Swine flu and social distancing measuress
The close-down of Mexico
Mexico enforced a number of measures to prevent the spread of disease within its borders. Schools, bars, gyms, sports arenas and government offices were closed in order to keep the spread of swine flu in check. Public gatherings were restricted and many archeological sites was placed off-limits.
Further measures were ordered by Mexico cities' mayor. During the early period of swine flu's spread he ordered the closure of all 35,000 restaurants that populated the city.
But are all these social distancing measures really necessary?
To some it felt like the authorities were closing the stable door after the horse had bolted. The disease was out there and it was spreading… fast. And in Mexico swine flu seemed to have passed its worst point during the first week of May when the country was put in lock down.
But the economic loss for Mexico will be enormous
Due to the global crisis, Mexico’s economy was due to shrink by 4.5 per cent in the year of 2009. However, economists say that half a per cent needed to be added to that figure due to the adverse effects of swine flu.
Mexico’s lifeline, its $20 billion dollar a year tourist industry was decimated by the onset of swine flu.
Mexico’s city’s chamber of commerce says local business income was down $60 million a day for the first few weeks of the swine flu epidemic.
In the crisis the poor are the worst hit
The closure of schools put pressure on wage-earners with children who were unable to go to work. The closing of schools wasn't going to make much difference to those living in poorer neighborhoods. Their general living conditions, unsanitised surroundings and limited access to decent medical facilities often ensured that they endured the full brunt of the disease.
Do social distancing measures work?
The measures taken by the Mexican authorities to stop the spread of swine flu brought the country to a stand still. It also damaged the Mexican economy. But was it really necessary and did it work?
Social distancing measures only really works when applied very early during the spread of a disease. After a certain period mild quarantine measures don’t really work.
Also flu viruses are notoriously difficult to contain. By the time the Mexican authorities took control it had already spread to all corners of the country any quarantine measures would have been futile. The disease had even gone over the border to the United States indicating that swine flu was quite ubiquitous in Mexico.
The hit to the tourist industry was unavoidable but the damage to small local businesses could have been avoided if the authorities had not taken the drastic measure of closing down large sections of the country.
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