Mexico City government officials have lowered the Swine Flu alert level, meaning that we will be getting back to the regularly scheduled program here in Mexico. Thanks for hanging with me and reading all the Swine Flu stuff here.
The fact that the alert is lowered doesn’t mean there isn’t a threat, but it means at least that things will be a little more relaxed. Waiters and waitresses and other workers will still be wearing face masks, and the government is still encouraging their use (although their effectiveness is debatable).
As for us, Seminary starts back up with classes on Thursday. Please keep praying for us. I will be traveling throughout the city on Thursday, so I’ll still take precautions to avoid getting sick.
Pray, too, that this country can recover from the economic impact of the Swine Flu. Pray for the families as they get back into the swing of things. Pray for the parents of young children who don’t go back to school until next Monday.
In this article about the Swine Flu, many people say that the hysteria over the flu is more dangerous than the flu itself. I’ve wondered the same thing.
I’ve read some opinions that the Mexican government created the hysteria so that people wouldn’t focus on the bad economy. I wonder why they would do that if Mexico City stands to lose something like 85 million dollars a day because of the Swine Flu.
I’ve also heard people say, “What’s the big deal about 19 deaths due to the flu when thousands die each year from seasonal flu?” Good question. I guess it’s because it’s a new strain that we weren’t sure if we could treat appropriately. It’s also expanding around the world.
Then I think about the World Health Organization. Aren’t they the ones who decide if something is a pandemic or not? If so, they must know something I don’t know or they are way off on this one.
Anyway, contemplating this while sitting in my house in Mexico City gives me something to do while I wait for the decisions from the government about schools and businesses opening this week.
I was a little bored from not doing anything for the last few days, so I decided to get out of the house and drive around today to see what was going on in Mexico City.
Here’s what I saw.
Paseo de La Reforma is one of the two main roads in Mexico City. Usually, it is bustling with traffic and people. It’s pretty much never this empty, but due to H1N1 (swine flu), today it was fairly empty.
This child street performer dressed up as a lion was also wearing a blue mask today. There were many street vendors still out today, despite the government’s advice to stay home.
The green taxis are an icon of the city. Today, the drivers were wearing masks and rubber gloves. This was the best picture I could get of a gloved taxista.
This week we went on an already planned trip to Huatulco, Mexico. We flew from Mexico City to Huatulco on Sunday and from Huatulco to Mexico City on Wednesday. With the Swine Flu pandemic all over the world having been suspected to originate in Mexico, we expected the airport to be crazy.
There was a military presence there, handing out masks to passengers. We expected to see that because we knew that they were handing out masks to people as they entered the subway. But handing out masks was pretty much the only sign of swine flu pandemic that we saw.
There was also the “screening” that we went through for them to let us on the plane. It consisted of a single sheet of paper (see the photo – click to enlarge) with a few questions on it.
It asked our name, age, gender, and then some very simple symptom questions. Do you have the following symptoms: Fever over 39 degrees Celsius, cough, headache, limb pain, joint pain, eye redness, and nasal flux. Then, it said, “If you have all of these symptoms, we recommend that you postpone your trip and see a doctor.”
That was it. I expected a little more. We got the same form on the way home from the beach.
I read today that they will be doing more screening now at the airports. I wonder what that will be like. I have heard that they will actually take your temperature at the airport. We’ll see what happens.
I’m not sure how Swine Flu jumped from pigs to humans, but here’s one theory:
Just so you know, I don’t think Swine Flu is a laughing matter. I am praying that the outbreak is controlled and that nobody else has to suffer from it, and I am praying for the families of those who have lost loved ones as a result of it.
I just thought the picture was cute.
See my other posts about Swine Flu:
While the experts debate the effectiveness of masks to help prevent the spread of swine flu, there is no doubt that people all over Mexico are wearing them.
Here are some humorous photos I’ve found that help relieve a little of the tension during the pandemic.
Benito Juarez thinks a mask will help him (via: Pura vida)
The owner of this car isn’t taking chances (via: Ana Maria Salazar)
While you’re at it, you can learn how to make your own anti-swine flu mask.
Here’s an example of how not to wear a mask (Check the photo).
Oh, and I took this at out Walmart pharmacy last night. It says, “Dear Customer, for the moment we do not have masks. They are sold out. Thank you.”
