Tuesday, April 7, 2020

Isla Mujeres Daily News & Events Tuesday, April 7




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The state has reached triple digits with 118 positive cases, and there are now only two municipalities (of 11) with no confirmed cases. Overnight, the number of deaths doubled from 4 to 8, and positives in Cancun jumped from 58 to 78, which is an increase of 35%. Playa del Carmen went from 15 to 28, which is an 85% increase. Positives in the state went from 86 to 118, which is an increase of 37% from Sunday to Monday.  Hospitalized patients increased from 12 to 21.

On April 5th at 6p, the state of Quintana Roo reported 217 negative cases of Covid-19, 51 under study, and 86 positives with 4 deaths and 12 were hospitalized, There were 58 in social isolation and 12 were recuperated. 58 in Benito Juarez (Cancun), 15 in Solidaridad (PDC), 5 in Cozumel, 3 in OTB (Chetumal), 2 in Tulum, and 1 each in Isla Mujeres, Bacalar, and Felipe Carrillo Puerto. You're reminded to stay at home.


On April 6th at 6p, the state of Quintana Roo reported 226 negative cases, 151 under study, and 118 positives. There are 21 in the hospital and 8 deaths, which were 4 in Benito Juarez (Cancun), 3 in Solidaridad (PDC). and 1 in OPB (Chetumal) There were 77 in social isolation and 12 recuperated. The positives: 78 in Benito Juarez (Cancun), 28 in Solidaridad (PDC), 5 in Cozumel,  3 in Tulum, 3 in OPB (Chetumal), and 1 each in Bacalar, Felipe C Puerto, Puerto Morelos, and Isla Mujeres.


In the state of Quintana Roo, as of 6p on April 4, laboratory results for Covid-19 are 195 negative cases, 72 cases under study, 75 positives, 2 deaths and 11 recuperated cases. Of the 62 people under treatment, 11 are hospitalized and 51 are in social isolation. Their locations are 49 in Benito Juarez (Cancun), 14 is Solidaridad (Playa del Carmen), 4 in Cozumel, 3 in OTB (Chetumal), 2 in Tulum, and 1 each in Bacalar, Felipe Carrillo Puerto, and Isla Mujeres. Only three municipalities remain free of confirmed cases. You're reminded to stay at home
Sunday....
 #1 The pre-dawn was colorful.
#2 Man fishing from boat-rock.
#3 Sunrise!
#4 Bonus grand finale behind the clouds.





Saturday's sunrise was rosy-pink, as you can see from the shadow on our blue kitchen wall of the paper mache campesino on the refrigerator. (The other shadows are laundry lines & the wall finish is called "rustico")



From the City....

VIDEO-- The Mayor is explaining that they are delivering food aid to the doors of homes, without contact, and residents are to remain inside their home, with their ID, which will be photographed for transparency. He said they are going house-by-house, working as a team in this state program, and this will enable people to stay at home for some days, without going out to work or to get food.  He reminds you to take care of your health and to stay in your home, and we will move forward, together.

Following the recommendations and staying home 🏠 will reduce your chances of getting coronavirus, take care of your family.




Six thousand bags containing food aid and hygiene products are being delivered, house by house, in the municipality of Isla Mujeres at part of the state government program, to assist the most vulnerable inhabitants.
       This is a state program that is occurring simultaneously in all the municipalities, in coordination with the local governments, with support from the Navy, National Guard, and municipal police forces. In Isla Mujeres, there were about 60 people working at the same time in different areas of the municipality, delivering the food aid, with the necessary hygiene measures, including protective gear.
   The bags of food were left at the entrance to the homes, without any contact, and with photographic evidence, and then the beneficiary can collect their groceries. The Mayor reminded everyone to continue staying home and maintaining healthy distance.  VIDEO  





Stay home, save lies. The caption says at a national level, were are in Stage Two of a pandemic, and the length of duration and impact are related to actions we take as citizens. Stay Home.

