SCROLL DOWN FOR THIS MONTH'S EVENTS SCHEDULE!
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Our Northern Zone remains in Orange for next week, June 14-20, as does the Southern Zone. Although the graph for Cancun (Benito Juarez) shows a very slight increase, the Governor was glad to see the curve going downward there, and for Isla Mujeres as well. However in Playa del Carmen (Solidaridad) and Cozumel, there are concerning increases.
As
of yesterday, Isla Mujeres reported a total of 310 cases of C-19 with 34
deaths and 265 recuperated. The Growth Rate of cases in the Northern
Zone is 0.55, which is a decrease from last week's 0.58. The Geoportal
reports a total of 5 active cases by colonia as: Electristas-1, Meteorologico-1, Miraflores-1, Guadalupana-1 and Unnamed colonia (at Punta Sur)-1. Our
Northern Zone remains in Orange (since May 3) with capacities at hotels
& restaurants limited to 50% and at public beaches to 30%.
The Geoportal reports cumulative cases by colonia as of June 2nd as follows: Downtown-16, Aeropuerto-2, Bahia-2, Electristas-6 Salinas-25, Meteorologico-32, Salina Grande-11, Colonia #5 (in Sac Bajo)-1, Caridad del Cobre-8, Ampliacion la Gloria-7, 23 de Noviembre-13, col.Isla Blanca-5, Lol Beh-0, Miraflores-14, El Canotal-40, Colonia #6-0, La Gloria-54, Sin Nombre (Punta Sur)-3, and Guadalupana-7....which is a total of 246 (This is less than the total reported since there were over 300 in early June and Isla Mujeres reached 246 cases on January 12th. )
Today, in honor of World Environment Day (June 5), about 70 native plants were planted near along the access to the Tortugranja, including sea lettuce, chit palms and various ciricotes. (I don't have a translation for this--It's an ornamental tree/bush that grows in this region with reddish-yellow flowers & edible fruit.) The Director of the municipal Department of the Environment and Ecology, Carlos Barranco Garcia, said these types of activities are intended to raise awareness and to encourage people to care about keeping the environment as healthy as possible for all of us who inhabit the island. He said there were only a few participants, who were from the administration of the Tortugranja, his department, Participación Ciudadana and Zoetry hotel.
Starting next week--1 Million Doses of J&J Vaccine for the Tourism Areas of Q Roo & Baja California and for Border Cities
At Tuesday evening's national C-19 press conference, Dr Lopez-Gatell reported that Mexico has completed five months (20 weeks) of reducing the epidemic. Unfortunately, Q Roo has been out of synch with the rest of the country, with elevated numbers since April. The national epidemic curve has plateaued since the second peak, and there has been an 87% decrease in hospitalizations.
The first graphic shows that nearly all municipalities have fully vaccinated their seniors. The second and third graphic show that nearly everyone in their fifties has received their first dose. (The categories are "Concluded, In Process, Scheduled & Pending".) For the remainder of June, vaccinations will be administered to residents in their forties (#4), and pregnant women.
Dr Lopez-Gattell said 27% of the adult population has been vaccinated and nearly 60% of them are fully vaccinated. Nearly 35 million doses have been administered. He noted that the rate of vaccination is increasing and that there are more residents in their 40's than in their 50's.
He listed the arriving shipments of Pfizer this week, which total nearly 1.5 million doses, and said they won't have an announcement about more Astra Zeneca until its arrival is confirmed.
He said the US donation of 1 million doses of Johnson & Johnson vaccine will arrive this weekend or at the beginning of next week. These will be given to residents living in the tourism areas of Quintana Roo & Baja California and in border cities, as previously announced. This campaign will also be conducted by age groups, but in a targeted manner for the communities in these two states whose economies are dependent on tourism, and for municipalities along the border. He explained the importance of focusing on epidemic dynamics in these two states with tourism-dependent economies, who are in a situation of increased epidemic activity (#5). He also explained how northern border municipalities have increased mobility and less control, compared to others in the country.
A
total of 2700 doses of Pfizer vaccine are being administered to
residents of Isla Mujeres in their forties (and pregnant women) this
week. The vaccine campaign began Monday and ends today at the Bicentennial Dome in
colonia La Gloria, 8a-4p. This is the first
dose for residents in this age group, who are reminded to print their
registration from the mivacuna website, and bring their CURP and a copy
of their utility bill. In just over half a day on Monday, more than 350
islanders were vaccinated, with compliance to health protocols.
