Héctor España Ramos, the Chapala government’s point man for communications with the foreign community, went live yesterday with a new Facebook page called Chapala Expat Liaison, launched at the instigation of Mayor Moisés Anaya.
The intention is to keep English-speaking residents up to date on official information from Chapala City Hall regarding the Covid-19 pandemic and other matters relevant to the immigrant community.
“Today more than ever we must stick together and organize,” España declared in an introductory video clip. A message put up in a subsequent posted stated, “There is so much information on social media about this crisis. We will not argue the relative weight of any other communication. This page will be the official voice of our municipality in English.”
España explained rules for the site are as follows:
1. There will be no tolerance for political, sarcastic, or racist entries. There is no time for ugly behavior. These will be immediately deleted and the poster banned.
2. It must be clear that NO ONE has all the answers. I just promise to do my best.
España introduced City Manager Sergio Gutiérrez who closed with a fervent plea to viewers, “Please, please, stay home!”
Information appearing early Wednesday noted: “The Ministry of Health reports 126 cases of Covid-19 in Jalisco and there have been 7 deaths in Jalisco. NO documented cases have been reorted in the muncipality of Chapala. There have been 1,184 tests done in 86 municipalities in this state. There have been infections found in 17 municipalities. 80 percent are rated as mild (treated in isolation at home), 25 hospitalized, 1 volunteer discharge, 8 improved /discharged, 7 deaths, 9 stable, 2 severe, and 1 very severe.”