Life & Leisure

Mexicans mark Father’s Day with caution amid Covid case rise

By Pedro Pablo Cortes

Mexico City, Jun 20 (EFE).- Mexicans celebrated Father’s Day on Sunday with the desire to get back to normality after more than a year of pandemic and amid a rebound in Covid-19 cases that has raised the level of risk in areas such as the country’s capital.

Josué Ochoa carried a bouquet of flowers to a restaurant the historic center of Mexico City with his daughter, his wife and her parents, but with some trepidation because he had not been vaccinated.

“It’s not getting any better. This [pandemic] will be here for a while. So you have to take care of yourself by using the mask, the antibacterial gel and take the necessary measures,” Ochoa told EFE.

For Father’s Day, which Mexico celebrates on the third Sunday in June, a contribution to the national economy of 17.5 billion pesos (about $849 million) is expected, according to the Confederation of the National Chambers of Commerce, Services and Tourism.

The expected is almost triple the 6.75 billion pesos collected on this date in 2020, in the first peak of Covid-19, but it is still 65 percent lower than pre-pandemic levels, according to the agency.

Despite having been vaccinated, Marcelo Solís preferred to spend the day relaxing with his wife and son because he doesn’t think it’s time yet to be gathering.

“It is not a certainty that with the vaccine we can get over it. We have to continue taking care of ourselves,” he said.

Others, like Mario Tinajero, who have not yet been inoculated, preferred to spend the day outdoors and decided against going to restaurants or holding parties.

“We are not 100 percent yet – we must be cautious more than anything because we are still at risk,” he said while walking with his son and wife in Alameda Central.

Mexico is the fourth country with the most deaths from Covid-19 in the world, with more than 230,000, and almost 2.5 million confirmed cases.

After four consecutive months of decline, the Ministry of Health (SSa) recognized this weekend a weekly increase of 15 percent in estimated cases, a rebound that has particularly affected tourist states such as Baja California Sur and Quintana Roo.

In addition, the SSa moved Mexico City to yellow, or medium risk, after only two weeks in green.

In a country of 126 million inhabitants, the government has injected about 40 million vaccine doses, with more than 16 million people with two, including Ruy Herwing, who walked with his son on a bicycle.

“A friend just died 15 days ago, 36 years old. It does not guarantee anything, but it is a plus that there was not before. There are still many people to vaccinate, but I think you have to start somewhere,” he said. EFE

ppc/tw

Related Articles

Back to top button