So far we have not heard of a case of swine flu here in our State of Guanajuato. Life goes on in San Miguel. Swine flu or no swine flu. It is very quiet on the street. I've been out and about this morning and I saw very few people with masks on. Most people seemed to be going about their daily tasks. But here is the thing, there aren't very many tourists. A lot of the jobs in San Miguel depend on tourist and the owners of restaurants, hotels and B&B's can't keep paying their employees. I expect that financially things are going to get very difficult quickly for a lot of people.Mexico has been hit so many ways this year. The economy both from reduced exports and from a decline in tourism. The drug war. An earthquake yesterday. And now on top of everything the swine flu. Personally, I don't think Mexico is even close to the USA in being prepared for a pandemic but from the reactions of the people in Mexico City this weekend, I think that they, the citizens, will take every precaution that they can do personally to try to control the spread of the virus. However on the government level I think it will look more like the USA's response to Katrina which was lots of show but not very well executed.
On a personal level I've been thinking about how my parents must have worried about polio back when my sister and I were children. There wasn't a vaccine back then so during the summer we couldn't go to swimming pools and we stayed out of crowds. Maybe the news on the radio told about new cases of polio but I don't remember that. I do remember seeing people in iron lungs on the newsreels at the movies. The thing is we weren't bombarded with 24/7 news reports of every new case of polio around the world. If you listen to all the reports of "The Swine Flu Pandemic" you'll soon be ready to run screaming through the streets. I think I'll take a more cautious approach. Please excuse me while I go wash my hands.
6 comments:
Billie -- Somehow we have allowed fear to rule our lives. I have some theories on thye source, but people simply seem to revel in hysteria.
I found your blog by googling blogs of San Miguel. My in-laws have just moved there and we are planning to visit next week. I was wondering what impact the swine flu was having there. Glad to hear you have no reported cases.
Unless they cancel all flights in we will still be coming. Do you think they'll close down stores, etc?
I think you used your Lensbaby on the photo above. I like! (I just got my Lensbaby and still playing with it)
Lynne, I don't think they will be closing the stores. Especially since we don't have any reported cases of the flu. Besides, it isn't like the stores are crowded places where you might contact flu. There could be some restaurants closed just because some restaurants always close for a week or two in May. I think you will have a great time.
This was made with the holga lens cap on my digital camera not the lensbaby but they do a lot of the same thing especially when you have the plastic optic and f8 on the lensbaby.
Well we got to wash our hands all the time anyway so washing a little more won't hurt. I'm still careful when I go to Curves to exercise and wipe down my hands with sanitary wash soap. They have it there for use. I actually have cut back on going here and there because I always end up spending money when I leave the house, so for me staying home is best. Now go wash your hands Billie, be good about it. lol Take care.
I had a talk today with my fifth graders about fear and flu. You are correct in saying that we are constantly bombarded with news that puts fear in people. Some of those same fifth graders drained my bottle of waterless hand sanitizer today. And we are in Honduras, which does not yet have one single case that has been documented. I think we will talk again about the F word again tomorrow.
...once again during a catastrophe, those who already have the least are the hardest hit...
The mexican people call this : yellow news here...in Querétaro.
take care,
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