Cozumel COVID-19 updates

[DandyDon]

Correct, employees will still receive their base salary if they were not freelancers - they will survive as long as their employers pay them.

That surprised me with my expectations of the Mexican government. No tips, but still some income as long as the business lasts if they cooperate.

ZERO support from the government for businesses - including electricity, etc. and there is zero income.

That will put many out of business I guess.

 

[BRT]

That surprised me with my expectations of the Mexican government. No tips, but still some income as long as the business lasts if they cooperate.


That will put many out of business I guess.

If they lay them off they have to "Liquidate" them. I've never had anybody successfully explain to me how that is calculated but the employer has to pay the employee so much money for the time they have worked there. More, I believe, if the employee is terminated than if they quit. So there is a balancing act over how long the business has no customers. I know one dive shop owner on the mainland that is trying to decide what to do, stop the bleeding or not.

 

[Mark IV]

Not to worry, I'm sure once this is over, Aqua World (the Mega Lo Mart of Mexican watersports), is nicely positioned to swoop in and take up all the slack.
(sarcasm off)

 

[GameChanger]

By the way, the worst damaged building I saw along Melgar when I went to Cozumel a couple of months after Wilma was the Navy facility. Most of the civilian buildings remained structurally sound. One exception was the large boathouse next to Blue Angel. It might have been cheap but the boat in it that was destroyed when the roof caved in on it wasn't.

A bit O/T...I think you once said that the BA was intentionally built like a fortress to withstand hurricanes. This was the reason given as to why the wifi sucks in the rooms.
It's kinda "War of the Worlds-ish " to think that a microscopic critter can cause such havoc and death.

 

[DandyDon]

I think you once said that the BA was intentionally built like a fortress to withstand hurricanes.

Yep. The rock outcropping was shortened and something on the point was lost. I stayed there in those years. The guys who owned it then said that the pool, which was above ground in those days, was fine but they had to clean a lot of dead fish out.

It's kinda "War of the Worlds-ish " to think that a microscopic critter can cause such havoc and death.

It's happened throughout history. In many wars, several times more died from infection than battle. Surgeons washing hands between surgeries wasn't even common in America's Civil War.

 

[ggunn]

A bit O/T...I think you once said that the BA was intentionally built like a fortress to withstand hurricanes. This was the reason given as to why the wifi sucks in the rooms.
It's kinda "War of the Worlds-ish " to think that a microscopic critter can cause such havoc and death.

My comments were in response to the one about the assumed Mexican way of dealing with hurricanes by building cheap and rebuilding after the fact. The hotels on Cozumel are evidence to the contrary, and yes, Blue Angel is a good example. The boathouse next door, not so much.

 

[WetInPortland]

Today's update from the Cozumel Sun primarily covers an address by the governor of Quintana Roo. He is frustrated that there are still a lot of people not taking the stay at home order seriously. He reconfirmed that utilities will not be shut off, and that there will be door-to-door delivery of food basics for families in need.

Cozumel is now ticketing motos with two or more people (only one person per household should be shopping). Liquor sales hours have been reduced and liquor sales may ultimately be suspended (not noted in the article, both Grupo Modelo and Heineken have suspended beer production). Finally, there was a late update that Cozumel now has four confirmed cases, with still only one death attributed to SARS-CoV-2 in QRoo.

 

[ReefHound]

I wonder why there is so much talk and leaning towards cutting off alcohol sales in Mexico while in a certain other country the approach in lockdown areas seems to encourage alcohol sales, even suspending current restrictions against online ordering and home delivery?

What is the reasoning? My thought is that people are more likely to stay at home if you give them a way to chill out and relax at home. People are already upset over the change in their routines so why add to it? I doubt that non-drinkers really understand the frustrations and restlessness of average drinkers - not to mention alcoholics.

 

[WetInPortland]

I wonder why there is so much talk and leaning towards cutting off alcohol sales in Mexico ...

I won't opine either way, but here's one account from a Yucatan news outlet:

“Right now there is no fishing, there are no cruises, no tourism, we are in contingency; many people are spending what they do not have on drinking and reports of family violence have increased because of this situation,” said Zacarías Curi, adding that these problems can lead to increased crime."

I hope this thread will stay close to topic; you may agree or disagree, but just chalk it up to, "It's another country. Things are different here."

 

[WetInPortland]

Sunday evening, the Health Ministry began publishing where the deaths from confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Quintana Roo occurred. As of 6pm this evening, state-wide there have been 138 positive tests, and 177 are pending. Nine persons have died, and 25 have recovered. About 2/3rds of the positives and 1/2 the deaths are from Cancun. There is no breakdown for the municipalities where the pending tests are from.

In Cozumel, officially, there are five confirmed cases and zero deaths. Police have set up roadblocks in some areas of town to question whether people are performing essential business and to remind them to stay at home.