Chapala authorities have turned away thousands of seasonal visitors at roadside checkpoints set up at entry points to the municipality since the first of this month as a measure to help prevent the spread of the Covid-19 virus in the community.
Out of the 15,094 motorists stopped for inspection between April 2 and 13, a total of 9,343 (61.9 percent) were instructed to turn around and go home, while 5,751 (38.1 percent) were waved through after showing proof of residency or legitimate cause for entry to the municipality.
Those statistics were among the facts and figures cited by Mayor Moisés Anaya in a progress report on the municipal government’s Covid-19 Emergency Plan during a virtual press conference transmitted live from his office on Wednesday, April 15.
Over last weekend, long lines of vehicles were backed up for two to three hours along the Guadalajara-Chapala highway on the approach to an inspection point in the vicinity of Chapala Haciendas.
Estimating that the roadblocks kept 37,372 outside visitors from arriving in the north shore corridor, Anaya apologized for the inconveniences of a drastic measure implemented at a critical time in the battle to contain the pandemic.
Many permanent lakeside residents have hailed the government agents standing duty as local heroes who kept their cool while withstanding withering heat and frequent insults from frustrated travelers.
As explained by Anaya, Chapala’s Plan Emergencia Sanitaria COVID-19 is made up of three key divisions of action: Prevention, Inspection and Vigilance, and Food Protection.
Prevention strategies have included closure of non-essential businesses and public venues where people congregate, screenings of passengers arriving by bus as well as the aforementioned roadway checks, sanitation of public spaces with an FDA-approved biodegradable disinfectant spray, and publicity campaigns to promote safe-distancing and keep the public informed.
Special consideration for foreign residents include public service announcements recorded in English for broadcasting by police patrols driving through most neighborhoods and the new Facebook/Chapala-Expat-Liaison link.
Inspection and Vigilance is focused on ensuring that businesses and the general public adhere to official directives implemented temporarily to combat Covid-19.
Out of 4,300 business establishments registered in the municipality, 1,150 have been ordered to completely or partially shut down operations. This means local liquor stores – classified by federal authorities as non-essential businesses – have been required to close their doors.
The Food Protection axis is aimed at ensuring that Chapala’s most vulnerable residents do not go broke and hungry as the health crisis deepens.
City Hall is fostering 500 applicants seeking support through Jalisco’s Emergency Employment and Income Protection plan.
Packages of basic pantry goods, called despensas, are being provided regularly to hundreds of elderly, disabled and impoverished inhabitants through existing state and local social assistance programs.
Anaya is also spearheading Alimentando Esperanzas (Feeding Hopes), a program launched this week to dole out weekly despensas and fresh meat supplies to 1,000 needy families. The food is being purchased with the donation of partial salary cuts accepted by Chapala city councilors and department chiefs.