April 24 Cozumel News: New Restrictions announced, Governor Carlos Joaquin´s address April 23, Phase Three COVID-19, Medico en Tu Casa Program, The Sun News and Friends Doing Our Share, What you can do to help our Island.
Cozumel News: New Restrictions Announced
Car License Plates
Only State of Quintana Roo License plates may be on the road until further notice.
Curfew
Effective this Sunday April 26th, the Curfew Starts at 7: oo pm.
No Driving on Weekends Coming Soon
Coming to Cozumel News Next week, No vehicle on the road on weekends. Both Governor and Municipal President danced around the subject and finally the Municipal President stated that details will be later announced.
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Today’s COVID-19 Update
Cozumel & Phase Three
Phase three is the most crucial phase of COVID-19. At this point it is assumed that the population is infected. Phase Three sees the highest number of deaths and infections.
Public Transit Office Closure
Clarification on closing of Public Transit licensing Department due to phase three. The following clarification is by the Director of Seguridad Publica y Transito.
If your license expired yesterday, today or any day during which the office is closed, you may drive with an expired license. Your grace period will extend until the office reopens.
No License – Can not Drive!
If you do not have a license you may not drive. The licenses will not be issued again until the office reopenes.
If License Expired Before Closure
If your license expired before yesterday, you may not drive. You will be unable to do so legally until such time as the office reopens and you renew.
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Medico en Tu Casa Programa
¨Medico en Tu Casa Programa¨ (Doctor in your House Program), is Free Medical assistance in the form of a telephone consultation or a house call. This service is available to the most vulnerable of the population.
Protected Groups
The Protected Groups are Seniors without transport, Chronic Illnesses such as diabetes, hypertension, and obesity, Pregnancy, Bedridden or terminally Ill, Children at risk under the age of five, and those Disabled.
If you are one of these protected population, you may call for consultation or a House call Doctor 983-140-8354 Monday through Friday from 8 am to 8 pm.
The Cozumel Sun News & Friends
Doing Our Share
The Cozumel Sun and friends with an assist from Cozumel Tours by Cab purchased over 70 basic food boxes to distribute to the Cozumel Community.
More Work to Do!
We still plan to distribute boxes to families in our own neighborhood. There are many that patronize Papeleria Mama Lilly.
Papeleria Mama Lilly
The Cozumel Sun started this Papeleria as a tool to assist a Cozumel family to become self-sufficient. To date all income goes right back into the comunity. So our work is far from done.
Food Bank Assist
However, because of the stringent social distancing mandates that are implemented during this phase 3 of the COVID-19 crisis, we opted to distribute 33 of the boxes through the at Communitas Food Bank, five to near by families, and the balance were distributed to other families throughout Cozumel.
How you can help
Coparmex
The Boxes were purchased from Coparmex, Cozumel an association of businesses. Coparmex is currently fundraising to assist the government in providing basic food boxes to the residents of Cozumel during this COVID-19 Crisis. If you wish to purchase and distribute boxes you may contact them at https://www.facebook.com/CoparmexCozumel/.
Communitas
¨Communitas¨ is the name of the Interdenominational English Language Church located at Ebenezer Church. Ebenezer Presbyterian Church located on 30th Ave. at 10th Street North. The services in English are held every Sunday at 9 a.m. from October 1st until May 31st.
Food Bank
However, the Communitas Food bank is year around and can use assistance this time of year. The food bank at Ebenezer provides supplies, basic foods, and supplies to 33 families in need on a monthly basis. If you wish to donate to their food bank contact Pastor Alba at caty_coz@hotmail.com.
Thank You Supporters
The Cozumel Sun thanks those that support us, so that we can keep supporting the community of Cozumel. We continue to be in this together!
Cozumel Tours by Cab
Contact Cozumel Tours by Cab at 987- 800-8676 to book your tour on your next trip to Cozumel. Their drivers are also in need of assistance. If you are a client of Cozumel Tours by Cab, and wish to help their tour guides, you may send donations via their website. If it is simpler, use the donate button on the Cozumel sun website and specify for Cozumel Tours by Cab.
Donate to The Cozumel Sun
All Cozumel Sun Donations received this year will be designated to provide food, supplies, and cash to the local Cozumel residents during this COVID-19 Crisis.
