Daily free Corona Mini Art paintings for someone somewhere on this planet!
Day 1-8 For more: https://www.facebook.com/pg/carin.steen.artis
|
There
is something magical about those nights before the main processions.
Streets are closed off and whole families stay up all night to make
the famous and fabulous sawdust carpets. Others sell coffee,
sandwiches or any other kind of food imaginable. Or rent out their
bathrooms in that wonderful entrepreneurial spirit of Guatemalans
making a buck out of any event.
Thousands
of people, very young, adolescents, middle-aged and the elderly, fill
the streets that are more crowded than any time during the day. The atmosphere
is magical. The surrealness of the early hour combined with the smell
of incense and delicious food, the colourful carpets no one would
ever dare to step on and the anticipation the procession to come...
It is truly special and for many people here a deeply spiritual
event.
But
that was before Corona.
This
year Easter was cancelled, something no one could ever have foreseen.
Not only did Antigua miss out on the revenue about a million visitors
would have brought in, the fact that the town's main religious event
had to be celebrated in solitude has been a big blow to many.
A FREE colouring page for you to download or share! If you'd like one in a higher resolution, please email me at carinsteen at yahoo.com. |
On
the bright side, Guatemala as a nation has reacted incredibly well in
this crisis. The brand new president Alejandro Giammattei has stepped
up as a real leader, making unpopular but brave decisions. Even
before the first case was detected (March 14), all flights from
Europe were stopped short. On Monday the 16th,
the last flights from North America were allowed in and the country
went under lock-down. Social distancing was highly recommended,
schools were closed and public transportation suspended. On March
22nd,
a 4pm - 4am curfew was added, prohibiting anyone without a valid
reason out on the streets. The police is actively patrolling the
streets and being caught will land your butt in jail with a hefty
fine to pay. All stores that remain open have modified their business
hours and the bigger stores have carried out a number of measures to
protect the customers and employees, such as an obligation to wear a
face mask, keeping distance in line, limiting the number of customers
and having disinfectant gel available at the entrance and other
strategic places. La Bodegona, the one and only famous supermarket in
town, has even placed a bin outside with basic necessities from which
those in need can take and to which those who can, can donate.
Wearing
a face mask is obligatory as of today. A lot has been said about the
usefulness of wearing a mask, but I guess if everyone does, it
probably helps. And it doesn't hurt, if used properly. Most people
were wearing masks anyway, but now you can and will be fined if you
don't. I just went out to run an errand and was struck by how much
the scene has changes in such a short time. The traffic is as light
as it was when I lived here about 25 years ago. Parking is no longer
a problem, neither is crossing the street. The lines in front of the
banks are still there and actually longer than ever because of the
distance between people. And yes, except for one, everybody was
wearing a mask. And no, there is no shortage of masks. Within days
after the lock-down, street vendors were selling homemade masks on
every corner. Now you can get them in about every store, of any
design possible. As well as disinfecting gel or anything else for that
matter, even toilet paper! The only thing not available for a week
was alcohol, during the whole Easter holiday, normally the
time of the year to go to the beach or river and have a drink (that
is, those who don't spend Easter in Antigua). But this year the
beaches were closed and the sale of alcohol strictly forbidden.
So
now the numbers. As of yesterday April 12th,
there were 131 active cases, 19 recovered and 5 deceased, making the
total of 156. And that is, compared to other countries, not bad at
all. Of course it is impossible to say if this is the result of
measures taken, which are stricter and taken sooner than those in
many European countries. Or whether the number will stay this low.
Because one thing is very clear here in Guatemala: social distancing
and quarantining is a privilege. Social distancing is not possible when you live in a shack with an entire family. Many people here live from day to
day and will starve to death before dying of Covid 19. And not
everybody sticks to the rules. Many markets in small towns have been
operating as usual -up until now- and there are always those
individuals who challenge authorities. Families with a Covid infected
members have received death threats. In El Peten, a couple that owned
a store was shot dead because they refused to sell alcohol. And about
500 families thought the rules didn't apply to them when they decided
to spend a week at the beach anyway (they were sent back). As in any
country, there has been opposition against the measures taken, but
all in all, the overwhelming majority of the people is acting in a
very responsible and solidarity way.
But.
Guatemala is a developing country. Two emergency hospitals have been
built, but as I understand, there are only about a hundred
ventilators in the whole country. Poverty here is tremendous under
normal circumstance. Now, with so many people laid off... What if
food becomes scarce and prices surge? And how to wash your hands if
there is no water? How to keep your distance when you live in a slum?
What about the planes full of deported Guatemalans that the USA keeps
sending, some of the deported confirmed Covid cases? What about
people illegally crossing the border with Mexico, where the virus
hasn't been taken as seriously by the president as it has in
Guatemala? What if...???
So
many ifs, but I guess only time will tell. I do hope we can keep up
those numbers low here in Guatemala. I also think that this country
might come out of this crisis stronger and better than some other
“developed” countries Well, let's see. As for now, I'm stuck here
in Guatemala, and quite happy about it. And funnily, what I miss
most, now that everyone is wearing a mask, is seeing people's smiles.
Stay safe, stay home.
Daily free Corona Mini Art paintings for someone somewhere on this planet!
Day 1-8 For more: https://www.facebook.com/pg/carin.steen.artist
|