"Teatro in times of plague"

Department of just what we need at this point: We had an earthquake this morning at about 5:20. It was fairly strong but short. I was somewhat awake because I had just gone to the toilet. Earthquakes are scary. I haven’t heard anything of any damage.

We have two more cases, bringing the total to 26, I think. I don’t know where the new cases are. None in Progreso still. We will remain this week under full curfew.

The same thing is passing in Tegucigalpa as is happening in Washington – on a local scale of course. I got a text today that announces the president’s grand decision in the matter of helping all the out of work people: we’ll get 5 free minutes and 50 text messages.

It’s hard to imagine what is going to happen to our health system with this. This government, apart from being a narco-government, is a den of thieves, and one of their principal thefts has been millions from health accounts. There was a major strike of medical personnel last year protesting the Draconian cuts the government has made to service because all the funds have been stolen. Since the time of that strike (about 2 months in June/July 2019) there has been a major dengue outbreak in the whole region. That is still going on and has the hospitals jammed. (Dengue is a tropical fever akin to malaria. Dengue is from mosquitoes who bite in the day, malaria bite at night). I have a young friend here in Progreso whose mother is in the hospital in San Pedro Sula with dengue. They are hoping to bring her home tomorrow recovered. But they will need all kinds of permissions to be able to get there.

At the same time there is the same tension between the mass of people and the large companies, as to how to deal with a large government bail-out. The largest employers are the maquilas, the clothing sweat-shops (although they are mostly air-conditioned as a matter of fact –the terminology comes from the nineteenth century) for most of the known brands: Fruit of the Loom, Hanes, J.C.Penny and such. There is no such thing as paid leave.

As seems to be true everywhere, this is going to be more of a problem for the cities than for the countryside. We are full of maquila workers whom jobs have attracted to migrate to the cities in a context where suddenly there are no jobs.

Stay safe and wash your hands.

Stay Safe

Jack.

 

 

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