Puerto Vallarta, Mexico – Last week, during an ordinary session of the city council, Puerto Vallarta Mayor Arturo Dávalos Peña read a statement issued by the Jalisco Secretary of Health, Fernando Petersen Aranguren, in which the cancellation of Mexico’s Independence Day celebrations throughout the state was announced.
According to the statement, the decision was made after the specialized health committee presented an analysis of the current number of COVID-19 infections in the state to Governor Enrique Alfaro Ramírez, who made the call to suspend all of the national holiday’s traditional activities in order to prevent a major coronavirus outbreak in Jalisco.
This includes the 210th Anniversary of the Cry of Independence Ceremony, as well as parades, flag honors, popular festivals, concerts, charreadas, and any other events that draw crowds.
“The foregoing is in accordance with the provisions of the Government Agreements that establish the Criteria and Guidelines to prevent, contain, diagnose and attend the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the sanitary security measures for social isolation of a general and mandatory nature,” the document reads.
Puerto Vallarta is just one of the 125 municipalities in Jalisco in accordance with the Government Agreement, which among other aspects calls for “the suspension of activities defined as non-essential and the prohibition of use of public spaces such as municipal squares and gardens, cultural, neighborhood and community centers or similar spaces, as well as the banning of events, meetings or congregations of more than 50 people, whether public, private or social.”
While it might seem a bit premature for Jalisco to cancel this year’s national celebrations a month and a half before Independence Day, the state government’s decision was based on the University of Guadalajara’s predictive model, which indicates that the rate of infections will reach its peak by September 14.
Sources: Contra Linea • Quadratin Jalisco • La Verdad