TUESDAY....A stranded sea turtle was rescued today just past noon by personnel with the Tortugranja from the rocks at Punta Sur. The Director of the facility, Deline García Canto, said the 80 cm x 74 cm turtle of the Green ("Blanca") species had no injuries, so it was released where it could return to the sea without difficulty.
This is the season when sea turtles nest on the shores of the island, of the species Loggerhead, Hawksbill and Green. She encouraged the public to communicate with Civil Protection or the Tortugranja if they see a situation like this, to assist in the conservation of sea turtles.
MONDAY.....The US is donating 1 million doses of Johnson & Johnson C-19 vaccine to Mexico, where assistant Health Secretary Hugo Lopez-Gatell announced that most of these single-dose vaccines will be administered to residents in tourist-resort areas, including Cancun & Los Cabos, and in cities along the US border. Dr. Lopez-Gatell described prioritizing these locations as an economic measure aimed at avoiding possible partial closures in places where the economy revolves around tourism or trans-border manufacturing. He said, "We have the opportunity, since this is about aid from the United States government, that we can synchronize prevention and control activities on both sides of the border." Journalists noted that the vacation destinations he mentioned are especially popular among American tourists.
Mexico has vaccinated its medical personnel and senior citizens and is currently jabbing residents in their forties and fifties. as well as teachers and pregnant women. Last week, the government reported that more than 23.2 million residents have received at least one shot. Mexico has a population of around 130 million, and has reported more than 2.4 million confirmed cases of C-19, with over 228,000 deaths. Some officials say the death toll could be much higher.
The Biden administration previously announced it would share 80 million doses by the end of June. Jeff Zients, coordinator of the White House C-19 response, said that 75% of the first 25 million doses will be allotted through COVAX, an international distribution system aimed at helping vaccinate people in the world's poorest countries. The approximate allocations for the first 25 million doses are: 6 million to South & Central America; 5 million to Africa; 7 million to Asia; and 6 million to Mexico, Canada, South Korea, the occupied West Bank and Gaza, Ukraine, Kosovo, Haiti, Georgia, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Yemen and the U.N. front-line workers.
MONDAY....The
Federal C-19 'traffic light' was updated today for the next two weeks.
The second graphic is the previous version, when we were the worst state
in the country, but now three others have joined us in Orange. There's
still no Red states and the Green states have increased from 16 to 19,
forming a solid block on the map. Medium-risk Yellow went from 15 states
to nine.
MONDAY....As
of yesterday, Isla Mujeres reported a total of 308 cases of C-19 with 34
deaths and 260 recuperated. The Growth Rate of cases in the Northern
Zone will be updated today & was 0.58 last week. The Geoportal
reports a total of 8 active cases by colonia as: Downtown-1, Salinas-1,
Meteorologico-3, La Gloria-2, and Unnamed colonia (at Punta Sur)-1. Our
Northern Zone remains in Orange (since May 3) with capacities at hotels
& restaurants limited to 50% and at public beaches to 30%.
MONDAY.....
What's been happening lately?
New Presidenta--Last night there was a large procession celebrating the election of Atenea Gomez Ricalde as the island's next Mayor, who takes office on September first. On that date, our current Mayor, Juan Carrillo Soberanis, will begin his term as federal legislator for District 1 (which includes Isla Mujeres, Cozumel, Playa del Carmen, Tulum, Holbox, and a small piece of Cancun & Puerto Morelos.) Ms. Gomez Ricalde is the daughter of former Mayor Alicia Ricalde Magana, who's currently head of the state Port Authority.
Nothing's burning--The municipal firefighters have been working at the Trash Transfer Facility, wetting down hot spots from the fires that started May 24th and re-flared on the 25th. It was extinguished using seawater (causing a temporary road closure). Downtown still bears evidence of the palapa fires in late April, but most of the damaged stores & restaurants resumed their activities within days. Seawater pumped by an Ultramar ferry helped extinguish part of that fire. Volunteers also formed beach-side bucket brigades, assisting the municipal and Naval firefighters (and Aguakan personnel) who fought it from the street-side. It spread northward along Medina (main street) from the Mocambo restaurant and did not reach the gas station.
