Cancun, Quintana Roo. March 31st, 2020.
Dear friends,
We are at a critical moment as a society, a time in which Mexico is going through a delicate situation spurred by a global epidemic.
For that reason, the State of Quintana Roo has maintained search protocols for each of the possible positive cases of COVID-19 to ascertain individuals’ location and their contact with others. With this in mind, I have decided to increase the current measures of social distancing.
1. It is essential to increase these measures in order to slow down the speed of infection. Let me be clear, safe distance is no longer enough, we must stay at home. Stay home and don’t go out!
I have asked the Ministry of Public Safety and the National Guard to support us in asking people to stay home.
2. We have to be even more vigilant about who enters and who leaves our state, increase health screenings and mandatory self-declaration at bus stations and airports. We are also installing health controls at the seven highway entrances to the state, from Yucatan and Campeche.
3. We will also monitor internal mobility. In coordination with the municipal authorities we are placing filters all along the highway between Chetumal and Cancun, taking care of the entrances and exits to the cities. The intention is to detect people with symptoms of the illness and to diminish its spread.
I ask for your understanding for the inconvenience that this may create, and ask for your continued support in following public health advisories. Anyone who does not obey will be liable to the sanctions established by our laws.
4. We will increase official communications to the general public imploring everyone to stay at home. We must not pay attention to false and alarmist news that only seek to confuse and divide us. Through 911 and all state and municipal communication channels you will be able to express your doubts and needs.
5. All State Government personnel are working from home and remain vigilant where it is needed, adhering to the preventive measures of hygiene and distance. The Health, Civil Protection, Water Department, Public Security and Justice, Commercial Regulation and Transportation personnel continue to work on the front lines of this epidemic, and as such we are taking care of them with adequate protection equipment.
6. We have agreed with supermarkets, convenience stores, pharmacies, water bottlers, tortilla shops, gas stations and gas companies to keep the supply at appropriate times for the welfare of the population. We will make sure that public services work properly.
I want to insist that safe distance is no longer enough. Stay home! Let’s take care of our parents, grandparents, our families, let’s all take care of ourselves. To you, people of Quintana Roo, I ask you to stay home, that’s your task.
In order to save lives, we are increasing the number of trained personnel, hospitals, health centers, beds, ventilators and monitors in the State in accordance with the World Health Organization model.
In coordination with the Mexican Army and INSABI we are also activating the oncology hospital in Chetumal and the new health center in Tulum to increase capacity for patients.
On another front, in order to protect families’ income, we have brought together more than 1,000 companies in a solidarity pact for Quintana Roo. We have found ways to sustain our residents’ jobs by offering fiscal incentives to business owners.
I thank all members of the business community who have heeded our call to give back to the families of Quintana Roo. However, not all business owners have joined this effort; there are those who have dismissed their workers. With the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare of the State, we have initiated a plan to defend the rights of the workers with immediate, special and direct attention, which will force the employers to comply with their obligations. To those citizens who have lost their jobs during this time please know you are not alone, we will apply the law on your behalf and we will support you.
We continue to insist to the Federal Electricity Commission to defer collection of charges from those who cannot pay, and we will monitor their actions to ensure they do not cut off service. We are working with the IMSS, INFONAVIT and FONACOT to defer payments and avoid sanctions. Internet, cell phone and pay TV providers have responded to our request to be flexible during this contingency and avoid service disruption or punitive measures – to them I say thank you.
Without a doubt, two elements that are fundamental for families’ peace of mind are food and security.
For the first one, in coordination with the Municipal Presidents we will deliver food door to door to those who need it the most, with special attention given to those who have lost their jobs or have seen their income decrease. We are talking about more than 400,000 households across the state. They are a part of the great Quintana Roo family who need our help.
This week we will present the program and explain how it will operate. Let there be no doubt: we are with all of you and my priority is that you and your family have food to eat.
In terms of security, we are working on cybernetic surveillance to detect and prevent looting and vandalism, fraud or extortion. Thanks to more than 2000 cameras throughout the state, we are able to detect, prevent or react to any crime. We carry out continuous patrols with police troops in all cities through maximum presence operatives and supervising safe trade operations.
I have always been aware of your concerns and the requests raised by the people of Quintana Roo. The most important thing for me is to listen to you and to be close to you, because I know that he who listens is not mistaken. You have expressed to me the importance of quick, decisive against the epidemic, by working with experts and without any political bias.
We are living very difficult times today. It is only through our teamwork that Quintana Roo will remain the place we are all proud of, the place we choose to live in. We cannot fail, the younger generations are watching us and trust us. There is no room for doubt or hesitation. No one should be excluded and no one can be left behind.
The time for action is here and now.
Together we will succeed.
