Swine Flu, Part III: Health Poster

Amigos, Conocidos Y Familia

Today is the day that “non-essential” businesses are supposed to reopen in Mexico, and everyone is allowed to go back to work, everyone except preggers ladies like me that is. We’re supposed to stay in our homes. (And isn’t that where wives belong anyway?) This would be fine with me if (1) my home were filled with groceries, (2) my home were bigger than a closet, or (3) my home had a pool. Since, however, not one of those three criteria are satisfied, I won’t be confining myself to my dry, foodless closet.

Many businesses will remain closed, especially in Mexico City, such as movie theatres and bull rings, but post offices and restaurants are reopening. Schools will reopen throughout the country tomorrow or early next week. I see many fewer face masks when I go out now, though many people still wear them.

It seems like the fears people felt last week are being replaced by feelings of resentment and suspicion. Many people complain that other countries are treating Mexico and Mexicans poorly, by canceling flights, by quarantining Mexicans as China has done, and by calling it “Mexican flu”. There is some indignation that their image abroad has suffered.

I also hear a lot of suspicion that the whole thing is a conspiracy, involving the Mexican government, at a minimum, and possibly also the governments of the US and other nations. More than once now I’ve heard swine flu compared to the myth of the chupacabra.

In addition to the complaints about discrimination and the suspicions that the flu isn’t real, I hear mostly worry. People are worried about the economy. With so many businesses closed and more people staying at home, many people have been without work, and the tourism industry has been hard hit. By the way, this is probably a great time to visit Mexico’s beaches, if you like low rates and empty beaches. Then again, you would be the sole target for the beach vendors, those hearty souls who walk up and down beaches offering to braid your hair or sell you a sarong, necklace, or wooden eagle statue.

On a lighter note, many of us down here find the new health recommendations pretty funny. Health authorities have recommended ways to try to avoid becoming ill. Some of these measures are nothing new, like washing your hands frequently, but others are nearly impossible to follow, such as my favorite, which is to maintain 2.25 meters (~7.4 feet) between you and others at all times.

El Universal has available a handy-dandy poster (http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/graficos/pdf09/convivencia.pdf) that displays many of these recommendations. Some of the recommendations are: don’t wear a tie, because it acts as a reserve for microorganisms, disinfect with alcohol or chlorine three times a day all “objects of common use” in the home, such as telephones, door handles and printers, and maintain a distance of 2.25 meters between you and your coworkers when speaking with them.

Better than the advice, though, is that you can cut this poster out (funny enough on it’s own, since you’re better off printing it. Though you should then wash your hands and disinfect the printer) and use the check boxes to keep yourself on track.

My absolute favorite thing about this poster, though, is the graphics. They’re just terrific.

So please feel encouraged to print this poster, disinfect your printer, cut along the dotted lines, wash your hands, and mark a check in every box adjacent to a recommendation you follow. Then wash your hands. This will help you to stay healthy. You can also share this poster with friends, acquaintances and family (pictured above), but please only do so through electronic means and only while maintaining 2.25 meters between you. Then disinfect your keyboard, mouse, and table top and go wash your hands again.