New moms in Mexico get risk-free way to show off babies in times of Covid-19
By María Julia Castañeda Hernández
Monterrey, Mexico, Aug 1 (efe-epa).- New mothers in this northern Mexican metropolis can introduce their babies to family and friends without risk of catching coronavirus thanks to a local firm who saw their core business of event organizing collapse amid pandemic restrictions.
On Friday, Baby Cabin Parade made it possible for several generations of the Gutierrez Avila clan to get a good look at the newest addition to their family, month-old Rodrigo.
The newborn and his parents remained inside an air-conditioned acrylic bubble equipped with HEPA filters mounted on the back of truck while relatives rode by slowly in their vehicle.
Baby Cabin Parade is the brainchild of Ernesto Gonzalez and his business partner, Rogelio Gil.
“We do festivals, but now with the pandemic, they can’t be done,” Gil told Efe. “Then we decide to grab some resources we have and turn them into a new business.”
A score of people came to the Gutierrez Avila family’s residence in Monterrey to get a first in-person glimpse of Rodrigo, who was born premature and has a problem with one of his lungs.
“Though the glass, but we are seeing each other,” Maria del Carmen Hernandez said of her encounter with the grandson she had previously known only from photos and video-calls.
“You are a warrior, my king,” Carmen shouted from inside the car.
Rodrigo’s great-grandmother, Maria Blanca Luna, described Baby Cabin Parade as an excellent idea, while expressing regret that some family members and friends were not able to take part on Friday.
“This way, none of us is at risk,” mother Arleth Avila told Efe before entering the cabin with Rodrigo and her husband.
The official launch of Baby Cabin Parade was scheduled for Saturday, but a promotional photo went viral and the firm was deluged with requests.
While Saturday’s event will no longer be the first, it remains just as special to Ernesto Gonzalez because it’s the coming out for his own 5-week-old daughter.
“My daughter was born June 23. I saw the necessity that my parents, my grandparents and my 95-year-old grandmother would not be able to visit her great-granddaughter, so we create this cabin,” Gonzalez recounted to Efe.
Just weeks after announcing its presence on social media, Baby Cabin Parade already has more than 40 jobs lined up, Rogelio said.
“It has gone viral. Many, many people are talking to us, people across the country are talking to us, though really we are providing service here in Monterrey and the metropolitan area,” he said.
Besides being the capital of Nuevo Leon state, Monterrey is home to several of Mexico’s corporate giants and some of its most exclusive residential areas.
Mexico is No. 3 globally in coronavirus deaths, with 46,688 fatalities, and sixth in confirmed cases with 424,637. In Nuevo Leon, Covid-19 has claimed 1,160 lives and the number of infections stands at 32,632, but the state leads the country in terms of hospitalization for the illness, with 76 percent of beds occupied.
EFE jch/dr