Why wash your hands?
The soap and water break the cycle of transmission of the virus.
Like influenza, the virus survives for up to three hours on your hands and up to 48 hours on smooth surfaces that have been touched by your hands.
 It decreases respiratory infections by about 20 percent.

    The City is not letting down its guard, and has increased preventative actions against Covid-19, which include random checkpoints advising residents to stay at home, to curb the spread of this virus and avoid unnecessary exposure. Officials stressed that the cooperation of the citizenry is of utmost importance. The City government has also asked the ferry companies to reduce their crossings, and continues inviting people to stay at home.
    The Director of Civil Protection said, "We are going to be very insistent, stay at home, we are facing a health alert, unless you have an extremely urgent reason to go out, don't, since if we stay at home we will prevent this from advancing and soon we will be able to return to normal "
  He said, "The fact of staying at home translates into such a simple action, but with great impact. As a government we are doing our best; screening and checkpoints have been implemented on the entrances to the island and at strategic points of our municipality, including the beaches to avoid people congregating, but it is necessary that the general public no longer come out if it is not extremely urgent."


Don't leave your home. Maintaining social isolation is the most effective way to avoid caching and propagating the virus. The caption adds that you should only go out if necessary, and don't take out seniors or children.

Protocols for people at risk--Actions against Covid-19
Sleep in separate beds,
Use separate bathrooms if you can, and disinfect with bleach after use,
Don't share towels, silverware, glasses, etc,
Clean and disinfect surfaces with high levels of contact daily,
Wash towels, sheets, and clothing frequently,
Maintain distance, sleep in different bedrooms, ventilate rooms often,
Call via telephone if you have a fever higher than 38 and difficulty breathing,
Don't break quarantine during two weeks. Every time you leave your house is a reset of the count, Separate all your trash that is contaminated or dangerous, such as face masks, gloves and paper in separate bags labeled Hazardous Waste.


From Protección Civil y Bomberos Isla Mujeres
What do you think is more complicated, staying home or recovering from the coronavirus? Many people say that's not going to happen to them but you need to know that no one is immune to coronavirus. Be aware, or are you going to risk Covid-19 not giving you a second chance?

TVisla Mujeres    

The Hospital director asked people to respect the recommendations of the Ministry of Health and said the hospital will only treat people who are ill or have an urgent need for medical attention. Patients who are adults should come alone, and minors, people with special needs, and seniors should only have one companion.She advised pregnant women to only come if they have a serious problem such as pain, bleeding, lack of movement of the fetus, leakage of fluid, headache, seeing lights, or ringing in their ears.
   Vaccinations will be available Monday thru Friday 7a to 1p at the booth outside the hospital, with a reminder to stay at least 1.5 meters from other people. LINK   She also said more influenza vaccines have arrived. LINK

According to the Director of Tourism, hotel occupancy has dropped to zero in Isla Mujeres with the closing of the final hotel, Mia, on Sunday, after its last guests left on Saturday. LINK

On social media, the State Secretary of Public Security, Jesus Alberto Capella, congratulated the inhabitants of Isla Mujeres for staying in their homes. LINK 

VIDEO of Father Raul on Palm Sunday (see below)


LINK   TV Isla Mujeres reports that CFE announced there will be an interruption in service on Thursday, April 9 from 8a to 3p, for maintenance. The source is CFE Peninsular Division, but this notice still isn't on their FB page, which is here-https://www.facebook.com/CFEDivisionPeninsular/  Maybe they reported it on WhatsApp? Their Twitter account has posts from 2013.



