In response to weekend visitors and local inhabitants who ignore Covid-19 prevention protocols, the Chapala municipal government has instigated a program of foot patrols to keep watch on the waterfront boardwalk zones in Chapala and Ajijic where people tend to congregate.
Civil Protection officers, inspectors and other Chapala City Hall staffers teamed up to make rounds at the malecón zones to encourage behavior conducive to keeping the spread of the coronavirus in check. They were equipped with a bullhorn to repeat public service announcements, containers of sanitizing hand gel and supplies of facemasks to be handed out for free.
Several of Ajijic’s female community leaders jumped on the bandwagon last Sunday afternoon to march around the malecón where crowds of people were gathered for family picnics, partying with live and canned music and recreational fun in the fresh air. The ladies carried a hand-written welcome sign beseeching visitors to keep their mugs covered. While most people readily accepted free masks, many pulled them off once the patrols were out of sight.