Because of the coronavirus, people in Merida resort to pawnshops to get some money.
MERIDA Yucatan (La Vieja Guardia) – The economic situation is tight. Many residents of the city of Merida have run out of money, but the bills have to be paid. Being locked up in their homes, people are consuming more water, more light, and more food. The CFE bills have become more expensive, same with the water bills and refrigerators are getting empty. People need money.
The measures applied by the coronavirus pandemic are translating into an inevitable economic crisis that is already beginning to feel in Merida, which is why dozens of people in the city broke the quarantine to pawn their material goods.
The famous Mexican pawnshop ‘Monte de Piedad’ was crowded with people who wanted to pawn their belongings. The economic uncertainty of hundreds of Yucatecan families living from day to day forces them to pawn what little they have.
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From early in the morning, dozens of people crowded the ‘Monte de Piedad,’ and this was reflected in the long lines that lined the streets surrounding the pawnshop.
According to the testimony of one of those present, the “despensas” (food supplies) provided by the State Government and the municipality are not enough to feed everyone, so people are forced to pawn something valuable to bring food to their families.
Yucatan is in phase three of the coronavirus contingency, the stage of the highest spread of the virus. Despite the severe risk of contagion, long lines surrounded the block adjacent to the pawnshop. Currently, pawnbrokeries play a crucial role in Yucatan, since due to the closure of non-essential businesses, many Yucatecans are left without jobs and resort to pawning what little they have to survive.
Foto: Amayrani Pacheco – La Vieja Guardia
The situation is becoming more difficult every day. In Yucatan, Governor Mauricio Vila has made an unprecedented effort and offered support programs. Still, these, unfortunately, are not enough since the Yucatan government is not receiving the same amount of economic resources from the federal government.
The Mexican business-sector cannot continue paying salaries without income, so many companies have already fired their employees. In Mexico, neither the businesses nor the average citizen is receiving support from the federal government, which has left the population to their fate.
