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Showing posts with label Juan Gonzalez. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Juan Gonzalez. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 28, 2020

Some Disturbing Developments With COVID-19 Crisis In Baja California And One Of Them Has "TRUMP" Written All Over It

Sorry I'm late, just backlogged with projects & cooking around here. Plus, my wash machine broke.  Unsure right now if we will chance a repairman - since we don't know whether or not he'll be wearing a mask, or to just buy a new one. I loved this last washer, it was a Whirlpool made down here but we think the irregularity of the electricity (not our wiring but the outside lines) took a toll on it.  I'll let you know how it goes.

Yesterday early afternoon we received the latest COVID-19 numbers which break down the Municipalities:

 ~ From Zeta:

Clase Trabajadora La mas Contagiado en BC, Ya Van Mil 345 Infectados
Por, Uriel Saucedo

"On the first day of the stage that is forecast to be the most critical for Baja California in COVID-19 infections, 37 new positive patients were registered, totaling 1,345 confirmed cases, of which, the working class between 25 and 54 years old , concentrates 71 percent of infected patients, reported the head of the State Health Secretariat (SSE) in Baja California, Alonso Pérez Rico.


“In relation to confirmed cases by age group, they are still the youngest groups, the working population is the most punished group. From 40 to 44 years old, we have 181 confirmed cases, of which 27 are hospitalized; the next item that follows are people from 35 to 39 years old with 177 cases, and it is the first time that this age group has increased in number of cases, ”Pérez Rico said during the videoconference.


Of those confirmed, 737 cases accumulate in Tijuana, in Mexicali 508, Ensenada has 30, Tecate 51, Rosarito 15 and San Quintín continues with four. In deaths, Tijuana continues to lead with 123, followed by Mexicali with 40; Ensenada and Tecate have five each municipality. Playas de Rosarito remains in three and San Quintín with one.


To date, 3,223 tests have been performed throughout the state, of which 1,345 have tested positive, 1,387 have been ruled out as negative, and 491 are pending results. 


The head of the SSE reported that the case of suspects on April 10 when nearly 170 people with symptoms of COVID were added has not been repeated, since an average of 100 people suspected of contagion are treated daily.


Regarding the 491 cases studied in the state that remain as suspects, the SSE has 88 patients, the IMSS has 389, the ISSSTE maintains two, the ISSSTECALI increased to three, and the private hospitals have nine pending.


Deaths continue in people over 65 years with 51 people dead, followed by people from 45 to 49 years with 26 victims. 61 percent of deaths have been in men and 39 percent in women. On average, there are 3.5 deaths every day from COVID-19.

During the video conference, Pérez Rico discussed the cases of 153 recovered patients, 83 men and 70 women. He explained that of the total, 86 correspond to Tijuana, 58 to Mexicali, 8 to Tecate and one in Ensenada.


SSE occupancy in converted hospitals is 67 percent with 104 beds and 45 ventilators available; the IMSS for its part, is at 72.3 percent of its capacity with 168 beds and 22 free fans for use throughout the state. 

 Regarding supporting institutions, ISSSTE is at 56.2 percent of its capacity with 60 available beds and ISSSTECALI at 74.6 percent of occupancy with 41 beds.


Likewise, he mentioned that the Tijuana General Hospital received four fans who are already assembling for the disposal of patients who require it.


In all of Mexico 67 thousand 635 people are studied, being 14 thousand 677 cases confirmed by COVID-19, of which four thousand 972 are confirmed active; 7 thousand 612 suspects and 45 thousand 346 tests that have given negative. Deaths already number 1,351.


