Mexican Mom Laments Her Country's Lack of Preparation for Coronavirus

In an exclusive interview with AmoMama, a young mother from Puebla, Mexico, lamented the lack of preparation that her country has had amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The woman, whose identity will not be disclosed for privacy reasons, reached out to us to open up about the measures that Mexico has taken to avoid the virus from spreading. According to her, everything has been simply ignored.

Mexico allowed music festivals to take place.

PEOPLE TOOK MATTERS INTO THEIR OWN HANDS

She admitted that people from her city (Puebla) didn't wait for the government's orders and decided to close their businesses and schools. She said:

"A bit [of panic can be seen]. It probably happens because the Mexican Sanitary system is not prepared for that at all. If it collapses, it will be a disaster."

She also pointed out that, similar to what has been happening in many other cities and countries, grocery stores and supermarkets that she has gone to have run out of some products.

Things like toilet paper, tuna cans, and pasta are scarce, according to her. However, she pointed out that there are higher chances to find those items early in the morning.

The coronavirus has affected her life in more than one way, though. Due to the isolation, she has to work from home. However, since her three-year-old son cannot go to kindergarten, she has to spend most of her time with him.

Consequently, she has to wake up "at 5 am" to get some of her job done, and then, when her toddler goes to sleep at night, she finishes whatever she has left to do.

SHE IS AFRAID OF THE FUTURE

The Puebla citizen also told us that she and her family are not completely isolated inside their home as they usually spend some time in their "small garden" to get some fresh air. She added:

"I do not go outside. At the moment, it is my husband who buys what we need. It is better to stay at home."

Apart from that, the woman revealed that she was very afraid to get infected with COVID-19 because of the poor health system in her country.

She was also worried about her finances. As a small business owner, she was "afraid to stay with no income." She finally said that the teacher of her colleague's son was infected, which means that the virus is already in her community.

MEASURES TAKEN BY MEXICO'S GOVERNMENT

As the New York Times reported, Mexico's President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has indeed remained dismissive amid the coronavirus pandemic. He has claimed that shutting down businesses and ordering quarantine would be more devastating than the virus itself.

On March 22, López Obrador urged Mexican people to keep going out and avoid panicking. He added that, if possible, they should keep going to restaurants because it would get stronger both "the family and popular economy."

It is important to mention that he made that statement a few days after the country's Health Ministry confirmed the first death from the coronavirus.

The organization revealed that the patient suffered from diabetes and had the virus' symptoms for a week. Another chilling aspect of the situation in Mexico is that the government allowed music festivals to take place.

Maybe the most important was the Vive Latino, held in Mexico City. The festival was held on Mach 14 and 15, and reportedly 70,000 people attended.

Lopez Obrador changed his mind on March 24 as he finally ordered to close schools, urged citizens to stay home, and banned gatherings of more than 100 people.

Mexico citizens, including the young mother who contacted us, hope that his measures to control the spread of the coronavirus didn't come too late. Members of the British Crown, on the other hand, have been on lockdown due to the pandemic.