BY DAVID FLORES

Baja Towns Closing Their Borders

To prevent Coronavirus contamination, a few towns in Southern Baja are closing their access roads, forcing people to take alternate paths or to go back to where they came from. Todos Santos and Pescadero on the Pacific side and Santiago on the road to the East Cape have closed access, with concerned citizens watching all day and night. Those driving from Cabo to La Paz are told to take the toll road and avoid Todos Santos. In the northern part of the state, the city of Comondu has also closed access to the town. Only semi-truck drivers are allowed to pass without stopping, and trucks delivering food, if the drivers comply with security protocols. The Comondu mayor told us that if some residents went on vacation, they will not be allowed to return home until the pandemic is over. He hopes they enjoyed their vacation, ha! All in all, more than 200 municipalities throughout the country shut their access roads.

San Jose International Airport Partially Closed

Well, Terminal 2, the one for international flights. Terminal 1, where all domestic (Mexican) flights land and take off from will be used for both international and domestic flights. Which are very few at this time. We think Terminal 2 could have been the one that’s open so Mexicans had a chance to see it. It’s much nicer than Terminal 1, with more services and food and booze booths. But hey, we understand, it’s too big for a few passengers. Airport officials expect to keep operating with just one terminal until July 1.

Are Cabo Out-of-work People Getting Any Help?

During this contingency, you bet they are. The city is delivering boxes of basic non-perishable food (cooking oil, rice, beans, bread, pasta, etc.) with the Legend Quedate en Casa (stay home). So far, they have reached out to 4,000 families in San Jose, Cabo San Lucas, Miraflores, Santiago and La Ribera. The organized business owners under the Los Cabos Coordinating Council (CCC) along with the Los Cabos Children Foundation are allocating some $20 million USD to do the same for their currently unemployed workers and low-income families. The goal is to reach out to some 40,000 families this same month. Read an extensive article featured on our front page.

Alcohol Sales Not Banned

In a surprising move, Los Cabos Mayor Armida Castro backed off from her Friday decision to ban sales of alcohol in our municipality. It is again legal to sell it at stores and supermarkets. Wholesale alcohol sellers – those that supply hotels and restaurants cannot sell it though. Since most bars are closed and restaurants are selling To-Go packages or home delivery, we should be fine. Alcohol has not been banned in La Paz municipality – which includes the East Cape – so let’s continue with our new Daylight / COVID-19 / Savings time, A.M: Coffee. P.M.: Wine.

Mass contagium at Cabo hospital.

Two weeks ago, Los Cabos health officials confirmed that 42 employees at the government-run Social Security (IMSS) hospital on the road to Todos Santos across from the Chedraui supermarket were infected with COVID-19.

The zero patient was an administration worker who acquired it elsewhere. All 42 were put in home-isolation and the hospital got a large-scale sanitizing operation. Doctors, nurses and admin workers were replaced and strict hygiene was enforced, as the hospital was chosen as the only one to care for COVID-19 patients in Los Cabos.

Social Security Offers a Break to Employers.

In order to support Mexican employers in this health crisis, the Social Security (IMSS) institute has stated employers will be able to defer payments on their quotas and those of their employees for over 24 months.

There will be interest to pay, which goes from 1.226 to 1.82 percent, depending on the agreement agreed upon. Employers should cover 100 percent of the employees’ quotas and only 20 percent of the business quota and defer payments. The agreement must be in writing and approved by the local IMSS administrative offices. If you are an employer in Mexico, ask your accountant to do this for you.

Fishing Tournament Postponed

That would be the Robert Ross Fishing Tournament, which was scheduled to take place in May this year at the Puerto Escondido marina in Loreto.

Due to the postponement of the tournament, registration without payment is available. In-person registration is available in the marina office as well as at the Pisces Yacht office in Cabo San Lucas. For more information on registration at Pisces Yachts, contact Tracy at 1-877-286-7938 or 624-143-1288. For more information on the marina and the tourney, please go to www.robertrossfishingtournament.com