COVID IN FIGURES (APRIL 27)
CASES1345
Tijuana737
Mexicali508
Cove (Ensenada)30
Tecate51
Rosaritofifteen
San Quintín / Vicente Guerrero4

DEATHS177
Tijuana123
Mexicali40
Cove (Ensenada)5
Tecate5
Rosarito3
San Quintín / Vicente Guerreroone "



~~~~~ 

Some Not So Good News:

 ~ From Zeta:

El 54 Por Ciento de Los Bajacalifornianos No Acata el "Quedate en Casa" 
 Por, Carlos Alvarez 

54 percent of Baja Californians do not abide by the "Stay at Home"


 "Ricardo Cortés Alcalá, head of the General Directorate of Health Promotion of the Federal Government, announced this Sunday, April 26, that Zacatecas and Hidalgo, with 29 and 16 percent, respectively, are the entities where it has decreased the least mobility during the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-1) coronavirus, which fell 46 percent in Baja California. 


On the contrary, Yucatan is the state with the highest decrease in mobility, with 66 percent, followed by Quintana Roo (-64%), Jalisco (-62%), Nayarit (-61%) and Sonora (- 58%), according to geolocation data collected by the National Council for Science and Technology (CONACYT), from Google, Facebook and Twitter platforms.


The authorities of the Ministry of Health (SSa) of the Federal Government made a call to the population of the states that have not been able to reduce their mobility by at least 50 percent, to accept the call to stay at home in order to reduce the number of covid-19 cases.


Among these are: Chihuahua (-48%), Sonora (-48%), Tamaulipas (-48%), Veracruz (-48%), Baja California (-46%), Guerrero (-46%), Querétaro ( 46%); State of Mexico (-45%), Morelos (-42%), Tlaxcala (-38%), Durango (-35%), Tabasco (-35%), Hidalgo (-29%) and Zacatecas (-16%) .


For his part, Hugo López-Gatell Ramírez, undersecretary of Prevention and Promotion of Federal Health, urged not to use the call to limit mobility, as a justification for violating human rights, since “In Mexico half of the population lives day by day and this represents a legitimate motivation to attend (or participate in) the public space, "he said.


"The [strategy of] intervention [in Mexico] is aimed at the structural elements that make people move: work, go to school or take children to school, and recreational activities," said the federal official during the daily follow-up conference regarding the coronavirus pandemic in Mexico."


~~~~~

 ~ From Zeta:

Que paso AMLO ?

AMLO Asegura:" Se ha Podido Domar la Epidemia (COVID)"; Datos Oficiales Dicen La Contrario
Por, Eduardo Andrade Uribe



"Hours after the President of the Republic Andrés Manuel López Obrador declared yesterday that in Mexico "the epidemic has been tamed" by COVID-19, the General Director of Epidemiology, José Luis Alomía, maintained at a press conference that the suspected cases and confirmed by contagion of the respiratory disease still show "an upward trend".


The president had said that, unlike other places where "unfortunately" the disease has exploded, in this country its incidence "has been horizontal and this has allowed us to prepare very well, to have everything that is required of medical equipment " He even assured that there is "availability of up to 70% of intensive care beds, with ventilators."


As part of his "Sunday message", issued from the National Palace, AMLO thanked the population "because the measures are being followed to the letter and this has helped us a lot", because according to what he said "we do not have an overflow, we are not saturating hospitals ”.


At the press conference that the Ministry of Health offered yesterday, Sunday, April 26, Alomía Zegarra added that in a period of 24 hours, 835 new infection tables had been presented. He acknowledged that in the last three days there had been a "downward trend", in any case, it must be remembered that this was data corresponding to the weekend, which could affect "the level of demand for medical care."


He stressed that "we are still in days and weeks where we expect the curve (epidemic) to continue upward," which contradicted the president.


In terms of hospital occupancy, on Friday the 24th it emerged that in Mexico City the Hospital Espanol and 6 health sector centers were saturated. In the case of the private clinical unit, a sign was in fact placed in its facilities indicating that the capacity at that location, to serve patients with COVID-19, had been exceeded.


