It’s been more than a month Frank Coronado turned covid-19, but the Oaxaca, Mexico photographer still gasps when he sometimes speaks. Although his illness did not take him to the hospital, his case was so severe that he was worried that he would suffocate in his sleep.
Coronado’s personal experience with the Coronavirus has made the natives of Oaxaca aware of the pandemic situation in the state. As he watched the number of cases continue to rise, he also noticed that more tourists opposed widespread public health protocols, such as wearing face masks in public.
On February 25, Coronado wrote to his 171,000 Instagram followers: “Dear travelers, you are welcome to Oaxaca, but you should ALWAYS wear a mask when you are in public places.”
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He wanted to publicly address the issue and encourage visitors to do better – especially foreigners traveling from Oaxaca City to smaller rural villages where artisans are even more at risk.
Tourists without face masks stroll around Oaxaca’s Zócalo, or main square. (Eva Lepiz for the Washington Post)
“I get angry because I’ve been through it [covid-19] and know how bad it feels, ”says Coronado. “I don’t want my people, the people of Oaxaca, to get sick.”
Unlike many of the most visited tourist hotspots in the world, Mexico is never completely closed to foreign visitors. While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Americans have said should avoid any trip to Mexico Because of the “very high levels of coronavirus”, the country has remained one of the most popular destinations during the pandemic.
Nevertheless, tourism in Mexico collapsed last spring as it did worldwide. according to Reports from the state governmentOaxaca recorded less than half of its 2019 visitor numbers in 2020. The numbers picked up again last summer, but welcoming outsiders back in has been tricky as the pandemic rages on.
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While Oaxaca isn’t picking up almost as many visitors As Mexican travel destinations like Cancun, Acapulco or Mexico City, tourism is an important part of its economy. Those who work in the industry have suffered as a result.
Volunteer bicycle paramedic Judith Treviño checks the blood pressure of a shoe shine who works in the main square. Getting or paying for medical care can be difficult for most people in the informal service industry. (Eva Lepiz for the Washington Post)
Gabriel Sánchez, an Oaxaca native who started out a private tour company Two and a half years ago, the abrupt end of tourism last March was overwhelming. He survived on savings as the visitors disappeared, and he watched as other leaders were forced to take steps like selling their cars to make ends meet.
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Sánchez is delighted when business falls behind. He took coronavirus prevention classes at the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS) and re-ran his first tour on October 20. Now he’s following precautionary measures like checking guests’ temperatures, requiring face masks, social distancing, and providing hand sanitizer. He’s also helping Americans get theirs mandatory coronavirus tests.
A man checks his temperature before entering the Benito Juarez market in Oaxaca. (Eva Lepiz for the Washington Post)
Most of its returning customers have followed its security protocols. But that’s not the case with all the tourists he sees in the city. Like the Americans who refused to wear a mask at the request of an ice cream seller, or the people who regularly violate the coronavirus rules at Monte Albán, Oaxaca’s most famous archaeological site.
“As soon as they pass the checkpoint 30 paces later, they take off their masks,” says Sánchez. “And most of them are foreigners.”
Along with Monte Albán and Oaxaca City, Oaxaca’s craft culture is one of the strongest selling points. It is common for tourists to take day trips to remote villages to see how the famous mezcal, handicrafts of the state, are made. With little access to medical care, these communities were particularly at risk during the pandemic. Many have closed to outsiders to protect themselves, but some have begun to welcome visitors back despite the risk for income that comes with it.
Omar Alonso, who ran Food and mezcal tours He has been in Oaxaca for seven years and believes that visiting rural communities can be done safely with the small private groups he carefully pre-screened. Unfortunately, he regularly runs into the kind of tourists he fears.
For example in the mountain town of San José Del Pacifico between Oaxaca City and the BeachAlonso says he often sees maskless foreigners.
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“When you walk through a city where the locals and the elderly serve you food because they do it for a living, it’s very frustrating because [foreigners] Don’t respect them, ”says Alonso, whose uncle of covid-19 passed away. “I can tell you that yesterday when we went to lunch, of the maybe 20 tourists we saw walking around town, maybe two had masks on.”
