Mexico has broken all records of Covid-19 provided by the health authority. Last Friday, 21,366 were registered, the highest number of cases that have been seen in the country since the pandemic began. Furthermore, the death toll is already around 140 thousand. Parallel to this harsh reality, businesses with non-essential activities such as artisans and party clothing vendors, as well as the restaurant sector, warn that they are on the verge of financial collapse and need to continue operating to avoid bankruptcy.
EL UNIVERSAL photojournalists made a record of this difficult and complex battle between health and the economy. As hospitals remain saturated, merchants defy authorities.
In addition, they provide scenes of faith and resignation, such as the start of the vaccine in municipalities such as Iguala, in Guerrero, or the creation of bears with the clothes of Covid-19 victims.
Hospital waste, by Carlos Mejía. January the 8th
Photo: Carlos Mejía / EL UNIVERSAL
Unfortunately, it is already common that in the hospital known as Los Venados there are many relatives of Covid-19 patients waiting for news. There, in the emergency room, every so often medical personnel come out and shout the patient’s name to report back to their families. And it is also common that from time to time the cleaning staff goes out with all the hospital waste to throw it in a garbage can dedicated to that, it is located behind the hospital, but to get there the employees must surround the area. Throughout the pandemic I have been to this hospital to see how things are going. Six months ago there were fewer people than in May, for example; But there are still many more people now than at any other time during the pandemic. Deer are like a kind of thermometer to see how things are. It has already been saturated for days and the number of patients who come for help is less, but the number of relatives waiting does not decrease.
The chaos generated by the closure of the Metro, by Germán Espinosa. January 9th
Photo: Germán Espinosa / EL UNIVERSAL
They have been very difficult days for Metro users, after the service of six lines had to be suspended due to the fire in the central substation. The image is from the day they were closed. There was a lot of confusion. Lines 2 and 9 converge in Calzada de Tlalpan and Eje 3 sur, so those who went from 9 to 2 ran into closure. Police vans arrived in Tlalpan to support, but it was insufficient. One van could fit around 15 people, the rest were waiting for the trucks, others did not know that the minibuses arrived at the center, others asked for taxis. I heard that people spoke on the phone so that they could be guided to get out of there. They have already opened 3 lines, the others are missing, but I think there is now a little more organization than that day, when everything was in chaos.
Cloth bears to remember the loved one, by Christian Torres. January 11
Photo: Christian Torres / EL UNIVERSAL
Mrs. Eréndira Guerrero worked in a law firm, but she fell ill and had to leave it about six years ago. Since then he began to dedicate himself to making dolls. Faced with the violence that was being experienced in Ciudad Juárez, by organized crime and drug trafficking, she began to make bears with the clothes of the victims. Many people thought it was good to have such a bear to feel close to their relatives. Now, with the pandemic, he told us that there were those who asked him if he was still making bears, he said yes and began to make them with the clothes of those killed by Covid-19. During all this pandemic time it has made about 200 bears. I had to witness the delivery of clothes and bears. The lady treats the garments with great respect, she only asks that they be delivered clean and ironed. And when he made the deliveries it was something very emotional for the families, for them it was very symbolic to have a bear with the clothes of their loved one. In the photo appears Araceli Ramírez, her father, Don Lorenzo, passed away two months ago from Covid. He could not say goodbye to him, he did not see him again after he was admitted to the hospital, he could not watch over him, so he had the bear made with the jacket that the man always wore.
Party dresses looking for customers on the street, by Armando Martínez. January 11
Photo: Armando Martínez / EL UNIVERSAL
In recent weeks the city has faced the closure of non-essential businesses due to the red light. There are many very worried and very angry people. The business of party dresses and brides is one of those that has not been able to open. In the center of Mexico City, on República de Chile street, merchants took the mannequins with the dresses out onto the street to peacefully protest against the closure. They told us that there are around 15 thousand families that make a living from this and they have been with low sales for practically a year because the parties are prohibited. With the closure of their businesses, since December 18, they told us that they are in serious financial trouble. They are very dissatisfied with how permissible the authorities have been with informal commerce, they say that they are forcing them to informality and that is why they took their merchandise to the streets. I had to see that there were customers, several asked prices and several bought dresses. Parties are still not allowed in the city, but I suppose they wanted to support or thought they were at a good price.