Precisely, the Hospital Espanol maintains information on its website that "for the moment" does not have available beds to serve patients with COVID-19. " 


Besides, doctors from the Regional General Hospital ,Dr. Carlso Mac Gregor Sánchez Navarro (IMSS) went into unemployment this Monday due to lack of personnel, equipment and supplies to avoid protection to attend to coronavirus cases, which calls into question another AMLO statement issued yesterday and relative the country is properly prepared with specialists to care for people with this condition.


As stated by Alomía Zegarra, regarding general hospital beds, "not intensive care", there is still 80% availability. The general director of Epidemiology expressed that this percentage is nationwide; hence, he specified that Baja California and Mexico City "are practically approaching or are already in the middle of their occupation", with 53 and 51 percent of units available respectively.


Regarding beds with ventilators, he stated that in this state and in CDMX there is an availability of 69 and 72 percent, ranking as the entities with the highest occupancy.


However, the Secretary of Health in Baja California, Alonso Pérez Rico, reported on Monday that in the hospitals of the State Health Secretariat that operate in the “reconverted” modality, the occupation is 67%, with 104 beds and 45 ventilators available; while those of the Mexican Social Security Institute are 72.3% occupied and have "168 beds and 22 free ventilators" at the state level. In the case of support institutions, the Institute of Security and Social Services of State Workers (ISSSTE) is at 56.2% of its capacity, with 60 available beds and the ISSSTECALI, at 74.6 with 41 beds.


Thus, as for the average that the federal government handled in the case of BC, the numbers issued locally are reversed, with the global percentage (for all the institutions involved in this entity) being 67.525 per cent of occupation.


Pérez Rico, stated that "Our whole country is being painted in a more intense color, which is as the cases increase." Since yesterday, he warned that as of today BC would enter a "critical stage" due to the risk of contagion, a comment that this April 27 endorsed: "two very difficult weeks are coming for Baja California."


According to the latest official reports, in Mexico there are 4,972 cases of contagion in the "active" modality and in total 14,677 infectious cases have been reported. Meanwhile, Baja California has 1,345 accumulated cases, with 37 registered in the last 24 hours, making it the third place for infections nationwide.


