cleaning staff, who depend hugely on tips.
And these are not the only cases. A small-scale farmers’ organisation (Productos de la Xinampa, a partner of Rostros y Voces - the Mexican organization that is part of Oxfam International), tell us about a direct impact. They used to sell daily produce to restaurants in Mexico City. With the restrictions on working, sales have stopped, so their incomes have also stopped.This is the other face of the impact. The population is accepting the preventatives measures with amazing understanding, but some business sectors are raising the issue of the direct impact on their economies and on the national economy. This includes the pork industry, which refuses the name given to the flu because the link with the pandemic represents a loss that in Mexico is in the millions (to clarify: eating well-cooked pork can’t bring on the flu).Even with the situation calmer and with a long weekend in front of us (May 1 to May 5 are holidays in Mexico), not a lot of people will leave their homes. Firstly for health reasons, and secondly because even in the tourist centres, most places are also closed. So you can enjoy the beach, and the sea, and the sand… but not much more than that.For that reason, to some of the people, the weekend looks scary: less because of the flu - the message sent by the authorities yesterday gave the impression of a positive path for the coming days - than through the lack of options of things to do during the next five days.[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
