Swine Flu Update - Who To Believe?

praying for some information

This morning's Diario de Yucatan website states that there is one unconfirmed case of swine flu in the Yucatan. Great news, right? According to the story, they are awaiting the results of the tests from Mexico City. There's no way to confirm this locally? Hmmm.

This same website has another article that reports on the efforts being made on Yucatan's state borders, where people driving in from other states are checked with state of the art equipment that measure body temperature with a laser device. If anyone shows a high body temperature, they are pulled aside to have more samples taken right there and the testing will show right there if the person is infected with the swine flu virus. The test takes... TWO MINUTES.

This begs the obvious question: why, if the health authorities are able to detect the virus at a mobile lab set up on the highway in Coba, are they saying they need to wait for confirmation from Mexico City to determine whether or not the Merida case is positive? I would humbly suggest they send the sample to the Coba mobile highway lab and test it there - seems it would be a lot faster and more efficient, no?

Meanwhile, the federal government, in an update on the news, shows a list of states that have the infection - Yucatan is among them.

Meanwhile the malls are officially closed until May 6. But they are open, for the most part. So they are closed and open at the same time.

And those people who organized a party on Facebook which was broken up by the Health Police are, according to some sources 6 years in prison and/or fines. Talk about your overreactions.

Who to believe? Is there any wonder people are praying?

Swine Flu Update - Gran Plaza Mall Open

In that occasionally infuriating way Mexico operates that brings out the neurotic foreigner in me, it turns out that the Gran Plaza mall is open this morning. A call to their administrative office reveals that the order from the manager/administrator is that 'the mall opens'. This in spite of the 'official' statement yesterday saying that Merida malls would be close until May 6th. And you wonder why Mexicans are so cynical about anything 'official'.

Stores/businesses open this morning in the Gran Plaza are:

• Burger King,
• Doña Gorda,
• Libreria Dante,
• CFE,
• TelCel and
• Mayan Xic.
• Kukis by Maru will open shortly, I expect.

How long will this last? Who knows! In the land of the unexpected and the Kafka-esque, ANYthing can happen! Maybe someone will sneeze and the mall will close.

Officially.

Have a great Monday!

Swine Flu Update - Malls Closed

Just a quick note to let anyone not aware of the latest local developments regarding the swine flu hysteria that the authorities have decided in their infinite wisdom to close the malls as of this afternoon and apparently until May 6 or such time as it is determined 'safe' to do so.

Wouldn't want anyone to get a runny nose now, would we?

This is another nail in the coffin of the local, state and national economy. WHo stands to gain, I wonder, by propagating all this ridiculous hysteria?

It's not Ebola for chrissake. IT's A FLU people!!!

Anyway.

Soon they will close the beaches as a lot of people are going there since it is the only thing left to do in this scorching, dead city.

Here is the latest update as of this moment on the World Health Organizations website.