Alejandra, Carlos, Brenda, Manuel, Teresa and Alfonso are Mexicans abroad who these days live two realities at the same time. One, that of the countries where they reside and another, that they see through the internet and social networks concerned about Mexico, thousands of kilometers away.
[This is how the coronavirus curve evolves in Colombia, Mexico, Chile, Brazil and the rest of Latin America]
As if they came from the future, all of them recommend to those who are in the first phase of the disease that they do not trust themselves and take seriously the prevention measures of the contagion: wash their hands, wear face masks, wear gloves, antibacterial gel and avoid places crowded. At the moment, Mexico has 164 infections, all of them imported. “I ask my family and friends to take it seriously, to stay home. I am seeing many photos on social networks of people who have gone to the beach, to concerts ... It is no joke, "says Manuel Iris, a Yucatecan resident in Cincinnati, United States. Currently in the country where he lives there are more than 13,000 confirmed cases.
"I and my family have tried to get out of the house as little as possible," says Alejandra Piña, 39, from Gyeonggido, South Korea. This Mexican from Zacatecas has lived for two years in one of the countries most affected by the pandemic with 8,565 confirmed cases. "Everything was immediately canceled when the first cases began: events, universities, restaurants ... Many people were given forced vacations for two months," says Piña.
Carlos Miguélez from Madrid acknowledges that at the beginning of the crisis he was "skeptical". After several days locked in his house, he recognizes that the greatest risk is not that young people get infected, but infect others. “Without knowing it, you may be jeopardizing the health of older people or those receiving chemotherapy. If we do not have discipline, we are contributing to the death of people ”, acknowledges Miguélez, director of the digital magazine Espaciomex.com . Manuel Iris agrees on this: “I am concerned about the lack of empathy, we are very selfish. Egoism will kill us, not the coronavirus, ”says this 36-year-old professor.
"In Spain a state of alarm was declared, flights are being canceled, land borders are closed. We can only go outside to get medicine, food or go to the doctor ”, says the writer Brenda Navarro. In a few days, the number of cases in Spain multiplied very quickly and reached almost 18,000 infections, the fourth country most affected by the disease, behind only Italy, Iran and China.
Alfonso Araujo has lived in this last country for 15 years. He knows the beginning of the disease well, after 44 days of confinement, he has begun to recover his normal life after a hard quarantine. “First there was a mobility restriction on trains and highways, until a restriction was reached within the same cities. The use of face masks became widespread in public and the government placed spray or gel sanitizers in thousands of buildings and public transportation. Entrances and exits to housing complexes and to any public building were done with temperature controls and towards the end of the quarantine health codes were issued in various colors to allow mobility, "says Araujo, from the city of Hubei, where more deaths were recorded in China.
In Italy, the second country most affected by the coronavirus, there are more than 40,000 infections. Teresa Rodríguez de la Vega, also from isolation, explains that it is important to stay home. "A situation like this brings out the worst and the best in people." He admits that in the beginning there were many panic purchases and signs of racism but after a few days people have become aware. "People have done an exercise in empathy to take care of others, something hitherto unheard of," says this UNAM professor who arrived in Rome a year ago.
"What the Italians are doing is not losing social contact, face to face responsibly. Being at home does not mean that you live incarceration, of blind obedience to a police state. It is not a situation of a few days, you have to be able to sunbathe and not be alone, "says Rodríguez de la Vega.
Brenda Navarro says that in her family they try to separate the times for work and leisure, even if it is difficult, while Carlos Miguélez explains to Verne that he tries not to stop playing sports even if it is at home. "I think confinement is beginning to affect my mental health." The journalist invented ways with his friends to keep in touch. "The other day we met on Skype each in his living room for a virtual beer," says Miguélez.
Looking at the future
All of them admit to being concerned about Mexico and their families when the pandemic grows. Teresa Rodríguez de la Vega believes that there is "lack of sensitivity" on the part of the Government to prepare for what is to come. So far, Mexico has only closed public colleges and universities. "I think these measures are alarming due to the lack of coherent communication of the severity of the epidemic, and the apparent absence of observation of the paradigmatic cases of China, Korea and Italy," says Alfonso Araujo.
Carlos Miguélez, who clarifies that he voted for the current president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, does not hesitate to criticize the attitudes that the president is having. “He is being negligent because of the crowd baths he has taken and the flights he has taken. Concentrations are a focus and people who are in politics have to lead by example, "says the journalist.
"The president should say that it is a public health issue and propose financial aid for people who live daily," says Manuel Iris, to which Brenda Navarro adds: "We must put all private and public health services at the service of people and allocate a budget for such, "says the writer. "Hopefully this will change soon, and for now I want to say today. There is no time to lose," stressed Alfonso Araujo from China.
If you want to know more...
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