As of today, Guatemala has 16 people infected with coronavirus and 1 person who has died from it. So on the timeline of the infection spread, we are very early.
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The president of Guatemala, Alejandro Giammattei, has acted swiftly and decisively to put measures in place to protect the people. However, not all his decisions have been happily accepted by Guatemalans and expats.
- All borders are closed to foreigners. Guatemalans and legal residents can enter, but no one else.
- The airport is closed to commercial flights.
- Markets are only open from 7am to noon, and now closed completely on Sunday.
- Non-essential stores, factories, and other workplaces are all closed.
- As of yesterday, there is a nation-wide curfew. Everyone must be off the streets by 4pm.
These restrictions were announced on a televised broadcast, as well as on the radio. But as many people here are poor and don't have TVs, internet, or radio, trucks with loudspeakers were sent out to all towns to announce it. I filmed a bit of the one that passed our house.
So how are we dealing with this coronavirus madness?
CLOSED BORDERS
Many tourists and even some expats took advantage of the very short window of opportunity to get out of the country before the borders closed. Some people who were a bit slow to understand the seriousness of the lockdown scrambled at the last minute to find a way to get to the border by land and cross into Mexico. They were allowed out of Guate but will not be allowed back in. Many then flew home from Tapachula airport. (Mexico has not enacted any restrictions.)
The Canadian Embassy arranged for a bus from the city to the Mexican border. The American Embassy, I believe, hired a charter plane to take citizens out. (I think they had to pay quite a hefty sum though!)
As for Bert and I, we never had any plans to leave Guatemala. Our home is here. Our pets are here. Our lives are here. So closing the borders hasn't really affected us personally, although if they are still closed in a few more weeks, I may have some trouble getting my tourist visa renewed.
The only minor way this has affected us is that I was supposed to pet sit for my friend until the 29th of March while she was traveling. Well, now she can't get back! So I am continuing to pet sit for her indefinitely. No big deal. I enjoy visiting her cats every two days, and her dog is staying at our house and having a load of fun.
CLOSED MARKETS AND STORES
This is really just an inconvenience for us as we have to get out and do our shopping earlier in the day now. It's annoying that the 3Q store is closed (dollar store) because we love to buy cheap stuff there. The grocery stores haven't really run out of many things but I've been doing more of my shopping at our local tiendas (corner stores) because I want to support my neighbours.
And that's the big problem with this decision to close all non-essential workplaces. The people are suffering. The town is shut down. Santander, a street normally packed end to end with vendors, is EMPTY. Clothing stores, stationery stores, shoe stores, everything is closed. Restaurants can only do takeout or delivery.
And all of those people are not getting paid. They have no money coming in at all. How will they buy food for themselves? Buy gas or firewood to cook? Pay their electric bill? Even buy water to drink? (We can't drink from the tap.)
The decision to close all business was a bad one. I think the politicians in the city don't truly understand the level of poverty that exists in most of Guatemala. Many indigenous families are already living hand to mouth, eking out a living on meager wages and inconsistent income. Which brings us to...
CURFEW
Yes, there is now a nation-wide curfew for all people, with the minor exception of anyone delivering food and medicine. Why enforce a curfew? Crime, that's why. I can't think of any other reason to make people stay in their homes at night. And not even really night...at 4pm there is still 2 hours of daylight left.
Yesterday was the first day this went into effect and police and firetrucks went around with sirens on to remind people. I even got a text message on my phone to remind me. Weird.
I'm irritated by how early the curfew is as my favorite time to go out is 5pm so I can run errands and see the sunset on my way home. I am NOT a morning person! I imagine the curfew is probably really bothering extroverts who enjoy going out to socialize, but I'm pretty much a hermit so I feel happier (and safer) inside my home. Besides that, we have a big enclosed yard that I can relax in, so it's not like I'm trapped indoors.
Speaking of the yard, we're starting a vegetable garden! Bert worked really hard to prepare a nice section of earth for planting. He even went out with a wheelbarrow to get sawdust and straw for mulching and big green leaves to add to our compost pile.
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| Working in the yard to create a place to plant veggies. |
Anyway, the coronavirus pandemic is a scary thing and will probably get scarier here in Guatemala over the next few weeks as the number of infected people increases, but I think it's important for all of us to stay calm, positive, and hopeful. Lots of folks are panicking but I am trying to channel any nervousness I have into productive pursuits, like gardening, cleaning, organizing, learning new things on the Internet, or designing tshirts. I am lucky that I make money online and we have a source of income, even if things are tight right now.
I want to share one last picture. A resourceful person in Panajachel is making masks out of the local patterned cloth and selling them on the street for Q5. Smart!
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| Cloth masks in Panajachel, Guatemala. |
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