Red Alert

As of today Mexico City and the State of Mexico (which partially surrounds the city and which includes much of the city's metropolitan area) have gone to the highest level of alert on the country's COVID scale.  Mexico City had previously been on Orange Alert.  

The head of Mexico City's government (a position which is actually more like a governor than a mayor) is Claudia Sheinbaum.  She is no dummy.  She has a PhD in energy engineering and shared a Nobel Peace Prize in 2007 for her work on an international panel on climate change.  She herself tested positive for COVID in October although she was asymptomatic.  However she has been in the delicate situation of effectively dealing with the health crisis but not angering President López Obrador who has been skeptical of the virus and wants the Mexican economy to remain open.  She has tiptoed around the President... she has called the situation an emergency, expanded testing, increased hospital capacity, ordered all bars to shut down and restaurants and stores to close at 5 P.M.... without declaring a Red Alert.

But yesterday she and the governor of the State of Mexico held a press conference in which they declared that their two jurisdictions would be under Red Alert until at least January 10th.  That means that all non-essential businesses would be closed and people are urged to stay at home.  They called on residents to cancel all holiday parties and gatherings, but it will be interesting to how many people comply.  As in the United States, there are many Mexicans who are not taking precautions, in part because their beloved President has not taken the pandemic seriously.

According to official statistics there are 34,000 active cases in the city, although the true figure is probably much higher.  The official death toll for Mexico City is over 19,000.  Hospitals are at 75% capacity, and there are more than 1,100 patients on ventilators.  Many of the ill are at home, and there are long lines for oxygen tanks.