barrbower

I'm not sure the US has a lot of room to suggest that any other country is not doing a good job fighting the virus. The US has approx. 4.7% of the world's population and approx. 26% of confirmed Covid19 cases and 22% of deaths. I'm sure these numbers are not exact because of the numerous ways they have been played to reflect political reality instead of actual reality. Not just in the US either. I'm pretty sure Mexico is playing the same games now. In any case, it sure doesn't look like traveling anywhere is going to be a good option anytime soon. Alan

Not sure these days but in years past the sidewalks were the responsibility of the property owner. That's why they are all so different. Also the same property owner or resident was responsible for keeping weeds, trash, loose rocks, etc. cleaned up to the middle of their street and over to the property lines. I'm pretty sure the same rules apply today but nobody does it and nobody enforces the rules either which is why nobody does it much anymore. Alan

By the way, when WalMart required the wearing of masks, it was soon made obvious that was only PR since they never seemed to enforce their own rules in the US stores. At least here they try to enforce them and there are few incidents where violence is the result of those attempts...unlike Texas and other independent countries.

As of July 20th, WalMart in the entire US is requiring customers to wear masks. You can Google it. Secondly, I was born and raised in Texas and still have family living there. "All my exes live in Texas" (1) is also true. I recently spoke to my sister who lives in East Texas and she wears a Gov. Abbot mandated mask when she leaves her home. She says it is quite rare to see another person doing the same...even inside stores. So that is just one more reason to never return. To quote an old song, "I feel like a stranger in the land where I was born." Alan (not Debra)

There wasn't a "manager" present on Sunday...only one of the young ladies at the customer service area. Next time I go I will see if that manager is available. I plan to live with it as I do with other aspects of life that don't always meet my criteria of "could be better". I just wanted to give others who can't "live with it" a heads up as I stated pretty clearly in the OP. I do shop other places and am hoping to see an improvement at WalMart next time I have to go there just like has happened at Pancho's. JB why does "move" even come into the conversation? Should I go to Texas where things are perfect? Alan

I've been to WalMart twice recently and just wanted to give a heads-up to any folks who might need to be especially concerned about their health. I saw maybe a dozen employees earlier today and none of them were meeting mask protocols except the young lady at the pickup desk near the exit. Two cashiers when I was checking out had face shields and masks. One had the mask below her nose with shield up and the other had the shield down and mask under her chin. I went to the customer service area to suggest they pay a little more attention to how the employees were wearing safety gear. I was confronted with three young ladies who were all wearing their masks below the nose or under the chin and all three had the shields up. It was like talking to a wall. No response, no comment, and no effort to correct their own gear. So, there you go. The customers are required to at least wear a mask covering the nose and mouth (I know some customers do expose the nose after entering) out of respect for the health of other shoppers and all of the employees but I guess we shouldn't expect the same level of respect from WalMart staff towards us. Alan

Much like in auto accidents, there is unlisted damage in Covid 19 sickness after not dying in the original event. The final tally for that damage will perhaps take a full generation to calculate. The seasonal flu is quite dangerous to those with complicating conditions but it does not seem to potentially cause life threatening/altering conditions after one is healed. Also, the acute suffering caused by Covid during the actual illness is apparently much more severe. Also not an easy to chart factor when doing comparisons. Alan

I recently pointed out to a friend of ours, who is quite afraid to venture out, that using statistics based on total population of gringos in this area vs. total deaths from Covid he is more likely to be murdered than die from the virus. Somehow he did not take much comfort in that. Alan

I've been in every country in Central America and all of western South America. There is not another place that suits our needs quite like this area. We have lived in San Miguel de Allende and I lived in Patzcuaro. I have been in 26 different states of Mexico. Always with an eye out for potential living or retirement. The combination of elements that exist here does not exist anywhere else that I have ever been. If you feel like Ajijic is too much like "gringolandia" then consider places like San Nicolas or Santa Cruz or even Jocotepec. Same weather, proximity to Guad and airport, four hours from the best beaches in Mexico, and Ajijic amenities within a short drive. It can depend on your comfort with the language. There is crime and corruption in all of Latin America as well as in many places in the US. Some folks just love South Texas, Florida, or Arizona. Not our choice though. Half of the fun of expat living is exploring your options...something that much of the world just does not have the luxury of doing. Alan

Mainecoons is right. And it is not just the flight on the plane. Lines at check in, getting through TSA checkpoints, lines for boarding, customs, immigration, and baggage claim are all choke points. You really might as well hang out in the crowded bar while you wait for your flight to board. Then public transportation to get to your destination. You are crazy to risk flying (or taking a bus) anywhere until you can get a proven vaccine. Most travel is really non-essential when it comes down to it. Alan

