Mexico now has a total of 117,103 cases and 16,699 deaths as of Sunday night. This is according to the real-time data tracker from Johns Hopkins University.
In the previous week, the country recorded more than 1,000 deaths in one day. The country also had the highest number of reported cases for three consecutive days in the same period.
On Sunday, the World Health Organization expressed alarm about the persistent rise in cases and deaths in Latin America. The concern is particularly heightened after local governments expressed plans of reopening the economy. This was because even with the region's skyrocketing COVID-19 infections, the public markets remain operational even amid lockdowns.
One such market is Central de Abasto in Mexico. The location is one of the world's biggest fruit and vegetable markets. On any given day before the pandemic, there were about 25 million people flocking in Central de Abasto. Amid the pandemic, the market could only cut down a portion of its operation, still keeping 85% of its normal capacity. With such a massive crowd, Mexico City mayor Claudia Sheinbaum said it is impossible to close the market.
Central de Abasto is about as big as 327 football pitches. The market has an average of $9 billion trades annually. The location is not just a hub for people buying produce. It is also home to about 100,000 workers and traders.
Indeed, Iztapalapa, the neighborhood where Central de Abasto is located, has one of the highest COVID-19 cases in Mexico as of Mid-May. Around this time, there were two people who died due to the virus and 25 infected patients. That figure is about a fifth of the overall infections and deaths in Mexico.
Public markets have been an integral part and a distinct mark of Latin American culture and economies. This rich culture, however, has become the breeding ground of coronavirus for the region.
Latin America has about 1.2 million COVID-19 cases and more than 60,000 deaths. Mexico and Brazil are epicenters due in part to respective presidents reluctant to address the pandemic. Both leaders are dismissive of coronavirus, even if the virus has already infected more than 6 million worldwide.
In Sao Paolo, one of the largest markets on the continent already reported 30 deaths due to COVID-19. Still, however, officials were adamant that it was low if taken account that about 40,000 people come in the market daily. Interestingly, shoppers and workers go about their day without wearing masks.
In Peru, local officials won't shutdown public markets. They argue that doing so could result to food shortage. Instead, soldiers and police officers roam the market to take the crowd's temperature.
Corabastos, Colombia's largest wholesale market remains operational at 35% of capacity.
