On Sundays, most of Mérida seems like a ghost town. The families that go to church in the morning are likely hidden in their patios in the afternoons. Lots of people head to the beaches. There is almost no traffic. No one is out walking around.
That almost describes Mérida this week. The difference is that the people are all hiding in their patios, and no one is at the beach.There is practically no one outside. The schools closed down on Tuesday. Immediately following were NATIONWIDE closings of museums, movies, parks, archeological sites, gathering places of all kinds, swimming pools, etc. Sporting events will be held but without spectators. Cruise ships to México were rerouted to other ports. This list keeps growing.
I read today that restaurants and hotels that accommodate more than 80 people in Cancún closed. That would explain the mass exodus of 40,000 tourists from Cancún yesterday and today.
The Mexican TV stations and news people call it "el psicosis de la influenza". The media loves to sensationalize. When they first reported this there were 69 deaths in México and 3,000 suspected cases. Now the stats are down to 12 confirmed and 68 suspected deaths in México. The officials are playing it down now. There are NO confirmed cases anywhere in the Yucatán. And personally, I doubt there will be any confirmed cases reported here. The public would panic if we confirm its existence here. I have a good friend who came down with the flu last week and this week is in the hospital with pneumonia. The tests for swine flu came back negative, I was told. Some coincidence, though, isn't it?
The Yucatán is shut down until at least May 6th. Recent news flashes on the radio and TV hint they are considering extending that date to May 11th. The death toll rises as I write this. This is my third attempt at a post on this flu pandemic. Yesterday there were changes before I could finish one post and I just gave up.
The good news is that almost everyone we know here is healthy. We really don't mind having to stay at home in this city. It is built for us to live in our own little worlds. I personally have tons of projects started, other ideas occurring to me at random, the pool...where I pass a good amount of time on these hot days. Pablo and I like to play board games and we have a jigsaw puzzle spread out on the table. We are eating well, taking vitamins, and going with an anti-psychotic flow, hoping life returns to normal one day soon. Not that we would know normal if it hit us in the head....
5 comments:
I love jigsaw puzzles! Next time I am in Merida, I will bring you some of mine that I have completed and need a good home!
Great, we can trade...however I only have one for trading...but it was a good one.
Lin, I just read that all the flu tests have to go to just two labs and it takes 2 weeks to get the results back. So how can they tell if it's the H1N1 flu.
I think psychosis is doublespeak for panic! the flu panic not pandemic will cause more damage than this flu ever will. Great post.
regards,
Theresa
Thanks, Theresa. I think the testing procedures are very fishy....this whole PANdemIC is starting to stink like week old fish.
I was recently hospitalized with suspected H1N1 (Swine Flu). The test kit for detection came from the US. I had a nasal swab, a throat swab, and a blood test. I got the results in 24 hours while still hospitalized! I actually have copies of the results. My diagnosis was left lower lobe pneumonia with bronchitis - no H1N1flu! I don't know about this 2 week thing - perhaps it's a variation on the test, or doesn't include the test kits the US shipped to Mexico. I know the test kit used on me came from the US as my doctor told me that the hospital just got them in the same day I was tested. In any event, I was grateful not to have Swine Flu!
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