Closed handicraft market, by Omar Contreras. 12th of January
Photo: Omar Contreras / EL UNIVERSAL
The El Parian handicraft market is very traditional in Puebla, if you want to buy talavera you have to go to that place, there are also many souvenirs, clothes, hats, that’s why there is a lot of tourism. Right now it is closed because we are on alert and non-essential businesses closed, including this market. But the need is great, so there are some stores that are encouraged to open so as not to continue losing more money and are alert to close if they see that there is an authority around. I went for a walk around the area and met the nuns, who must be part of a nearby church.
Pandemic saucepan, by Diego Simón Sánchez. January 11
Photo: Diego Simón Sánchez / EL UNIVERSAL
Last week, before the head of government announced that she would allow the operation of restaurants with open spaces, the restaurant sector began a campaign on networks to warn that they need economic recovery or thousands of jobs will be lost. Part of that campaign was to hold a cacerolazo in protest. The image shows employees of the Fisher’s restaurant in the Naples neighborhood, they did not open to the public because they were afraid that Invea would close them, but they did join the protest. There were people who showed their support, many others stayed to see their demonstration. A cook told me that although home sales have not been as expected, they have kept their job, although with a lower salary, but those who have had a worse time are the waiters because their highest income comes from tips. All of them need to serve customers in the restaurant and they say they understand that we are still in a difficult moment of the pandemic, but they will be very responsible with the protocols; Furthermore, they say that it is very unfair to them that with street commerce they do not apply the same demands that they place on them.
Vaccination begins in Iguala, by Salvador Cisneros. 12th of January
Photo: Salvador Cisneros / EL UNIVERSAL
Vaccination against Covid-19 began a few days ago in Iguala, Guerrero. The vast majority of those who were vaccinated wore their uniforms or gowns, but there were others, like the girl in the image, who wore their everyday clothes. We couldn’t get very close to the place, we were about 20 meters away, but we did realize that there was a lot of relaxation, that is, for them it was a historical moment, a moment of great hope, so every time someone was vaccinated They all came to take a picture, to record video, to celebrate. I thought things were more formal because the National Guard is there, but the atmosphere was actually festive. It was a bit difficult to take the image because they crossed each other every so often, in all the time I was there I could only get a couple of images.
Playing in the Chamizal, by Christian Torres. 12th of January
Photo: Christian Torres / EL UNIVERSAL
The temperatures have dropped a lot in recent days, we have had a wind chill of down to minus 3 degrees. We are used to extreme climates. In El Chamizal park, located very close to the international free bridge to El Paso, it is a tradition to see frozen trees on these dates. By irrigation they leave the hoses open and the water freezes. Not only the trees and the gardens wake up with ice, also the Monument to the Indomitable. It is a park with many people, very traditional for the people of Juarez, even when it has snowed people go there to play and take pictures. Here we are about to go to the yellow traffic light, so at the moment there are fewer people than in other years, but it is expected that in the coming days there will be more mobility.
Agglomerations in the Metro, by Carlos Mejía. January 13th
Photo: Carlos Mejía / EL UNIVERSAL
A video about the crowds in the Metro circulated online. I went to register at the Tacubaya station because it is the connection between lines 9 and 7. The tumult, it seems to me, is not only due to lines 1, 2 and 3 being closed, but also because they are repairing a staircase electrical. People have the option of climbing the fixed ladder, but they prefer to line up to go up the electric one. In addition, the same authorities have these blocks to guide people to go in the same direction. What I have seen is that in an agglomeration like this, the vast majority of people wear face masks, but I also realized that there are people who wear it badly and they adjust it until they realize that they will be queuing with many people. We have not understood that it should be used well all the time.
Covid patient seeks hospital care, by Carlos Mejía. January 13th
Photo: Germán Espinosa / EL UNIVERSAL
When the pandemic started, it was very surprising to see the ambulances arriving with the patients in the capsules and the paramedics in white suits. While these scenes are still everyday, what we have now seen is that Covid-19 patients arrive at hospitals on their own feet, get out of private cars, or taxis. The man you see in the picture was going bad, we couldn’t talk with his family because they were in a hurry to be treated. What we did get to know is that even though he had an oxygen tank, he had been with low saturation for several days and that is why they decided to admit him. However, that hospital known as Los Venados, was already saturated. We do not know if he could be treated or not. What is noticeable now is that months ago the people who came to the hospital were very serious, now there are many more who arrive by their own means. That place is very crowded, there are parks, a supermarket, the Benito Juárez mayor’s office, food stalls. I think that in this area it is already common to see families waiting for news, patients walking. It is still very difficult for me to come across these scenes.
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