Server Esmeralda López takes on the order of a group of tourists at the Kintaro Restaurant in downtown Oaxaca. (Eva Lepiz for the Washington Post)
Vera Claire, a US expat, whose nonprofit organization Good thing works with local indigenous communities to preserve their artistic traditions and believes that some tourists’ perceptions of Mexico may be the problem.
“I think there is a stereotype of [Mexico] To be a place with no rules, a place where you can have fun and relax and have fun, ”she says. She regularly receives social media messages or emails from strangers asking for Oaxaca travel advice, and notes that they need to escape and forget about their lives in the US for a while, she says.
“This is a really dangerous story, of course, because they come here with the mentality that there are no rules,” says Claire. “Those of us who are foreigners all have a responsibility to shed light on the gravity of the situation … Mexico is beautiful. It’s a wonderful place to get away. But the same thing happens here. “
Claire, who lives in Oaxaca City, says the frequency of spotting maskless tourists is increasing, although signs promote masks and most locals adhere to the practice. It’s worrying as the coronavirus appears to be invading their community.
A bride has her temperature taken when she enters the Church of Santo Domingo, which has limited the number of people who can enter. (Eva Lepiz for the Washington Post)
It is impossible to know exact case numbers in the area as than Tests are limited. It was true, however reported in January that hospital stays in Oaxaca grew rapidly because of Covid-19, with 13 hospitals in the state at full capacity and facing a desperate shortage of oxygen tanks (at Problem plagues more than Oaxaca).
“The health system here is minimal at best, especially for poor people who depend on the public health system,” says Suzanne Barbezat, who runs the company Discover Oaxaca Tours with her husband Benito Hernández. “It’s scary when these resources run out.”
Vicente Reyes, a native of Oaxaca and President of the Social Impact Collective Brother Maguey, who is committed to promoting a fair agave ecosystem in the region, says travelers would behave differently if they knew about the hospital crisis in Oaxaca.
Treviño shows the homemade capsule that her rescue group uses to transport people with coronavirus symptoms. (Eva Lepiz for the Washington Post)
“It’s a dramatic situation and it’s not something that tourists see,” he says. “This is a harsh reality that doesn’t show up on Instagram.”
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Reyes believes the worst offenders are young tourists. He’s watched them come from all over the world to travel through Mexico City, Tulum and Oaxaca on a worn-out party route, attend large, mask-free gatherings, and put the locals at risk.
“It sends a really sad, de-motivational message to locals who care about each other,” Reyes says. “We all try to keep it together and these guys fly around town having fun and don’t care about us.”
Many in Oaxaca City do not have the luxury of isolating themselves from tourists – such as Aurora Tostado, who owns the downtown cafe husband, wife With her husband.
“People in Mexico, we have to get out of our homes to work. It’s not that we can work remotely like most people in the US, ”says Tostado.
Marina Gonzales Camarillo works as a waitress at the 20 de Noviembre market and often has to interact with people close by. (Eva Lepiz for the Washington Post)
The couple made adjustments to Marito & Moglie, moving more tables to an outdoor patio, and encouraging customers to keep masks and keep social distance. Insistence on safety protocols is something that makes them and their staff more comfortable at work, and something most guests appreciate – but Tostado notes that others around town are acting like the pandemic is over. “This is not Disneyland,” she wants to tell them.
Like others in Oaxacan hospitality, Tostado benefits financially from tourists and is excited to welcome them back, she says. She just hopes they take into account the chain reaction of their behavior as they enjoy the culture that makes their city special. Seeing travelers come into town to party doesn’t bother them for the party itself. It’s the ramifications of the party.
“The same people will have breakfast in the market and the old lady who works because she has to work will get infected because of her [choices]”Says Tostado.” I would say yes, come on, the nice weather is here. But be responsible. “
Read more about traveling during the pandemic:
Tips: Advisory column | coronavirus tests | Disinfect your hotel | Update documents
Flying: Pandemic packaging | Airport protocol | Stay healthy on airplanes | Flying or driving? | Stopovers
Car trips: Tips | Rental car | Best snacks | Long distance trains | Rest breaks | Overland trip