VIDEO of Dolphins at Punta Sur by Casto Jose Valladares, with caption saying it is a baby dolphin and family.
   Noti Isla Mujeres     

Father Raul brought Palm Sunday to his parishioners, driving up & down the streets of Isla Mujeres with music & this icon, blessing the palm decorations and crosses made from fronds that islanders hung on their doors, gates & windows. (photos)

   La Tertulia  

Photos with caption which says...In response to an anonymous complaint about tourists arriving at Isla Mujeres via docks in Sac Bajo, personnel with the municipal department of Civil Protection elements were given the task of having them depart from the area. Thank you for the early intervention and especially for taking care of the health of us blessed islanders be all


Request from the Mayor to Ultramar to reduce the number of crossings and only permit residents and providers, and to provide free passage on the early ferries to P. Juarez and on the late ferries to Isla Mujeres.


The downtown gas station will be closed Sunday, April 5 and will be open 8a to 4p on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday.

From  Por Esto :

Fishermen expected to receive aid LINK  
Despite the fact that minor navigation in general was restricted by the Harbor Masters, when the weather is good, the (commercial) fishermen are allowed to go out to resupply the market with fish in this season of high demand. However, only a small number of fishermen are going out, not more than 10 percent of the more than 300 people dedicated to the activity.
     This is because with the confinement of families, residents cannot go in search of fish, and it is difficult to deliver the product to their homes, so it would be necessary to find a mechanism to market the product, although some manage to promote it on social networks.
     According to data obtained, some individual fishermen are working, but they have no way of keeping the product in good condition for several hours for its commercialization. Here it is not the custom to sell fish in the markets, but directly on the beach, when the fishermen arrive, or else at the headquarters of the cooperatives, but they are closed due to Covid-19.
     Policarpo Pastrana, municipal representative for the fishing industry, said he has no details at this time, but the municipal government has plans to support the fishermen during this contingency. Officials are also seeking to assist with obtaining federal assistance, during this ban on lobster. Fishermen are advised to prepare their documents earlier this year, because last year the financial aid didn't arrive until July, when the lobster season had already restarted. March is the second month of the four month lobster ban, a species that is the main source of income for the fishermen.

Altruism in response to contingency  LINK 
   Businessman Rubén Chávez Martínez (of Ruben's Restaurant on Guerrero across from the Mercado) and a group of volunteers are delivering food and hygiene supplies to senior citizens. He said they started a small campaign to aid the most vulnerable members of the community, such as the elderly. He said they purchase products in bulk, then assemble packages with help from volunteers. He said they use social media to inform people about the aid, to help the elderly, people with disabilities, and those who have illnesses. He said they are also delivering cooked food, because they found there were various workers who have no financial resources. 
  It is noted that businessman Hector Gil Chable (of Picu's restaurant on Rueda Medina, north of the taxi stand) distributed seafood soup in the La Gloria park, for the benefit of dozens of people.

Ultramar reduces number of crossings  LINK  
   The Ultramar passenger ferry has reduced the number of round trips to and from Puerto Juares from nine to six. They have stopped selling tickets to tourists, and only sell them to Isla Mujeres residents and supplies of goods.  EDIT--They are continuing to sell tickets to tourists.
        The municipal government also asked them to provide free passage on the first trip to Puerto Juarez and the last return, but it isn't known if this was granted.
   The ferries are departing the Puerto Juarez at 7, 9, 11, 3p, 5p and 7p  and departing Isla Mujeres at 8, 10, 12p, 4p, 6p and 8p, which began on Sunday. Naveganto schedule is unchanged with departures from the island at 9, 11, 3p, 5p and 7p, returning 45 minutes later, for each trip to Puerto Juárez. 

The schedule from the Ultramar FB site...


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"Reverse Sunset" (looking east from MVC)
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Full moon rising over the Caribbean 
 At Sunset--April 7  6:54p (sets 7:04p)
April 8     7:59  
April 9     9:04
 April 10   10:08
April 11    11:11

 Sunset  7:02-7:12pm (beginning vs end of month)
Sunrise  6:40--6:17am
Painting by Pamela Haase at MVC

LYRID METEOR SHOWER 
     This year, the nearly new crescent moon won't interfere, and you may see as many as 18 meteors per hour, at the peak. Occasionally, this shower produces 'fireballs' (exceptionally bright meteors) and about a quarter of Lyrid meteors leave persistent trails of ionized gas that glow for a few seconds. 
       The "shooting stars" will be more frequent in the pre-dawn hours, when the radiant point is highest in the sky. Look over the Caribbean, toward the northeastern horizon, but don't worry if you don't identify the radiant point (near the star Vega)--they can be seen in all parts of the night sky. (The radiant point is where they appear to originate.)

