Swine flu cases in USA and Mexico

[vieve]

This was just posted on Cancun Canuck's blog (www.cancuncanuck.com, found her on our very own Heather's blogroll)

"I really hate to be the bearer of bad news, but here I go. The government of Quintana Roo has ordered facilities with occupancy of greater than 80 people to close. This includes bars, nightclubs and restaurants in Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Cozumel and the Riviera Maya.

Mayor of Cancun Greg Sanchez vaguely told the press that some hotels have been ordered closed, but refused to name them, only saying that they were in the Riviera Maya.
Authorities are also preparing for a mass exodus (note this does not say "evacuation", read the linked source, they are just preparing for a lot of people to leave) of around 40 000 tourists on Friday and Saturday, virtually clearing the area of visitors. All archaelogic zones in the country have shut down, this includes the Mayan ruins in the area of Cancun. Eco parks at the moment are still open, but I suspect they may be ordered closed as well."

[glosbor]

so all enclosed bars are closed? Is this true or is something to go along with the 80 person rule. I'm just wondering because we are supposed to leave for our honeymoon on Sunday. I really don't want to postpone. I have been playing this trip since summer of '08.

& just because the bars are closed, that doesn't mean I will postpone either.
Also, how about excursions, deep sea fishing, zip line, atv tours? are all those things still happening. I sure hope so.

Thanks in advance guys

* btw mikey, love the picture. haha

[Shammy]

One article translated:

Authorities of the state of Quintana Roo, where are the Caribbean beach destinies of Cancún and the Mayan Riviera, list the exit of thousands of foreign tourists to their countries in the next days, by the epidemic of pig influenza, although still there are no cases there. " We consider that they will be leaving as of Friday and until domingo" , day in which they wait for the greater flow from travellers to Canada, the United States and Europe, from where the majority of travellers comes, affirmed the secretary of Tourism in Quintana Roo, Sara Latife Ruiz Chávez. Latife realised these declarations during its intervention in the meeting of the Committee of Tourist Crisis, celebrated by the situation of sanitary alert derived from the bud of pig influenza and in which to all the authorities and foreign and national representatives of the sector participate. The airlines with which " has been agreed to; plan of evacuación" they are Air Canada, Air Europe, Martin Air, Tui, Cóndor and Thompson. According to the civil servant, at the moment in the zone they are near 40 thousand tourists, some of which already are returning to their places of origin in planned flights of practically empty regular airlines that arrive at the international airport of Cancún. According to the embassy of Spain in Mexico, in that zone are about 3 thousand 500 Spanish tourists, none of which have presented/displayed symptoms of the disease. The airport, one of the most journeyed of the country, " it has capacity to evacuate to those tourists in a single day but one is going away to do of programmed way, the part of greater movement will be domingo" , Latife said. Today, the aerial terminal had planned 271 flights, between arrivals and exits, of which at the moment one of the commercial line Mexican Click was cancelled solely that went to Cuba, country that yesterday suspended its aerial connection with Mexico by 48 hours. Within the framework of the preventive measures against the epidemic, that has left to seven deaths confirmed and 152 suspicious ones in all the country, the government of Quintana Roo ordered east Wednesday the closing of discotheques, bars and restaurants with capacity to take care of more than 80 people in Cancún and the Mayan Riviera. Although in Cancún one has been offered gives that it allows the great premises to work to the 50 percent of his capacity. Others of the preventive measures dictated by the state government are the installation of specialized equipment in the airport to measure the temperature of the passengers, who delay is arrived from Canada, and the cancellation of visits in the municipal jail. The ecoturísticos parks of the zone, as Xcaret and Xel Have, stay open, because the restrictions imposed until the moment do not include open places. Iliana Rodriguez, spokeswoman of the parks, explained even though they are being taken measured to reinforce the sanitary measures within the park. On the other hand, Jorge Manica Porthole, president of the Association of Hotels of Tulum, in the Mayan Riviera, informed that until the moment 40% of the reserves programmed for the month of May have been cancelled, due to the sanitary alert.

[maya]

Originally Posted by Mikey

Now the Vice President and the Airlines are getting into it......The Vice President said that we should not fly now and the Airlines said what he said was nothing less then fear mongering.....

well he was ordered to back away from that one. He nows says if anyone is sick they shouldnt get on a plane or the subway. Also as of now xel-ha and xcaret are NOT closed and that as of now all restaurants and bars with a capacity of less than 80 will remain open. Who knows what this afternoon will bring

[Shammy]

Translation of another article:

The mayor Gregorio Sanchez Martinez Said that without a doubt “yes there will be serious affectations”, after revealing that he received the notification of the closing of some hotels, although when asking to them names the mayor was aloof and he refused to give them, since he only referred that he was a located hotel chain in the Mayan Riviera. Nevertheless, it referred that it has asked the hotelkeepers who before the necessity to reduce costs “do not dismiss their personnel”. It gave to know that his government prepares a plan of financial contingency, that would include from the reduction of wages a 50 percent, until reducing diverse purchases anticipated for the next months. In interview after the installation of the Municipal Committee of Security in Health, it said that from weeks back a reduction in the municipal collection noticed, but with the collapse that is anticipated in the hotel profession, the thing will be put worse. Even, it referred, in the last days one has noticed a loss of the 30 percent in the collection, in comparison to the past year. It made see that the economic support of Cancún depends on the hotel profession of direct or indirect form, reason why is undeniable the damage that the presence of influenza in Mexico will cause to the tourist industry. “We have faith, confidence of which the universe conspires to our favor and that this is solved to the brevity”, after putting like example the call “bird influenza” that happened in some regions of Asia, that “said that it was a pandemic, and overnight finished the problem”. In the case of his government, it assured: “Or I am taking measured with respect to an austerity plan that it will have to present/display the city council this week, as in adjustment of wages, to reduce expenses, because or the collection was not flowing”. He said that if is necessary, his government will adjust the belt, “if we must reduce the 50 percent of wages we must, it do, is our obligation to help with the good operation”, while he discarded dismissals, when indicating that this measurement would reach to the personnel who wins more than 10 thousand pesos. It requested calm to the population, since “the alarmism does not benefit to anybody, because this one is closely together of the fear and it can become ill to us”, while it said that in Quintana Roo everything is under control, once it passes the storm will come the calm and then, “the hotels are going away to fill”.

