Virus porcino/Swine flu

First of all, we're fine! We have our face masks and our vitamins, and all virus-free DF friends are welcome to join us in Cuernavaca.  UPDATE: All classes in the country have been cancelled until May 6 in an effort to stem the spread of the flu virus.   Also the WHO has raised our pandemic risk level from a 3 to a 4 on their 1-6 scale.  My state, Morelos, is one of the 24 states classified as "not in danger" - we have had 4 cases, 2 which were treated and 2 which required hospitalization.

Here is what I saw while in D.F. this past weekend:

Just as the virus porcino alert was hitting Mexico City, our friend Amber flew in fromPortland. Regina picked her up on Friday night and I met them on Saturday for a weekend in D.F.  Stepping off my bus at the Tasqueña bus terminal, the reality of the threat of swine flu hit me.  Over half the people wore "cubre bocas" to cover their mouths and noses, and the people traffic level was noticeably less than normal.  As we walked through the Alameda Park to the zócalo later that morning, we saw several military people passing out face masks, and a military truck was full of more (see photo).  The government is taking the outbreak very seriously, and all public events have been cancelled, and school (K-university) has been cancelled in Mexico City (D.F.) and Mexico state until May 6th.  Even soccer games havebeen played behind "puertas cerradas," which means the games were played but without public spectators.  In the metro and on streets, health workers are passing out fliers about the flu, its symptoms, and what to do if you feel like you might be ill.  And most seriously of all, Saturday night it was announced that Mass would be cancelled throughout Mexico City.  In this Catholic country, canceling Mass (which previously had ben the only public event not cancelled), is a serious move.  However, Mass was broadcasted for the faithful this morning (Sunday) on public TV stations at 8 a.m.

   So, with museums closed and the city looking nearly deserted in comparison to the usual levels of traffic, we decided to come back to Cuernavaca, where on Sunday it was reported that 2 people had died from the porcino virus, which turned out to be untrue.  I carried our cubrebocas in my pocket all day, and of course we've joked about what would happen if one of us started coughing in a metro car, but it does feel a bit insecure.  The empty metro was eerie, and the bus to Cuerna had only 7 people on it (a normal Sunday bus would have about 20-25 people). On the way back to Cuernavaca this afternoon health workers had all passengers fill out symptoms cards (fever above 39C? Body ache? Cough?) and collected them for "survey" purposes.  Amber had filled out a similar card upon entering the country on Friday.  

       Although the infection rate is extremely low in my state (Morelos), it's a good time to practice hand-washing and to hold off on kissing strangers.  Good health to all of you and take care!