Puerto Vallarta, Mexico – Given the increase in the number of cases and deaths from COVID-19 in the Banderas Bay region, Puerto Vallarta Mayor Arturo Dávalos Peña calls on the general population to not relax preventive measures and to strengthen health protocols to avoid more infections.
Dávalos Peña said that in a recent meeting of the health table with the mayors of this region, it was agreed that there is a social relaxation in the face of this disease, especially among young people who are not following health protocols when going to parties and clubs, then bringing the virus home to their parents and grandparents, the most vulnerable and at risk sectors.
“Unfortunately, infections in young people are on the rise, deaths are increasing overall and, according to the diagnosis of the health table, we have a problem, everyone has already relaxed, they believe that we are no longer going to get sick from Covid-19,” he said. “We must remember that, since there is not yet a vaccine, it is necessary to continue wearing masks, keeping a healthy distance, washing our hands and using antibacterial gel constantly to avoid more infections,” he emphasized.
In addition, he warned that if this trend continues, there is a risk that the “emergency button” will be pressed and that activities and businesses will be closed again, which would be a serious setback for the economy of this city.
“Governor Enrique Alfaro is concerned about the increase in infections, and we do not want to run the risk of returning to confinement and the closure of activities, which would hurt us very badly. It’s high season for tourism, flights have increased, and the cruise ships that leave a great economic spill are about to arrive; if we do not continue to take care of ourselves and do not respect the protocols, practically all the progress that has been made towards economic and tourist reactivation will be lost, which would have serious consequences for the destination and the region,” warned the municipal president of Puerto Vallarta.
He said that, for this reason, “we must not relax, we have to tighten up our actions, reinforce health protocols again, put the health of our people, of our community, first; because if there is health, there is economic reactivation. If there is no health, we will go backwards again. It is a shared responsibility, we already have seven months with the preventive campaign that we all know – not going out except when necessary and wearing masks – the problem is that we have relaxed,” Dávalos stressed.
It is worth mentioning that at this meeting, the director of the VIII Sanitary Region, Armando Pérez Oliva, presented the updated panorama of COVID-19 in the municipalities under its jurisdiction and confirmed that, with the exception of San Sebastián del Oeste, the trend in cases has been on the rise in all of the municipalities, as is the case in other regions of the state.
Given this, he asked the mayors to continue working hard on this issue to reinforce prevention through dissemination campaigns on health measures among the population, such as the use of face masks, and greater supervision so that businesses comply with the established protocols.
At this meeting, the mayors of Puerto Vallarta, Cabo Corrientes and Tomatlán, as well as other authorities that make up the security table, welcomed Vice Admiral José Manuel Pomares Contreras, new commander of the 8th Naval Military Zone, as well as the Captain of the Navy, Ernesto López Monterrosa, commander of the regional coordination number 92 of the National Guard.
Source: puertovallarta.gob.mx