    Watch in the pre-dawn hours of April 20, 21 & 22 (Mon-Wed).  They'll peak in the pre-dawn hours of Wednesday, April 22. There may be some early on Thursday. You can also see three planets in the pre-dawn sky--Jupiter, Saturn & Mars, in the southeast. 
    There are records of this shower that go back some 2700 years, when the Chinese are said to have observed the Lyrid meteors "falling like rain" in 687 BC. The Lyrids are known for their occasional "outbursts", and observers have seen around 100 per hour in the US (1982), Japan (1945), and Greece (1922), with no predictions for this occurring this year.  
   The meteors are the debris of a comet (Thatcher) that takes 415 years to orbit the sun. They burn up in our atmosphere, about 60 miles up, while the star Vega is just a reference point and unconnected--it's trillions of times farther away. 




 HERE is an interactive sky map showing the position of the radiant (where the meteors appear to originate) in the sky above Isla Mujeres throughout the night & predawn. (Scroll forward to 10p+ when the radiant & Vega begin rising here.) You can change the date & location.


The Events section will resume when there are public events scheduled.

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

 BUS INFORMATION  

The buses operate from 6a to 10p. The overhead digital display indicates whether they're going to the Tourism areas or the Colonias.The bus numbers don't indicate the route, they're numbered 1 thru 10.

The main downtown stops are just south of the Maritime (Ultramar) Terminal & across the street from it. In Centro, the buses stay on Medina, except they turn around near the Convention Center, behind the downtown Mercado. Outside of town, there are no designated stops & you flag them. Exit thru the back door, first pushing the red button nearby so the driver knows to stop.

Pay the driver 38 pesos/$2usd (or $9/175p for an all day pass). The front seats are for seniors, disabled & pregnant women. The 32 passenger buses have air conditioning & security cameras. (State residents pay 10p, INAPAM card holders & local students pay 5p.)  LINK to bus company page on FB.

COLONIA ROUTES-1 & 2

Route 1 goes down the western side on Rueda Medina and returns northward on the east side via Jesus Martinez Ross. Its west-east transit is Paseo de los Peces in colonia La Gloria.

Route 2 goes down the eastern side on Jesus Martinez Ross and returns northward on the west side via Medina. Its east-west transit is also Paseo Peces.

Routes #1 & #2 aren't exact opposites.
#1 takes J.M. Ross northward all the way from Peces to downtown, traveling thru Salina Chica,
 #2 going southward turns left/east just before Salina Chica, leaving JM Ross & taking the Caribe Coastal road thru Meteorologico. I've heard it turns right/west back into the colonias by Madera Food & Art.










    

TOURISM ROUTES-3 & 4   
 
Now the company advises riding #3 to Sac Bajo and #4 to Punta Sur. 

Route 3 goes to Sac Bajo, down the western side of the isle on Medina.
(It was originally advertised as also going to Punta Sur. Then they said it only went to P.S. when that was the destination of passengers aboard, and otherwise after routing thru Sac Bajo it turned east on Paseo Peces & returned via the Caribbean Coastal road, Payo Obispo.)

Route 4 goes to Punta Sur & Garrafon down east side on the Caribbean Coastal road and returning northward on Medina to town.

This isn't a bus route map, it's a street map, showing how Jesus Martinez Ross follows the Caribbean coast until becoming the main street of Salina Chica and going on to La Gloria, while the Caribe Coastal road (aka Payo Obispo) follows the coast. The east-west transit, Paseo de los Peces, is shown, but not labeled, between colonia La Gloria and the Mundaca Hacienda. 


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