Finally, in what corresponds to deaths from coronavirus, the figure in this entity is 177, which places it in second place, below Mexico City."

~~~~~ 

This one will make you sick, it did me:


~ From Zeta:

Bonilla Reculo: Reabre Empresas No Escenciales 

 

"Safran negotiated reopening with the Governor and, under pressure from the United States government, restarted operations. Work stoppages and complaints of the operation of companies continue; achieve suspension of activities in Parker, Hyundai and Hisense"

["...the business leader explained that both the Baja California and the Mexican governments are receiving pressure from the United States consular body and from President Donald Trump himself to
re start certain operations that are essential to the American Union."]

 *****

"Nine days were enough for Governor Jaime Bonilla Valdez to change his strategy, and inexplicably stopped reporting how many companies are suspended for continuing to operate despite the fact that their activity is not essential in the face of the novel coronavirus pandemic.


Little remains of the belligerent attitude shown by the Governor on April 10, declaring that the Smiths Medical plant had been closed because it was not essential for Baja Californians despite the fact that it manufactures medical supplies.


Far away was the speech that because of his commitment to the people he would not give in to the "great pressure" he had when Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard called him to open that company, which finally agreed to sell part of its production and help the state government to acquire ventilators to restart its operation.

The change was not only reflected in the words of Bonilla Valdez, who in recent days has struggled to minimize the respiratory illness caused by SARS CoV2, but in the number of companies that suspended operations.

 
Official data indicates that from April 18 (the last day that the Secretary of Labor, Sergio Moctezuma Martínez López appeared in the president's morning message) to Tuesday the 21st, the operation of six companies in BC were suspended, when the daily average had been 54 companies. The highest number was achieved on April 12, with 261.

At press time, in the global cumulative, the Secretary of Labor and Social Welfare (STPS) suspended operations of 632 companies since April 7, bringing the total of 78,611 workers sent home.
The turnaround in Baja California occurs when the entire country is already in Phase 3 of the COVID-19 epidemic and the State ranks third in infections, with 852 confirmed cases, and second in deaths, with 96.


While the health authority at the federal level declares that in this Phase 3 the virus spreads rapidly, so there is an urgent need to suspend massive activities, including non-essential companies, in Baja California the governor is silent on the reopening of companies such as Safran , whose production is mainly focused on the aerospace sector, where a COVID-19 case had been confirmed at its Parque Pacífico plant in Tijuana.


On April 14, after a group of workers stopped activities, the head of the STPS went to the factory and, after referring to the agreement of the Federal Ministry of Health, asked managers to send staff to their homes along with enjoying their full salaries until April 30.


In its edition from April 17 to 23, ZETA reported that in said inspection, directors of that company had shown a letter from Foreign Minister Ebrard addressed to the president of Safran, according to Martínez López, who specified that the ventilators that the company would produce would not be produced in Baja California, where he is dedicated to the manufacture of aerospace equipment.


The closure determined by the state STPS was accepted by the company on April 14, however, on Monday, 20, workers reported that they had been contacted to restart operations the following day:


"Hello team, good morning. A few moments ago, Dave Harris and Greta Parra, through a conference, just informed us that we received authorization from the BC Government to restart operations tomorrow Tuesday 4/21/20 at our normal hours ”, with the exception of the staff considered as a vulnerable group and those people who would not be required, since the "start would be gradual".


Regarding this, Carlos Higuera, president of Tijuana's Economic and Industrial Development (Deitac), commented that Safran and Honeywell "sat down with the governor to talk and reach an agreement", since the former "has contracts with the United States Military, then, this is where the pressure comes from to open these operations. ”


The business leader explained that both the Baja California and the Mexican governments are receiving pressure from the United States consular body and from President Donald Trump himself to
restart certain operations that are essential to the American Union.


"We know that the pressure from the United States is far above a President of Mexico and much more than a governor, really the pressure exerted by companies of this type, especially those related to the US Military, are going to have all the media, of all kinds, politicians, diplomats, etc., to listen to and assert their rights, and this is no exception, "said Higuera.

MORE UNEMPLOYMENT AND WORKERS 'COMPLAINTS


With the revelation of more suspected or confirmed cases of coronavirus of workers in the manufacturing sector, the activity stoppages have even been extended to those plants with essential activity, such as Surgical Specialties , in the medical sector.

Others, such as Parker Baja Servicios, SA de CV (mechanical sector) faced two stoppages this week until the company gave in to the workers' demand to suspend operations. In this, a group of employees reported that in the two plants in Mesa de Otay in Tijuana, the healthy distance was not respected, there is also no antibacterial gel and they received a reusable fabric mouthpiece that must be washed daily.


On Tuesday, April 21, after lunchtime was up at the Hisense plant in Rosarito, a group of people refused to return to their respective production lines. Given this, the managers decided to suspend operations throughout the plant for two weeks, during which time the company will pay full wages.