I'm sure the cases are under reported in the US as well as Mexico. We have been told from the start that unless you have other health issues which put your life in danger you should just stay home and treat symptomatically. There could easily be ten times as many cases as there are official ones. That does make the death rate much, much lower. The 4% is what is officially reported. Also it could be that many of the deaths were of people who had Covid19 but died of something else just made more serious by the addition of the virus. The sad part of the really low case numbers compared to what might be really out there is that in spite of a lower death rate you have a hugely worse sickness rate. 30,000,000 instead of 3,000,000 is not really good news. Same number dead but lots more terribly sick. I am pretty healthy and would likely not die from the virus. I still do not want to get sick with it and risk dying from it. It is not the flu and anybody who has shown serious symptoms has said the same thing. Also unclear are the potential long term health effects after recovery. Many have few symptoms and some die. A lot of unknown in between. Just take care of yourselves and wear a mask if you go out. It might keep somebody else from getting sick. Alan

In the US the percentage of folks who get the virus and then die from it and/or complications is about 4%. How many would have died of those same complications without the Covid added in is open to pure guessing. But I'm also guessing that those who did have contributing factors which led to their death sure wished they hadn't also contracted the virus. I just read that Jalisco state gov. has mandated masks for all public spaces including while driving in cars (?) parks, stores, malecons, walkways, and any public transportation, spaces, and buildings until the end of July. I guess that means walking the dog by yourself or riding in a car by yourself. Not sure I understand that but I fully understand the public transportation mandate because the buses are crowded and almost nobody including the driver is masked. I just read that over 1,000 TSA agents have tested positive for Covid19...think about pat downs, long lines, and crowded planes after the TSA inspections. I'm not flying anywhere anytime soon! I still don't understand why wearing or not wearing a mask became so political. It seems like a minor inconvenience for the better chance of safety for the community at large. Like speed limits, seat belts, TSA, rabies vaccinations for pets, building codes (well, not so much here) and lots of other things that we might not like on occasion but adhere to the rules because we are all part of a society that only functions when we think about the big picture but act as individuals to make the place better if we can. Alan

When you are on sites like "Soloautos" your search can be narrowed by price, location, transmission type, car type or make, and then you can specify dealer instead of individual. Even the small dealers will give you some kind of warranty and the cars less than five years old usually don't need much anyway. Mexicans don't normally drive as much as us NoBers are used to driving so mileage is almost always lower for the year model. They all do the paperwork and some charge a little to do that service but you can discover any unpaid tickets for instance. They will dicker a little on price and will fix small things and detail the car for you. I found S&S less than helpful in looking for a used car but anxious to sell me a new one...which I didn't want. If you go to a new car dealer that has used inventory there is probably somebody there who speaks English. Their prices will probably be a little higher than a place that sells only used vehicles. I'd wait a while before venturing into Guad if you have to do any face to face stuff. Very few folks wearing masks except in retail stores. Not even close to flattening the curve. Alan

"Soloautos" which can be narrowed down to state, city, type of car, etc. There are others but this one is easy to use and has many dealers and cars listed. Alan

As a 19 year old, on my own, I came here in 1972 and spent two years. Only available phone was in a tienda on the plaza. No banks, hospitals,LCS, traffic lights, and very few restaurants. Most of the streets were two way and not many cars parked to impede traffic. Movie theater on the plaza, pier under water during the rainy season, and only a couple of blocks of development north of the highway. Still a fishing village. Somehow though, still much the same. Alan

There are well known virus strains for which no vaccine yet exists. To assume a viable, affordable. and widely available vaccine is just around the corner is perhaps premature. To assume the world can stay in lock down until then is also not realistic. Deaths from Covid 19 can easily be counted. Increases in poverty, hunger, crime, depression, suicide, domestic violence, substance abuse, etc. as a result of prolonged isolation are not so easily measured but can be just as deadly. I really hope a miraculous discovery comes soon that lets the world begin to heal but my short term plans are to continue doing what I can do to keep safe, do constructive work, and help others. Those are things I can sort of control. That might be all any of us can do in the future. Alan

I also saw the cab with a broken windshield pulled over in the vacant lot on the lakeside. Not hit and run. Sorry for the young man and his family. Sorry for the cab driver who will live with that accident image for the rest of his life. Judging by where the body was laying along with the mangled bike it seems obvious that the cab was not at fault. Drive defensively and assume something unexpected is about to happen because it soon will. Alan

Mudgirl, Your statement seems to imply that ventilators make people die. In fact the only people put on ventilators are already so ill that the use of the ventilator is the treatment of last resort. Probably all would die without its use. Knowing what is involved in its installation, I think I would just choose to roll the dice and maybe survive or maybe die more peacefully. Alan

