Oaxaca is the most ethnically diverse state in the country with 15 different indigenous groups. It is also one of the poorest, together with Chiapas and Guerrero according to per capita income and economic development standards.
Some friends in Oaxaca have asked me, ¨So, do you think the whole influenza deal was real? ¨ A family friend who is a local teacher felt that warnings to avoid crowds were a government backed attempt to prevent teachers from carrying out a planned protest on May 1st, labor day. The distrust of many residents in the government is not completely unfounded and is partly related to political battles and social inequalities in the state. Additionally, in Mexico in general, many perceive political figures as corrupt. Just last week, federal authorities arrested 28 officials, including a judge, in the state of Michoacán for alleged connections to drug trafficking. Some politicians abuse their positions of power through exorbitant salaries.
In Oaxaca, the minimum wage is $119.9 USD ($1,558.5 pesos) per month. However, Oaxaca´s governor disclosed that he has an income of $8,119 USD ($105, 550 pesos) per month, excluding compensations and privileges, which remain unknown. Simultaneously, the governor of Aguascalientes makes a total of $19,607 USD ($254, 888 pesos) every month. I double checked these figures to make sure they were right. It's fairly shocking that a governor's salary can be more than 100 times larger than the minimum wage. Unfortunately, most people here in Oaxaca do not seem surprised. Additionally, more than 50% of the country’s governors refuse to disclose their salary:
http://cmenlinea.com/?c=142&a=61969
In Oaxaca, simmering discontent among a large part of the population erupted into violence following the unsuccessful attempt of governor Ulises Ruiz to remove with police force a group of teachers protesting in the main plaza in June of 2006:
http://codepappo.wordpress.com/2006/06/14/entrada-de-la-policia-y-represion-de-maestros-en-el-zocalo/
This event triggered the creation of APPO (Popular Association of Oaxaca's People) a large group formed mainly by teachers, students, and social activists.
In the following months, APPO members took over the local university’s campuses and government buildings, and TV and radio stations. The federal police intervened in November of 2006:
http://codepappo.wordpress.com/2006/11/01/la-incursion-de-pfp-en-oaxaca/
Confrontations up to this time resulted in about a dozen deaths. I was in Oaxaca at this time and was unable to leave my house for a few days, mostly because of lack of public transportation (I lived ½ hr away from the city).
Although with less momentum, APPO members continue to lead marches and strikes in Oaxaca City. Last week, they blocked all traffic at the main entrances to the city from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Opposition to governor Ulises Ruiz, who remains in office until next year, affects many residents’ trust in the legitimacy of information presented by the government.
Politics at the federal level also are connected to how Oaxacans view the H1N1 virus warnings.
Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, a member of the PRD (Democratic Revolutionary Party) initially stated that concern over the H1N1 virus was blown out of proportion and has criticized harshly the government's approach stating that the nation's priorities should be instead to diminish health inequities and incompetent governance.
President Calderon won Mexico’s last elections against Mr. Lopez by the tiny margin of a 0.58 percent difference in votes. Mr. Lopez called the elections fraudulent and claims to be Mexico's legitimate president. Calderon, who belongs to the conservative PAN (National Action Party), is well endorsed among wealthy Mexicans while Lopez's supporters concentrate in the middle- and low-income populations.
With congressional elections scheduled for July, the H1N1 influenza issue has become a political tool.
Besides mistrust, residents had other responses to government issued measures.
Initially, TV ran almost daily discussions on the virus and new measures to contain it. In order to discourage transmission of the H1N1 virus, the government stopped restaurant services in Mexico City, except for take-out meals, closed archeological sites to the public and suspended classes in schools at all levels in the whole country on April 27. Many museums in Oaxaca remain closed as of last week while schools and restaurants have reopened.
President Calderon urged residents to avoid public events such as churches and movie theaters and stated 'your house is the safest place'. However, giving government workers the first week in May off with other sectors following suit had unintended consequences since some residents in Mexico and in Oaxaca saw the cancellation of school and work as an opportunity to take a vacation to 'get away from the city crowds'. In the following days, media reports showed images of beaches in Huatulco, one of the most popular vacation spots in Mexico, in the state of Oaxaca, crowded with mask-wearing tourists.
In other places, face mask use varied widely. Some people seemed overcautious. According to a resident in Oaxaca, some neighbors wore face masks inside their homes. By comparison, two weeks ago, walking at the airport in Mexico City, it seemed to me that although about half of the staff carried masks, many of them carried them around their necks or placed them on their chins rather than wearing them properly for protection.
After the initial high sense of emergency passed, officials stated that precautions should continue and warned residents to keep a minimum six feet distance from each other in restaurants and movie theaters. However, they did not discuss the enforcement feasibility or the effectiveness of these measures.
Also, when face masks became scarce in stores, the television ran government supported ads demonstrating how to make your own mask although the messages were inconsistent in the type of material recommended. No one verified the effectiveness of these home made masks, but around Oaxaca, small family owned stores continued to make and sell them until two weeks ago.
While the emergency level concern over the H1N1 virus is past news, a major worry now is its effects on the economy.
Tourism, one of Oaxaca's major industries, was greatly diminished during the influenza virus ordeal.
Last May 15, the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) lifted it's warning to avoid 'unessential travel' to Mexico, but it will take time before tourism goes back to its normal levels.
Slowly, Oaxaca’s downtown is going back to its usual pre-H1N1 evenings with crowded restaurants and street vendors offering flowers, toys, and food to strolling tourists and locals. Two weeks ago however, the usual crowd chattering was gone. A mariachi and a marimba, played for the two or three tables occupied per restaurant. Outside of the main plaza, restaurants were completely empty.
Surprisingly, some places, like the Central de Abastos, Oaxaca's largest market, seemed unaffected by the news that caused many countries to cancel air travel with Mexico. Two weeks ago, changes in hygiene and the usual operations were conspicuously absent. Not only were face masks nonexistent, but child labor continued to be common and person size piles of plastics and organic waste lined the market.
At this market, the need to make a living seemed to override concern over airborne precautions. Even during the heat of alarm regarding the H1N1 virus, few patrons, and no vendors wore masks. When a TV reporter asked a woman selling vegetables “why are you not wearing a mask?” she answered 'we don't have any, and eventually we will have to die of something.'
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