Panic! At the Distrito

In about two days, Mexico City and the State of Mexico have gone into a mild state of panic -- a flu virus derived from genetic makeup of pigs, birds and humans has caused at least two dozen deaths and sickened at least a thousand people in the country, and all classes – from pre-school to university – were canceled in MexC and the State of Mexico today.

Last night, Mexico’s Secretary of Health José Ángel Córdova Villalobos interrupted national TV channels and warned people to take common-sense precautions against the virus – wash your hands frequently, sneeze in a tissue or on your arm, go to the doctor if you feel sick and avoid crowded places – which is just about impossible in this city. Since then, the media has been warning us nonstop to take preventive measures.

Many offices have put out more alcohol-soap dispensers and handed out thin, paper-cotton face masks (or cobrebocas) to employees, including mine. In the morning, only a few were wearing the blue doctor’s masks, but by the afternoon the office looked more like a hospital than a law firm.

I noticed it, too, on the bus. I saw only one or two people with masks when I was coming to work this morning, but when I went home for lunch, I saw dozens. I went to the market to get some stuff, and almost all of the vendors were wearing them. Coming back from lunch, just two hours later and again on the bus, I saw even more with them – clusters of oficinistas going back to work, their blue or pink or white or turquoise facemasks hanging on their necks. It's quite impressive to see how fast people can mobilize and all do the same thing -- too bad this weren't the case for other worthy causes.

I’m not sure if this virus, which first broke out in California and Texas, is going to be severe. I'm not clear whether there is a vaccine, but the strain is so new that I doubt it.

By the way, I'm wearing one of these masks. I realize how bad my breath is. I'm going to rinse my mouth out.