According to testimonies collected by ZETA , the electronic sector company continued to operate despite the fact that its activities were not essential; however, all the employees interviewed agreed that they took their temperature at the beginning and at the end of their working day, they were provided with mouth covers and gloves, and they were placed taking care of the healthy distance.


The same day, Hyundai suspended the operation of all its plants in the State, after a group of workers stopped work at the plant located near La Presa, demanding that activities be suspended.
Jesús Javier Medina Duarte, general secretary of the Mexico Moderno Union, said the workers' demonstration accelerated a cessation of activities program that had been established between the union and the company, which had previously obtained a permit from the state government to continue working , documenting that he had an urgent order for refrigerated trailer boxes (for transporting medicine and food).


He said that on Monday it was learned that a worker at Hyundai plant 1 died as a result of COVID-19 and from there "we all panicked ". That would explain why the workers decided to stop work and not wait for their plant to suspend operations according to what was agreed, said the representative of the Revolutionary Confederation of Workers and Peasants.


Another complaint referred to ZETA that in the Alaris BD plant , the Human Resources area had not granted paid rest days to a person who had temperature, cough, muscle pain and headache.
In this regard, Juan Pablo Solís, general manager of the company, assured in an interview with this Weekly that since the epidemic began, the plant takes the temperature on all shifts to everyone who enters the company, mouth covers are used and Filters were implanted so that whoever was unwell could go to the medical service.


The executive acknowledged that the company has a couple of confirmed cases of COVID-19 of workers working in administrative areas. They are already recovering at home.


Since the agreement issued by the federal Health Secretariat on March 31, just over 400 people who are considered to be in the vulnerable group have been sent home with full wages and more transportation routes have been implemented so that workers have a healthy distance.


Medina Duarte stressed that the operation of the Tijuana plant is essential, since the intravenous sets that are used by about 85% of hospitalized people are manufactured there. These products go to institutions of the Health Sector in Mexico and are also exported.

NOT ALL COMPANIES PAY FULL WAGES


Another person, who works at Grupo NAPS, reported that the maquila where he works, which makes cables for oil platforms, informed them that he would not pay full wages to his collaborators to suspend operations, despite the fact that the authority had said it was his obligation.


“They told us that if they were to give us time they would pay us only 60% of the salary, that an agreement was being made and that we should sign it”, but given the refusal of some, “we do not know what will happen because the in charge of human resources ”, he added.


In addition, they warned that the company asked to sign a sheet in which they allegedly stated that they were aware of the situation and that it would serve the company to support the endorsement of the workers, without actually accepting it and specifying the conditions of said agreement, pointed out the discontents.


Heriberto Galindo, president of the Industry Human Resources Association in Tijuana, confirmed that not all workers are being paid full wages.


In the vast majority of companies, staff are working directly and were sent home "with their 100% salary," but in those who do home office there is great variation, "there are many who are paying 100% , others who reached an agreement to work partially and make partial payments. ”


Carlos Higuera, from Deitac, indicated that what actually happened is that large companies paid 100% R, as many larger companies reached an agreement close to 100%, and the smaller ones, which are not directly maquiladores, negotiated some type of percentage, which on average ranges around 50%.


For his part, Galindo pointed out that around 90 thousand people from the manufacturing sector are at home, with which 130 thousand companies in BC have suspended operations.


After referring to the fact that the International Monetary Fund estimated that 2.9 million jobs will be lost in Mexico, he considered it necessary for workers, government and companies to unite to reactivate the economy and “not lose our sources of employment, because if that happens, it will not There will be money available to our government to replace wages, and this will lead to more insecurity in our regions, "he warned.

ALMOST 100 BUSINESS REQUESTS TO BE ESSENTIAL


On April 17, Index and state government officials agreed to establish an intersecretary group to analyze and, where appropriate, authorize requests from companies that require continued operations, arguing essential activity.


Carlos Higuera, president of one of the organizations that participates with the STPS, SEST, Cofepris and SSa, commented that until Thursday, April 23, one hundred companies had made the request. Of these, 10% refer to companies whose activity was suspended and require a process of maintenance and / or shipment of raw materials, with a minimum of personnel.

All the documents were sent to the State Government and it is expected that until next week there will be a response to the requests. The Commissioner of the Federal Commission against Sanitary Risks (Cofepris), David Gutiérrez Inzunza, agreed on this, confirming that so far no company is guaranteed to operate.


The authority's decision will be based on three criteria: that the company is essential, in accordance with its articles of incorporation, its contracts and the veracity of what is being reported "because lately all are essential," Gutiérrez stressed, in addition to complying with adequate prevention or sanitation measures.


"Another requirement is that they have a reintegration plan for their work teams, that is, that the restart be gradual," Higuera additionally noted."


 More reports within original link.

