Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico – In a video broadcast on his social networks on Sunday, Jalisco Governor Enrique Alfaro Ramírez said that given the rise in Covid infections and active cases in the State, ‘the activation of the emergency button is imminent,’ with restrictions placed on night time and weekend activities for 14 days.
The governor added that last week the cumulative incidence rate reached 396.7 cases per million inhabitants, the limit being 400, and the level of hospitalization reached 24.4 percent, and although the limit is 50 percent, some intensive care units for COVID patients have reached 80 percent.
The Jalisco governor clarified that the decision on whether or not the emergency button will be pressed will be made in conjunction with the Health and Economic Reactivation Board on Wednesday. If they decide this week’s numbers constitute the activation of the ‘redesigned emergency button’ the restrictive measures could be applied as early as Friday, October 30.
The new measures would consist of the suspension of activities at 8:00 pm from Monday through Friday; and the closure of all activities on Saturdays and Sundays for two weeks – except for in Puerto Vallarta, where only the night-time suspension of activities would be maintained.
“During the day, we would continue with normal activities but seriously complying with the established health protocols,” he said.
It should be noted that industrial activities with continuous production processes may operate at night and also on weekends as long as they have their own transportation. Food businesses may offer home delivery at night and on weekends. Neighborhood grocery stores, convenience stores, pharmacies and gas stations will also be able to maintain their normal operating hours.
The Governor clarified that it is not a curfew, since people can leave their homes at any time, but public transportation will stop operating at 8:00 pm as well as on weekend, and gatherings of more than 10 people behind closed doors, and of more than 50 people in open places, will be prohibited.
“Despite the complex scenario we face, we have decided that we cannot stop economic activities again, because that would be terrible. As the World Health Organization itself has said, the measures that have to be taken today are different from those of the first stage of the pandemic because today there is a real risk of collapsing our economies, and that can also cost lives. I will say it again very clearly: the emergency button is not meant to stop people from working, but to stop people from going out to meet each other for leisure or for fun,” Enrique Alfaro explained.
At the end of his message, the Governor said that in the local national and international scenario, the Government of Jalisco will reinforce and adjust the epidemiological tracking model; as well as security in air terminals.
“We will continue to apply tests, tests and more tests, to identify cases in time and thus prevent further infections. Additionally, we are going to reinforce surveillance at our airports for flights coming from destinations with outbreaks of the virus. And, in particular, we are going to demand that the municipal authorities seriously enforce the established health protocols and procedures that many people are not complying with,” he stated.
“We are going to act with responsibility and commitment. We are going to keep moving forward,” the Governor of Jalisco concluded.
Source: Gobierno del Estado de Jalisco