AstraZeneca vaccine not for sale
Mexico’s health regulator, Cofepris, has issued a warning about the illegal sale of the AstraZeneca vaccine in Mexico.
All coronavirus vaccines are purchased by the federal government and will be applied free of charge to citizens, the agency said on Thursday, noting that any attempt to market vaccine through the internet, on social media, by telephone or at pharmacies and hospitals, is likely to be fraudulent, as well as a health risk to the public.
Cardinal rushed to hospital
Cardinal Juan Sandoval Íñiguez, the former archbishop of Guadalajara, has been admitted to hospital with suspected heart failure, the Guadalajara Archbishopric has announced. The fiercely conservative and often outspoken 87-year-old recently garnered headlines for downplaying the Covid-19 pandemic and complaining about the imposed protocols. Sandoval retired as archbishop of Guadalajara in 2011, having served since 1994, the same year he was ordained a cardinal.
Delays expected on Chapala highway
As of Thursday, February 4, road work started on the four-kilometer stretch of the Guadalajara-Chapala highway between the Periferico (city beltway) and the Miguel Hidalgo International Airport. The aim is to create an additional lane in either direction of the busy stretch of road. Tailbacks should be expected for the duration of the work, especially at peak hours.
Toll road fees hiked
Motorists traveling to the Pacific coast via the Guadalajara-Tepic autopista are paying a higher price for the privilege after the rates for using the toll road increased by 27 percent at the start of this month. The operators of the Guadalajara-Colima toll road also raised their fees on February 3, but only by three percent. Other toll road hikes imposed this year include the Guadalajara Macrolibramiento and the Libramiento Tepic.
GDL in the running to host Gay Games
Guadalajara has been chosen as one of three finalists as potential hosts for the 2026 Gay Games. The city will duke it out with Munich, Germany and Valencia, Spain. The games were founded as the Gay Olympics, in San Francisco, California, in 1982. The 2018 event was held in Paris, France, and the 2022 games are scheduled for Hong Kong, China.
Bring back Mass
Catholic lay people from the Archdiocese of Guadalajara have petitioned Jalisco Governor Enrique Alfaro to ease the restrictions on churches celebrating Mass once the current anti-Covid measures expire on February 12. So far, around 11,800 signatures have been collected though citizengo.org, according to Eileen Marie Lynch Stevens, who is leading the initiative. The petitioners say churches have taken special care throughout the pandemic to reduce capacity and observe safe practices, and cannot understand why worship has been prohibited.