Despite the fact that San Miguel de Allende was one of the first municipalities to anticipate and take preventive measures in the fight against COVID-19, with protection protocols for businesses, its inhabitants and more than 38,400 workers could go back to confinement.
A scoop that was announced by its mayor Luis Alberto Villarreal.
“We are analyzing clearly, together with the health authority, to return to the previous phase three and postpone this restart for 7 days more,” he said.
“This is because we are currently experiencing the most critical moments in terms of virus spread and mortality. As this is a city characterized by its tourist essence, the entry and exit of national and foreign travelers would represent a potential danger”, the mayor added.
It should be remembered that the basic prevention measures of phase three include: maintaining a healthy distance, constant hand washing, and the use of anti-bacterial gel; the temporary suspension of non-essential activities remains the same, as well as the rescheduling of events of mass concentration, and most importantly, the protection and care of the elderly.
After more than 90 days of extremely complicated confinement, with serious economic losses, this measure would stop more than 38,400 workers in that city: 9,000 from the tourism sector, 6,400 from the automotive industry, 15,000 from the construction industry and real estate and finally 8 thousand jobs in agribusiness, being the main dairy producers in the state.
“I prefer to go down in history like this, rather than going down in history as the irresponsible person who generated a health crisis that cost other people’s lives,” mayor Villarreal declared.
Currently, with an investment of 30 million pesos, San Miguel de Allende has generated the “Here we are” program that supports small merchants, day laborers, farmers and unprotected sectors, 1,000 guaranteed temporary jobs have been created until August 31 and weekly deliveries of aid packages to those who do not belong to any program.
“They are people who live day by day because they are investing in their future and in the education of their children and suddenly they were left to zero, without a job, without credit cards, they do not have government support,” he said.
We are working on the second package of supports consisting of between 30 and 40 million pesos, generated through budget cuts and savings, a complex task after the 11% cuts made by the federation to the municipalities and which for San Miguel de Allende add up precisely 30 million pesos.
“Let’s be patient, be disciplined, abide by the measures that the health authorities dictate scientifically,” concluded the mayor of San Miguel de Allende.
Source: San Miguel Times