Tourism-The Only Industry
Tourism is 95% of the Cozumel economy, as a result, we are among the hardest hit economically in Mexico. The Cozumel Sun Website has a PayPal Button at https://www.thecozumelsun.com/.
We placed this last as it is lenghtly and repetative. Everything was once again revisited at Sol Radio today in an interview with both the Governor and Municpal President.
Interview qith Governor & Municipal President
The only addtion to this text were that the curfew will change to 7 pm to 5 am on Sunday. The no driving on weekends is not in effect yet in Cozumel. Instructions on that mandate will be explained and implemented soon.
Governor Carlos Joaquin´s Address on April 23rd
Friends: It is time to take the next step to combat the pandemic. We enter scenario 3, characterized by an accelerated spread of the virus. It is estimated that each carrier person can infect 5 other people in a few minutes. We can all be carriers without symptoms and infect more people without knowing it.
Phase Three
Undoubtedly, confirmed cases will increase considerably, with greater hospital needs and a greater probability of regretting more deaths. We must understand that fighting the pandemic is everyone’s responsibility. For this reason, society and government must continue working hand in hand to decrease the speed of contagion.
Three Mandates:
Society must fulfill three basic tasks that we all already know.
1.- Strengthen hygiene measures, such as continually washing your hands with soap and water, not touching your face, and not greeting anyone with a hug or kiss.
2.- Maintain a distance of at least a meter and a half from the people around us, and
3.- Stay home
We are all exposed because the virus does not make distinctions. But it will affect with greater force our people who are in vulnerable conditions.
Protected Class
Those who suffer from diabetes, obesity, and the hypertensive, must be stricter in taking care of themselves, because their lives are at risk. In addition, the elderly, our grandparents, our grandmothers, our parents, pregnant women, people suffering from chronic respiratory diseases, heart, or kidney diseases, are also very vulnerable to the coronavirus.
We must help each other to increase personal hygiene measures, healthy distance and stay at home.
Stricter Restrictions
For the next step, the government will maintain and strengthen the 5 actions program for your family´s peace of mind. We will be with you all the time.
Five Actions
We must ensure that no family in the state goes hungry. The government will continue to accompany you with food at home. We are about to complete the first installment of more than 500,000 food supports in the neighborhoods and towns that need it most for the month of April.
State & Municipal Food Distribution
In 17 days, we have served more than 427 thousand families in the 11 municipalities of the state, with the help of more than a thousand brigades, whom I recognize and thank for their courage, professionalism, and commitment to Quintana Roo.
Federaly Funded Food Distribution
The State Government will initiate a second round of food support for the month of May, in coordination with SEGALMEX of the federal government, to the municipalities of Cozumel, Benito Juárez, Solidaridad, Puerto Morelos, Isla Mujeres, and Tulum, for being the most affected in employment, for the benefit of 312,000 families.
More Support
Likewise, the State Government will reach the municipalities of Othón P. Blanco, Felipe Carrillo Puerto, José María Morelos, Bacalar and Lázaro Cárdenas to continue supporting the families that need it most in the month of May.
Water / CAPA
The State Government will maintain support for the water supply. We will continue without shut offs or immediate charges in the more than 500 thousand homesThere will be exemption from fines and surcharges from the payment of water in the month of May, for those who maintain a consumption of less than 10 cubic meters, or 10,000 liters per month.It is important to take more care of the use of water in these times of family isolation.
Electricity / CFE
In May, the support of the State Government will continue in force to pay half of the bimonthly electricity bills (CFE), in the more than 500 thousand homes, which maintain a consumption of up to 250 kilowatts per month.
Domestic Gas
We are talking with gas companies to extend our family support program with domestic gas to May. We will give you good news soon.
Family Health
Finally, all our services in the family health support program are maintained, highlighting the expansion of coverage of the Medico en Tu Casa Program, mainly focused now on serving vulnerable patients to COVID-19.
Extreeme Measures
We will maintain extreme measures in social distancing in public areas, decrease vehicular traffic and restrict the mobility of people in cities.
Facemasks
For those who go out for essential activities or to stock up, the use of face masks is mandatory to move around the street. If mouth guards are not available, the police will provide them in the mobility restriction filters.
Pedestrians
Restrictions for pedestrian circulation will also be maintained for people who do not carry out essential activities, or who are moving without reasons of supply or health emergency.