[StewartG]

Originally Posted by maya

well he was ordered to back away from that one. He nows says if anyone is sick they shouldnt get on a plane or the subway. Also as of now xel-ha and xcaret are NOT closed and that as of now all restaurants and bars with a capacity of less than 80 will remain open. Who knows what this afternoon will bring

Having spent a lot of time in New York City in the 70s and early 80s, I can tell you that swine flu is the LEAST of your "health dangers" on a NYC subway!!!

[ryberg]

You know, between the sloppy wording of announcements and the way people seize on anything that comes out and redistribute it, it's getting to the point where we might as well just all close. End result is going to be the same, even if that was not at all the initial intention.

Steve

[Luv2Dance]

Originally Posted by ryberg

You know, between the sloppy wording of announcements and the way people seize on anything that comes out and redistribute it, it's getting to the point where we might as well just all close. End result is going to be the same, even if that was not at all the initial intention.

Steve

C'mon....businesses will not close unless they know "for sure" they have to......

[Shammy]

Originally Posted by StewartG

Having spent a lot of time in New York City in the 70s and early 80s, I can tell you that swine flu is the LEAST of your "health dangers" on a NYC subway!!!

Oh ain't THAT the truth! Face masks in the NY subway system would be mighty helpful - if to do nothing else than control the smell!

[Shammy]

Ok Chrysler is going to declare bankruptcy. Maybe the media will run with that one for a while - and cut Mexico a break!

[Fredwms]

Can you believe Joe Biden? He said on the news this morning that you should not be flying in an enclosed airplane or riding in a subway car. Great recommendations from our new Vice Presdent. Now I wish we had gotten Sarah Palin elected. If she is not scared about hunting bears in Alaska I am sure a little flu would not disrupt her schedule.

They think they have a case in Salt Lake City so the city has decided to close all the schools. Another case popped up in Reno, Nevada and that person has had no contact with pigs or anyone that has been to Mexico.

I am supposed to leave for Playa next Tuesday. I am still going unless they take the Vice President's advice and cancel our flight. We had planned on going with a Peep group on the CataMaya on the 12th but have decided to cancel and keep a low profile by ourself. We heard that the airport in Cancun is installing thermo sensors to detect high body heat and that they may detain anyone that appears to have flu like symptoms.

What a shame. Imagine how many Playa visitors will be affected by this Swine Flu virus. We are still crossing our fingers that Continental will not shut down its flights into Cancun in the next five days.

[rainmaker]

We were advised by the Fiscales late yesterday that our maximum capacity can not exceed 80 people including staff...
As most bars and restaurants accomodate well under 80, I do not think that you will see many close, except if they have to close for economic reasons. Playa enjoys approximately 650 reataurant/bars and we are now all competing for the very few tourists and locals that are here...
Hopefully lots of hockey fans in town that want to join us for all the games!!!

Originally Posted by glosbor

so all enclosed bars are closed? Is this true or is something to go along with the 80 person rule. I'm just wondering because we are supposed to leave for our honeymoon on Sunday. I really don't want to postpone. I have been playing this trip since summer of '08.

& just because the bars are closed, that doesn't mean I will postpone either.
Also, how about excursions, deep sea fishing, zip line, atv tours? are all those things still happening. I sure hope so.

Thanks in advance guys

* btw mikey, love the picture. haha

[Luv2Dance]

Originally Posted by Fredwms

Can you believe Joe Biden? He said on the news this morning that you should not be flying in an enclosed airplane or riding in a subway car. Great recommendations from our new Vice Presdent. Now I wish we had gotten Sarah Palin elected. If she is not scared about hunting bears in Alaska I am sure a little flu would not disrupt her schedule.

They think they have a case in Salt Lake City so the city has decided to close all the schools. Another case popped up in Reno, Nevada and that person has had no contact with pigs or anyone that has been to Mexico.

I am supposed to leave for Playa next Tuesday. I am still going unless they take the Vice President's advice and cancel our flight. We had planned on going with a Peep group on the CataMaya on the 12th but have decided to cancel and keep a low profile by ourself. We heard that the airport in Cancun is installing thermo sensors to detect high body heat and that they may detain anyone that appears to have flu like symptoms.

What a shame. Imagine how many Playa visitors will be affected by this Swine Flu virus. We are still crossing our fingers that Continental will not shut down its flights into Cancun in the next five days.

Damage control has happened since he issued his statement.

[Dizzy]

Originally Posted by Shammy

Oh ain't THAT the truth! Face masks in the NY subway system would be mighty helpful - if to do nothing else than control the smell!

nothing can control the smell or cover it in NY....sometimes they are just rancid

[ryberg]

Originally Posted by Luv2Dance

C'mon....businesses will not close unless they know "for sure" they have to......

That's not my point. My point is all the people reading this and saying, "Well, I was going to come down, because the flu thing doesn't bother me, but if everything is closed, what's the point? I'm cancelling."

And THAT will have the same end result on the businesses that an order to close down would have.

It's "the resort destination of Playa del Carmen was destroyed" all over again.

Steve