Yep, Mexico City is the place to be

Sometimes it's so much fun being a journalist. "Feel like flying into the swine flu epicentre?" asked my editor (to paraphrase), except it wasn't really a question. Where else would I want to be, pray tell?

CARLOS OSORIO/TORONTO STAR

A woman prays at Mexico City’s Metropolitan Cathedral on April 29, 2009.

After Ottawa issued its travel advisory against going to Mexico Tuesday, Toronto Star photographer Carlos Osorio and I jumped on a plane — well, a couple of them — and headed to the Mexican capital. There's a bright side. American Airlines flights to Dallas and on to Mexico City Tuesday were so light in economy class, we could have brought in king size beds and dozed.

We're hoping the Tamiflu tablets we're taking will put us with the 30 per cent of the population the medication actually protects against swine flu.

Mexico City is, as always, bizarre, quirky and surreal, even in the midst of a health crisis. "Welcome to Mexico. Business or pleasure?" said the immigration agent through his mask, around midnight at the Mexico City airport. Nice to see a sense of humour; my papers were clear about this journalism thing.

It was a treat to receive a bowl of tortilla soup from a room service waiter wearing a medical mask and looking nervous.

I will be blogging whenever I can from Mexico over the next few days. That's if I recover from my devastation over the lack of a good margarita. I'm a fan of the margaritas at La Valentina restaurants here but they are closed except for takeout. Wonder if they'll prepare a batch for pickup?

And where can I go for magazines at 3 a.m. with Sanborns closed? Yes, the 24-hour phenomenon is, gasp! closed, at least in the wee hours. Must be the first time ever for the Carlos Slim money-maker.

* * *

At the Metropolitan Cathedral on the weekend, Church authorities took out the statue of the Christ of Health (Cristo de la Salud) that hadn't been brought outside for 300 years. At that time, Mexicans were suffering from a third epidemic of foreign-imported smallpox. They placed the statue in the Zocolo with the hope it would heal people. Eventually, the disease passed, although all three epidemics in the New World  wiped out an estimated 90 per cent of the indigenous population.

Last Sunday, Church authorities brought out the statue again, this time to heal the swine flu. It's too soon to see any results.

However, some people I spoke to in the Cathedral Wednesday suggested God has no interest in taking care of this problem. In their opinion, the world-wide swine flu outbreak is evidence of the wrath of God over humankind's godlessness.

In that case, we're all in deep trouble. The Apocalypse cometh.

* * *
I just saw President Felipe Calderon on TV promising Mexicans will be told the truth about this disease at all times. Mexico has such a sterling record of keeping its citizens informed of the facts — like, say, the 1968 Tlatelolco Massacre in Mexico City, the 1985 earthquake, the killing of campesinos by Guerrero state police at Las Aguas Blancas in 1995 and the ongoing murders of hundreds of women in Juarez.

But I digress. Swine flu is enough for the moment.

Comments

[Maria]

Thanks for the coverage, Linda. Just a couple of typos on your article, it's ZocAlo, and the mayor's name is MarCElo Ebrard, not Marulo.
Maybe you could talk more about the devastating economic effects this is having for Mexico. Not just Mexico City, but tourist centres like Cabo San Lucas have seen cruises canceled, flights, cancellations, etc. They were already hit by the recession in the US bringing fewer tourists this year, and now this. These towns are probably gonna die. It's very scary, scarier than the disease, which seems to have a cure if treated promptly.

[A Ahmed]

Lol, yes maybe they will prepare "take out specials". While you are at it check to see if Fondo El Rufio has adapted to "take out margaritas specials" as well. They are on Londres btw Hamburgo and Florencia:)

Refreshing to read your piece, thanks.

[Sandra]

I pray every day for my Dear Mexico. Although I am Canadian now...part of my heart still belongs to this beautiful country...

[Rolando Garza]

As Maria pointed out, it is indeed written 'Zócalo'; however... I agree that Mexico has always been quite open about events... and nevertheless people are still conspiring and saying that "they're lying about the death toll", etcetera, etc.

It feels a bit eerie that there is a general shut-down of the economy. But I know we'll make it through.

[Ryan]

Question is, why is Mexico taking the brunt of this disease's effects? The answer could very well be lack of regulations. The government is more concerned with people using the beach as a bathroom between carona's than they are with the lack of farming regulations, where indeed the waste is on a much greater scale. Its unfortunate that the urban and tourist areas such as Mexico City and Cabo San Lucas have to suffer for the rural farmers/Governments neglect.

[Gord]

"We're hoping the Tamiflu tablets we're taking ..." This practice does nothing to help viruses that are not resistant to the antiviral drug stay that way and it removes more of the drug to those who are in dire need of it.

[BARB BF]

The University of Minnesota has canceled all of it's Study Abroad Programs located in Mexico...and is urging it's students not to plan vacations there. I agree with Judicial Watch:

Open Borders Put Public Health at Risk

A few weeks ago, I told you that Judicial Watch continues to battle aggressively for any and all documents related to the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP) and its offshoot, the North American Competitiveness Council. I also cautioned that even though this "project" was launched during the Bush administration, it is still relevant today, given President Obama's globalist mentality and the fact that SPP border-blurring policies are still being implemented.