~~~~~ 

I feel kind of sick right now.  I hate Donald Trump. Well, up in the states I think one of our most fave reporters is Juan Gonzalez. If you haven't already, take a look at what he has to say where the USA is headed, and BTW, all the reports are so terrific. I'm sorry Mexico, I know apologies are never enough.

~ From Democracy Now ! 

Juan Gonzalez: "Make No Mistake : This Country Is Eding Closer to Neo-Fascist Authoritarianism"


~~~~~

Back with the drug war stats later.

Some Disturbing Developments With COVID-19 Crisis In Baja California And One Of Them Has "TRUMP" Written All Over It

Sorry I'm late, just backlogged with projects & cooking around here. Plus, my wash machine broke.  Unsure right now if we will chance a repairman - since we don't know whether or not he'll be wearing a mask, or to just buy a new one. I loved this last washer, it was a Whirlpool made down here but we think the irregularity of the electricity (not our wiring but the outside lines) took a toll on it.  I'll let you know how it goes.

Yesterday early afternoon we received the latest COVID-19 numbers which break down the Municipalities:

 ~ From Zeta:

Clase Trabajadora La mas Contagiado en BC, Ya Van Mil 345 Infectados
Por, Uriel Saucedo

"On the first day of the stage that is forecast to be the most critical for Baja California in COVID-19 infections, 37 new positive patients were registered, totaling 1,345 confirmed cases, of which, the working class between 25 and 54 years old , concentrates 71 percent of infected patients, reported the head of the State Health Secretariat (SSE) in Baja California, Alonso Pérez Rico.


“In relation to confirmed cases by age group, they are still the youngest groups, the working population is the most punished group. From 40 to 44 years old, we have 181 confirmed cases, of which 27 are hospitalized; the next item that follows are people from 35 to 39 years old with 177 cases, and it is the first time that this age group has increased in number of cases, ”Pérez Rico said during the videoconference.


Of those confirmed, 737 cases accumulate in Tijuana, in Mexicali 508, Ensenada has 30, Tecate 51, Rosarito 15 and San Quintín continues with four. In deaths, Tijuana continues to lead with 123, followed by Mexicali with 40; Ensenada and Tecate have five each municipality. Playas de Rosarito remains in three and San Quintín with one.


To date, 3,223 tests have been performed throughout the state, of which 1,345 have tested positive, 1,387 have been ruled out as negative, and 491 are pending results. 


The head of the SSE reported that the case of suspects on April 10 when nearly 170 people with symptoms of COVID were added has not been repeated, since an average of 100 people suspected of contagion are treated daily.


Regarding the 491 cases studied in the state that remain as suspects, the SSE has 88 patients, the IMSS has 389, the ISSSTE maintains two, the ISSSTECALI increased to three, and the private hospitals have nine pending.


Deaths continue in people over 65 years with 51 people dead, followed by people from 45 to 49 years with 26 victims. 61 percent of deaths have been in men and 39 percent in women. On average, there are 3.5 deaths every day from COVID-19.

During the video conference, Pérez Rico discussed the cases of 153 recovered patients, 83 men and 70 women. He explained that of the total, 86 correspond to Tijuana, 58 to Mexicali, 8 to Tecate and one in Ensenada.


SSE occupancy in converted hospitals is 67 percent with 104 beds and 45 ventilators available; the IMSS for its part, is at 72.3 percent of its capacity with 168 beds and 22 free fans for use throughout the state. 

 Regarding supporting institutions, ISSSTE is at 56.2 percent of its capacity with 60 available beds and ISSSTECALI at 74.6 percent of occupancy with 41 beds.


Likewise, he mentioned that the Tijuana General Hospital received four fans who are already assembling for the disposal of patients who require it.


In all of Mexico 67 thousand 635 people are studied, being 14 thousand 677 cases confirmed by COVID-19, of which four thousand 972 are confirmed active; 7 thousand 612 suspects and 45 thousand 346 tests that have given negative. Deaths already number 1,351.


COVID IN FIGURES (APRIL 27)
CASES 1345
Tijuana 737
Mexicali 508
Cove (Ensenada) 30
Tecate 51
Rosarito fifteen
San Quintín / Vicente Guerrero 4

DEATHS 177
Tijuana 123
Mexicali 40
Cove (Ensenada) 5
Tecate 5
Rosarito 3
San Quintín / Vicente Guerrero one "