Very good article...emotional but valid. I think all leaders the world over are trying to balance the physical health and economic health in their own communities. The mental health aspects have been neglected a little until very recently as the riots and protests are made more virulent due to frustrations brought on by the never ending pandemic. Health initiatives make the economic impacts worse and economic downturns make the health impacts worse. The world is a social community and we need interaction to survive emotionally and economically. How to balance those things with still climbing virus numbers is a very tough task. I respect the rights of states here and in the US to react as the majority of citizens wish. Either way a price will be paid. Since the start we have been told that the health measures are in place only to flatten the curve and that the virus will continue to sicken and kill and so it does. Has the curve been flattened enough to let us go back to as normal a life as we all desire? Can the medical industries handle what is going to happen in the near future? Can society survive the huge economic hit it continues to take without anarchy becoming all too present? Can we handle the increase in crime and suicide? Man, I'm glad I'm not in charge! Do the best you can to keep yourselves safe and don't count on everybody else to do the same things you do in those efforts. Alan

I drove by earlier today and there was a sign on the door saying "closed until further notice" on the clubhouse. Nobody on the course either. Alan

I agree that it is now time to start to return to normal. We all assume that there will be more illness and death as a result. Most I've talked to (in Spanish as well as English) believe it is worth the risk. I do not think that the only protesters are the Nazi supporting $%&/()s...they are just an example of ones who need to put on their big boy pants and quit being $%&/()s. I'm not sure if I had been in charge of the world what, if anything, I would have done differently. Just saying emergencies require some planning, some sacrifice, some honesty, and some personal responsibility. Not sure where we disagree, Dan. No need to take everything personally...by anybody including me. Alan

Dan, I agree that all natural disasters are different in the approach required to battle them. But they all require putting you personal needs aside for the good of the society at large be it local or worldwide. The scope of this virus is something that the world has not had to deal with in modern times so everybody is doing the best they can. I also agree that it is now time to start to blend our current situation into what what we hope will be more normal life. With the exception of places that have been hit hard, like New York, I think we will be OK. There will be cases here in our area but everybody I've talked to seems to think it is time to start tapering off on the controls and accept the consequences. I think science and government have done about all they can do. Now it is time for everybody to stay calm, wear masks, don't hug or shake hands, stay away from large crowds as much as possible, and stop waving guns around and demanding your rights to get a haircut while proudly displaying confederate flags and Nazi symbols! Be aware of your neighbors who are terrified because they have preexisting health issues which put them at risk. Put on your big boy pants and remember that the world does not revolve around only you. And for goodness sake, please don't make it any harder for health care workers to do their jobs! Put stimulus money into the hands of those who will spend it and not into the pockets of billionaires and big corporations who will pay bonuses and buy stock. That is the right thing to do to get the economies going again. I agree that vaccines will be required and that even with a vaccine, the virus is here to stay so get used to it. Maybe tell China to stop the wet markets where wild game including bats, is available for consumption by a population which doesn't know any better. Might slow down the next round of pandemics. Alan

For those who don't understand the reasons for the inconveniences this pandemic has caused, try thinking of it as a natural disaster. When wildfires threaten areas, folks are told to evacuate for their own safety as well as the safety of first responders. Same true when hurricanes or floods are imminent. Extreme measures are sometimes used. Your rights to free travel, as well as other "normal condition" rights, are temporarily and legally curtailed...for your own good. Masks will not cure Covid19 and most masks won't protect you from getting it if directly exposed. They will however, keep you from spreading it while you are not showing symptoms. Have respect for others. From the start, it has been clearly stated that masks and stay at home orders are only to flatten the curve so facilities and folks in the trenches are not overwhelmed all at once. Even with those precautions in place this Covid is still spreading. Try to imagine what it would be like now if those precautions had not been made. Try to imagine if those precautions along with a pandemic team in place with adequate supplies including test kits had been available and utilized in February. Just saying...This pandemic should also remind us all how important working class spending is to the economy. Consumer spending, not billionaires, keep the economy going so maybe more stimulus money should be used to trickle up not down (which has never worked very well.) Alan

I've seen that area flooded before it was a soccer field so no surprise there. I also spent a lot of time and money painting over and cleaning up graffiti from the Tecoluta (TCT) players and supporters some of whom were gang affiliated. So I have mixed feelings about helping them clean up their field after removing TCT tags from the walls of the local churches, walls of schools, and lots of private properties. Alan

I just walked over there to investigate. Many trucks hauling soil and gravel for the last few months indicate a large project. I spoke with a gentleman from the construction trailer office. He told me it is a gated community made up of large individual houses all designed and built by the same company and sales are handled by "Chapala Real Estate" (no promise on accuracy.) They have spent a lot on leveling and raising the overall elevation by about four feet average. He said most will be one level and about 3,000 sq. ft. homes of high quality. No signs of infrastructure improvements...surprise, surprise! Alan