And now here comes the swine flu to prove my point.

Of course, this has been the story of the week. According to The Associated Press:

President Barack Obama pledged "great vigilance" in confronting the swine flu outbreak Wednesday night as it spread coast to coast across the U.S. The outbreak hit 11 states and closed schools amid confirmation of the first U.S. death -- a Mexican toddler who visited Texas with his family -- and the confinement of dozens of Marines after one came down with the disease in California...

...Despite calls from many U.S. lawmakers for tightening controls over the Mexico-US border, Obama ruled out that option, even though the swine flu outbreak has been at its most virulent and may have begun there...Earlier, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said, "Closing our nation's borders is not merited here"...

This appears to be at odds with the government's official policy as articulated in a 2005 Department of Homeland Security document entitled National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza:

The most effective way to protect the American population is to contain an outbreak beyond the borders of the U.S. While we work to prevent a pandemic from reaching our shores, we recognize that slowing or limiting the spread of the outbreak is a more realistic outcome and can save many lives. In support of our containment strategy, we will...Encourage all levels of government, domestically and globally, to take appropriate and lawful action to contain an outbreak within the borders of their community, province, state or nation.

Granted, it appears the disease has already made its way into the United States. But doesn't it make sense that limiting our exposure to the source of the outbreak would help curtail the spread of the disease? Why, for example, quarantine the Marines in California we suspect might have been exposed to the disease but allow people from the disease's host nation to cross virtually unimpeded across the border to potentially infect great numbers of people?

So...will you be responsible for bring back the Swine Flu to your friends and associates when you return to your home country? You really don't know...do you?

[Estuardo]

With all due respect but as a journalist you should know by now that this new flu is the result of transnationals (US) operating in Mexico, and the rest of Latin America, where the need for business is such that they don't care about regulations, inspections and so on, but unfortunately, the Canadian media is more concerned about taking out their frustration and resentment with Mexico for recent past events where vacationists where stranded because a Canadian airline filed bankruptcy without warning. Rich people in Mexico is not different from anywhere else without scrupulous they charged money to vacationist before they leave without paying the bills. Working class Mexicans don't care about the North or the South neither they will miss Canadians for not visiting the country, the Canadian media says differently just to retaliate against Mexico. Take a look at US news they barely mention Mexico when addressing this health problem. Hope this stir up your curiosity as journalist and do some critical thinking. Enjoy your drinking margaritas in Mexico.

[Ruffus]

I'm going to Cozumel, I got a sweet deal!!! I'm single, no kids, so if I get sick no worries, i'll get my tamiflu, good it is not SARS.

[Ruffus]

Read the following link to a note called "Why I'm not cancelling my trip to MExico":
http://travel.msn.com/Guides/article.aspx?cp-documentid=1034680&gt1=41000

[Ruffus]

no government informs its citizens, others misinform like the US and NATO that make wars in the middle east to make money and they tell people it is to promote freedom...

[COREY]

well there goes my trip to guadalaja on may 30th

[Colleen Davidson]

What a elitist attitude to take to this issue Linda, I am appalled at your lack of insight. Mexico doesn't have a "flu" season as we do in Canada, influenza is unheard of in Mexico. The people of Mexico are absolutely horrified that something like SARS has appeared in their midst. Of course they are unprepared and absolutely horrified, nothing like this has ever happened in their country. Mexico is Canada's number one tourist destination, please show a little respect. A comment like this is completely unnecessary and superficial:

"Mexico City is, as always, bizarre, quirky and surreal, even in the midst of a health crisis."

[Jesus]

On this month, May, I was going to go to Toronto. I was going to study and improve my English, but for this problem I know I'll have to wait at least one month.

Living here in Mexico I can say that at least in all Yucatán Peninsula is free of this virus A/H1N1.

You can find a map in:
http://flutracker.rhizalabs.com/

And this is totally true:
http://travel.msn.com/Guides/article.aspx?cp-documentid=1034680&gt1=41000

In Mexico:
397 confirmed cases
381 are alive and well
16 have dead
Mexican Population: 110 000 000

[Ana Anthony]

Is known that if you can't create wars you can create illness. The campaing of fear induced by the media has never been more successful. Except for the SARS perhaps?
A couple of doctors working in Mexico, told the media they have seen/treating people with colds but mostly people suffering of fear.
To read or watch the news is like an episody of fiction of collective fear created by the media. Are we ever going to know the truth, most likely not. What is really certaint is that the Mexican economy is in ruins. I'm very glad to hear that people are still going to Mexico, as I was glad to hear that people visited Canada during SARS campaing of fear.
Are we ever going to learn to read the media between lines? I hope so.
Lets create an epidemic of love, using the media ourselves, love is even more contagious than fear, isn't it?

[Elsie Ross]

true about YUCATAN we don't have the flu here!!!!

[Hugo B]

Linda, good to see you cover Mexico again, and good to notice the lighter tone. Even tho others here disagree with your looking for Margaritas. Why not? Whether this is a bio engineered problem or a media hype session, we should not allow it to take over all activities completely.

No there's no flu season here. Yes this place is bizarre. Yes it has megafarm operations, companies that moved here from the US so they can pollute here. Look up La Gloria, Veracruz while you're in Mexico.