"Teatro in times of plague"
The lastest statistics: 30 new cases for a total of 298; 22 deaths. The San Pedro Area (including Progreso) is the real epicenter of the cases (25 of the 30 new cases are from the department (like county) of Cortés, of which San Pedro is the principal city.
Department of just what we need at this point: this whole time, they are burning the cane fields and harvesting sugar-cane. And dumping tons of smoke in the air all around. A good percentage of the land between Progreso and San Pedro Sula is in cane fields.
The government issued an order last night (I can’t figure out what entity in the government is in charge) dictating a total and absolute curfew in the Sula Valley – basically, San Pedro and its surroundings, including Progreso. (The valley, formed by the rivers Ulúa and Chamelecón, runs north and south; Progreso is on the eastern edge of the valley, San Pedro on the western edge, with the airport in the middle). The San Pedro Sula area has become the epicenter of the infection in the country.
The new order shuts down everything, including banks, farmacies, supermarkets – for the week. Holy Week. Semana Santa, which is spring break: everyone is either in church or at the beach. This year, it’s everybody in the house.
The absolute curfew was published last night, and as communications from the government have typically been, was completely confusing and badly communicated. At first it was said that there would be things open until 11:00. But then in the morning the police were arresting people and decommissioning vehicles.
In the midst of that, Luis got up at 5:30 and went to work delivering food baskets to the teatro families.
Food delivery report - Luis García -06/04/20
"Suspended the constitutional guarantees in El Progreso, Yoro.", was the news of last hour in the channels of national T.V yesterday. This means that constitutional rights remain invalid: The freedom of thought (Art. 72), The freedom of transit (Art. 81), private property (Art.103), among others.
The absolute curfew was declared for El Progreso and the department of Cortés with the intention of limiting the spread of the COVID-19; this would enter into force for 06 days, from Monday 06 to April 12. That morning Monday we had scheduled the delivery of the food provided by COPECO, so we made a quick decision Sunday night and went to get the food that we had stored in the theater to load it in the trunk of my car; the remaining hours of the night would be used to find some way to get the donations to our partners.
Patricia García is the Municipal Coordinator of COPECO for El Progreso, and she was who very kindly offered all the information and help needed to define the plan for the following morning on Monday. After a couple of tips; accompanied by a mask and hand gel, I went on my way to the delivery. This morning the streets of El Progreso have changed the gray color of the asphalt for a black layer of dirt caused by the burning of cane fields; the carbonized leaf rises through the air and is transported miles beyond the burning place. The latter has been much criticized, because in the midst of a pandemic that directly affects the respiratory system, the government has not placed restrictions to prevent air pollution caused by what we call "Harvest Season" of the sugar companies.
I continued through the streets of downtown crossing with some cars that circulated in the vicinity, then I took the road towards Tela, heading for the houses of Anthony and Jesly, who are part of the cast through the program of scholarships of la fragua. Arriving at the colony where Jesly lives, the guards at the entrance sprayed my car with a mixture of "chlorine and something else," which is supposed to kill the COVID virus and repel it from any surface; they did the same with my shoes. Then I visited Anthony, Angel, Edilberto, and the rest of the members leaving the donation at the gate of each house, trying not to enter and to greet us from a distance, as main rules.
It was 9:00 in the morning, and after 2 hours of travel I arrived at the Colonia San Jorge, with the intention of making the last two deliveries corresponding to "Moncho" and Mauricio, which had its complication because no one answered the phone. San Jorge has a bad reputation for being controlled (as they say) by the MS-13 gang. I was once here 9 years ago; at that time I was accompanying Walter González (Q.D.E.P.), we were taking Moncho home after a presentation. That was a long time ago, so I remembered little, but the deeper I got, everything was more familiar to me and after advancing about a kilometer I found a point useful as a reference, I knew that Moncho lived in the vicinity, but everything was very changed and more populated.
-Good morning! Where does Moncho live? De la fragua! - "In the next corner" they told me, I advanced a little and Moncho recognized the car immediately. Very grateful he took his donation and we also agreed to leave the donation of Mauricio who would then take care of it, since apparently he lives nearby.
After that I felt satisfied, we didn’t have to worry about donations anymore, they were already in their destination. I took the same route back and I got home for breakfast, it was already 10:00 a.m. and the videos of many vehicles being seized in the center of El Progreso due to the ban on traffic, Fortunately for me and my colleagues we managed to finish the day and be prepared for the 06 days of absolute quarantine that had already begun.
La fragua at the moment is incapable of paying salaries, but it has made the necessary efforts to meet a need as basic as the feeding of its collaborators. We are resisting together, it is not the first time nor will it be the last, as long as the flame of keeping this project alive lives in each of us.
Tierra, aire, fuego, agua, ustedes y nosotros somos teatro la fragua.
Keep safe and wash your hands
Jack.
Send a contribution to:
teatro la fragua
c/o Jesuit Advancement Office
4511 West Pine Boulevard
St. Louis, MO. 63108, U.S.A./EE.UU.
4511 West Pine Boulevard
St. Louis, MO. 63108, U.S.A./EE.UU.
Please send the donation details to teatrolafragua@gmail.com