Penalties
Civil disobedience to such administrative injunctions, especially that of wearing a face mask, can lead to penalties, including administrative arrest.
No Out of State Plates
Other measures will be limitations on the use of the private vehicle on weekends. Traffic in vehicles with license plates from other states or provisional circulation permits is prohibited.
We will continue to close the circulation of more primary roads and a greater number of filters in pedestrian and vehicular areas.
Public Transportation
Public transport runs will be further limited, and the obligation to circulate with only 50% of its capacity will be established.
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Quintana Roo Hospital Capacity
We are working intensively to expand our hospital capacity. In the public sector hospitals of the state, 467 hospital beds have been allocated for the exclusive use of covid-19 patients, of which 188 have mechanical ventilation equipment and a cardiac monitor to provide care to patients who require special care. Likewise, another 38 intensive care beds have been allocated for seriously ill patients.
Cancun
To this number of beds are being added on the outskirts of the Cancun General Hospital, two tents with hospital facilities for 188 beds to care for the same number of patients. One more tent with a capacity of 50 beds will be used to care for patients who require hospitalization for any reason other than covid-19.
Cancun Hospitals
In Cancun we currently have 4 hospitals, between IMSS and ISSSTE, which are assigned to care for covid-19. They have 328 beds for hospitalization and 34 in an intensive care unit, giving a total of 362 beds for the municipality of Benito Juárez.
Tulum
In the municipality of Tulum, the new community hospital in Tulum is being enabled, which will oversee by the Ministry of National Defense, which includes 30 hospital beds and 20 for intensive care.
Othón P. Blanco
In the municipality of Othón P. Blanco, there are 2 public hospital units, one the new Oncology Hospital and two the Military Hospital, where the covid-19 will be treated. There are 65 beds that have been assigned through the Ministry of National Defense for the care of this disease, of which 45 are intensive care.
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Private Sector
Regarding the private sector, at the state level, there are a total of 4 hospital chains, including 7 intensive care beds and a total of 49 beds that can be used for hospitalization in the municipalities of Benito Juárez, Solidaridad, Tulum and Cozumel.
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Stimulus
On the other hand, the health crisis that we face has also represented a hard impact for companies and workers in the state. For that reason, we have done a new package of fiscal stimuli, administrative facilities, and financing for MYPYMES.
In this context, in the coming days we will convene the state’s social, medical, academic, union and business sector, with the aim of making a solidarity pact, which allows us to jointly face the economic effects caused by the health contingency.
Advisory Council
We will propose the creation of an Advisory Council to accommodate the proposals of the productive sectors. This Council will have the mission of consolidating an economic reactivation plan, which will allow Quintana Roo to protect the health of the population, while reactivating the economy, in a gradual and orderly manner.
In Closing
Friends: Failure to comply with prevention measures will not deceive the coronavirus, to the extent of its non-compliance, the virus will grow, spread more, affect more people, cause the death of others and delay the opening of our State again to productive activities, that is, it will take longer to return to normal, that’s why I reiterate, stay home, that’s why, I insist, it is impossible to cheat the coronavirus. Let us be responsible, take care of our families, stay at home and thus, together we will succeed!
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Excellent information. Much appreciates. Thank you.
Your site seems to give the most up to date information of all the sites I look at regarding COID-19 on Cozumel. Thank you for keeping those of us who love the island and call it our winter home objectively informed. God bless the people of Cozumel! We will be back.
Thank you so much! We have a local radio station that interview the Mayor, Governor and Department heads. It also gives us the oportunity to ask questions online. I listen to them 3 times per day plus monitor the city and state official sites. Unless I see an oficial decree or hear it directly out of the Mayor, Governor, or President´s mouth, I do not print it. It is hard work, but worth it when there is so much fear and confusion going on! Again, thanks for acknoledging my labor of love!
Thank you so much! We have a local radio station that interview the Mayor, Governor and Department heads. It also gives us the oportunity to ask questions online. I listen to them 3 times per day plus monitor the city and state official sites. Unless I see an oficial decree or hear it directly out of the Mayor, Governor, or President´s mouth, I do not print it. It is hard work, but worth it when there is so much fear and confusion going on! Again, thanks for acknowledging my labor of love!