No Hurricanes--There's a low pressure system moving slowly toward Central America with a low chance (20%) of development Thursday-Friday, which is not threatening our area. Tropical Wave #1, in combination with a low pressure channel (brown dotted line), may cause some squalls over portions of the Peninsula today & tomorrow with hot temperatures & winds of 20-30kph (green squiggles). Most of the rain is expected in Chiapas & Oaxaca (encircled)
JUNE EVENTS--The 2-day "Dry Law" is over & the election-related news bans have ended. The bans were imposed on candidates & governments, and restaurants in the Tourist Zones were exempted from the Dry Law.
>Tomorrow is World Oceans Day.
>The mama turtles are laying on the eastern shores of the isle, and the whale sharks are enjoying their annual "buffet". Turtle nesting season lasts six months for the three species who visit Isla Mujeres. The first nest was a Loggerhead on May 13th, with 136 eggs. Residents and visitors are reminded not to display white lights at the beaches and to avoid approaching the turtles.
>Sunday, June 20th is Father's Day, as well as the start of summer & the longest day of the year--Summer Solstice.
>The full Moon rises over the Caribbean on Thurs, June 24 at 7:49p after the sun sets at 7:32. It rises Fri, the 25th at 8:52, Sat. at 9:48, Sun, at 10:36, Mon, at 11:18 and Tuesday the 29th at 11:56. Currently, sunrise is at 6:04a & sunset is at 7:27p.
>If you have a pair of binoculars, before tomorrow's dawn you can view the crescent moon & Uranus together low in the NNE sky. On Thursday the 10th, there will be an annular ("Ring of Fire") solar eclipse, which can be observed safely online & won't be visible from the island. Annulus means "brilliant ring", describing the ring of sunlight encircling the new moon's dark silhouette for several minutes.
The sun is shining, the weather is hot & breezy and the iguanas are out basking. This information was brought to you by our sponsors
Maravilla Caribe Bed & Beach.
Noti Isla Mujeres
Today....There
are 22 nests being protected at the incubation pen of the Tortugranja,
containing a total of 2652 eggs. The first nest was found May 13, and
was a loggerhead. The other species who nest on the island are Hawksbill
(who lay the least) and Greens ("Blanca") who outnumber the others by
far.
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This blog is brought to you by....
MaraVilla Caribe Bed & Beach
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Free
amenities include hammocks,
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chairs, beach towels,
washer & dryer, loungers, shared bikes, BBQ grill, and safes. Panoramic
views from the
rooftop terrace. Large sliding doors open to a patio &
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Monthly Discounts
Fine
dining a few steps away at Da Luisa or try the
neighborhood eateries a couple blocks farther. We provide a list of
links & direction to over 20 eateries within ten minutes walk,
including Mango Cafe, Mike's Pizza,
Brisas, Rosa Sirena, Coco Jaguar, Manolitos, Green Verde, Kash Kechen
Chuc, and the
large department store-grocery Chedraui & the local craft brewery. Visit marinas, bars, &
beach
clubs that are minutes away by bike or on foot. Attend Yoga classes a
couple villas away at Casa
Ixchel. Fresh juice, produce & tortillas a few blocks
away in the village, as well as a
variety of other stores.
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JUNE EVENTS
Full moon rising over the Caribbean
Nearly full moon Wednesday, June 23 rises at 6:42 p over the Caribbean & the sun sets at 7:32
Full Moon rises on Thurs, June 24 at 7:49p
Fri, June 25 at 8:52
Sat. June 26 at 9:48
Sun, June 27 at 10:36
Mon, June 28 at 11:18
Tues. June 29 at 11:56
Sunrise in June~6:05 (first of month)-6:09a (end of month)
Public events have been suspended due to C-19, mostly. Some holidays have featured online competitions and events.
Sources for Weather Information:
LINK to Civil Protection Q Roo weather bulletin (Spanish)
LINK to Mexico National Weather Service (Spanish)
LINK to satellite images for the Mexico National Weather Service
LINK to GOES East Band 16 GIF (animation)
LINK to a private weather station on Isla Mujeres
LINK to US National Hurricane Center
Free
amenities include hammocks,
portable beach
chairs, beach towels,
washer & dryer, loungers, shared bikes, BBQ grill, and safes. Panoramic
views from the
rooftop terrace. Large sliding doors open to a patio &
the white sand backyard-beach, overlooking the Caribbean sea. Downtown
is ~ a mile away; we're on
all four bus routes or flag a $3 taxi. Off street parking. In the quiet
neighborhood of Bachilleres, sleep to the sounds of the sea.. $275/$325/$425 wk $40/50/$65nt
Monthly Discounts
