Next Fortnight in Campeche Crucial to Stem Coronavirus Spread

CAMPECHE Mexico – Although Campeche registers regularly among the states with lowest confirmed infections nationally – 5 confirmed cases at present, fears are running high that the sudden emergence of a hotspot could lead to an out-of-control situation in Ciudad del Carmen (currently 2 registered cases), Campeche City (three confirmed), and more widely across the territory.

Whilst the streets in the capital city are currently far from empty, the State Government has cancelled all official administrative work and Governor of Campeche Carlos Miguel Aysa González has declared this decision “a decree commensurate with the epidemiological panorama in Mexico and Campeche, demonstrating the greatest respect for the protection of health of the civilians at large.”

Stay-at-home orders are being regularly uttered across platforms, including by the Health Secretary José Luis González Pinzón, although these are currently recommendations rather than obligations. Certainly many non-essential shops and businesses in Campeche capital are closed, and the emblematic bars and restaurants of the malecon and Calle 59 are almost completely locked up except for those that offer home delivery services, some perhaps never to open again, given the sheer scale of the economic downturn that has begun to affect the state. 

A subsequent civil worry is to what extent the infrastructure of the state can deal with a virus bloom, given its sparse health services and limited specialized wards. Notwithstanding, the Governor has repeatedly emphasized that the state’s healthcare capacity is sufficient to deal with whatever level of infection reaches the state, although given the international panorama, this is perhaps more a sign of how he is intent on easing the fears of the population, rather than a true reflection of its readiness.

The Yucatan Times
Newsroom