Flights not suspended
At press time, no measures had been taken to suspend flights to Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta from U.S. cities that have strict coronavirus containment measures in place, such as Los Angeles, New York and Chicago, say the airport’s operators, Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico (GAP).
Jalisco Governor Enrique Alfaro said he has written to the federal Communications and Transportation Ministry (SCT) asking them to “act urgently” to suspend flights to Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta from countries under Covid-19 lockdown. “We can’t carry on putting off these important decisions,” he said.
Nurses protest shortages
Staff from two Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social (IMSS) clinics in Guadalajara – 46 and 110 – staged impromptu protests Monday and Tuesday to highlight the lack of protective materials at their facilities. Nurses and employees said they are being asked to bring in their own surgical masks and antibacterial gel, adding that some areas of the Clinica 46 are even without soap.
Cruise passengers
The Communications and Transportation Ministry (SCT) has said it will permit passengers from cruise liners that still haven’t been able to return to their home ports to disembark in Puerto Vallarta for humanitarian reasons. All will be scanned for coronavirus symptoms before being allowed to fly home. Puerto Vallarta has yet to register a single case of Covid-19.
Border crossing shut
Mexican protesters have shut a U.S. border crossing amid fears that untested travellers will spread coronavirus in Mexico. Residents in Sonora, wearing face masks and holding signs telling Americans to “stay at home,” closed a checkpoint for hours on Wednesday. Earlier in the week, the United States and Mexico agreed to limit all non-essential travel across their shared border.
‘Susana Distancia’
The Mexican government has put in place a “National Program of Healthy Distance,” using a superwoman style cartoon character called “Susana Distancia” to remind people to keep apart to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.