~~~~~ 

Some Not So Good News:

 ~ From Zeta:

El 54 Por Ciento de Los Bajacalifornianos No Acata el "Quedate en Casa" 
 Por, Carlos Alvarez 

54 percent of Baja Californians do not abide by the "Stay at Home"


 "Ricardo Cortés Alcalá, head of the General Directorate of Health Promotion of the Federal Government, announced this Sunday, April 26, that Zacatecas and Hidalgo, with 29 and 16 percent, respectively, are the entities where it has decreased the least mobility during the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-1) coronavirus, which fell 46 percent in Baja California. 


On the contrary, Yucatan is the state with the highest decrease in mobility, with 66 percent, followed by Quintana Roo (-64%), Jalisco (-62%), Nayarit (-61%) and Sonora (- 58%), according to geolocation data collected by the National Council for Science and Technology (CONACYT), from Google, Facebook and Twitter platforms.


The authorities of the Ministry of Health (SSa) of the Federal Government made a call to the population of the states that have not been able to reduce their mobility by at least 50 percent, to accept the call to stay at home in order to reduce the number of covid-19 cases.


Among these are: Chihuahua (-48%), Sonora (-48%), Tamaulipas (-48%), Veracruz (-48%), Baja California (-46%), Guerrero (-46%), Querétaro ( 46%); State of Mexico (-45%), Morelos (-42%), Tlaxcala (-38%), Durango (-35%), Tabasco (-35%), Hidalgo (-29%) and Zacatecas (-16%) .


For his part, Hugo López-Gatell Ramírez, undersecretary of Prevention and Promotion of Federal Health, urged not to use the call to limit mobility, as a justification for violating human rights, since “In Mexico half of the population lives day by day and this represents a legitimate motivation to attend (or participate in) the public space, "he said.


"The [strategy of] intervention [in Mexico] is aimed at the structural elements that make people move: work, go to school or take children to school, and recreational activities," said the federal official during the daily follow-up conference regarding the coronavirus pandemic in Mexico."


~~~~~

 ~ From Zeta:

Que paso AMLO ?

AMLO Asegura:" Se ha Podido Domar la Epidemia (COVID)"; Datos Oficiales Dicen La Contrario
Por, Eduardo Andrade Uribe



"Hours after the President of the Republic Andrés Manuel López Obrador declared yesterday that in Mexico "the epidemic has been tamed" by COVID-19, the General Director of Epidemiology, José Luis Alomía, maintained at a press conference that the suspected cases and confirmed by contagion of the respiratory disease still show "an upward trend".


The president had said that, unlike other places where "unfortunately" the disease has exploded, in this country its incidence "has been horizontal and this has allowed us to prepare very well, to have everything that is required of medical equipment " He even assured that there is "availability of up to 70% of intensive care beds, with ventilators."


As part of his "Sunday message", issued from the National Palace, AMLO thanked the population "because the measures are being followed to the letter and this has helped us a lot", because according to what he said "we do not have an overflow, we are not saturating hospitals ”.


At the press conference that the Ministry of Health offered yesterday, Sunday, April 26, Alomía Zegarra added that in a period of 24 hours, 835 new infection tables had been presented. He acknowledged that in the last three days there had been a "downward trend", in any case, it must be remembered that this was data corresponding to the weekend, which could affect "the level of demand for medical care."


He stressed that "we are still in days and weeks where we expect the curve (epidemic) to continue upward," which contradicted the president.


In terms of hospital occupancy, on Friday the 24th it emerged that in Mexico City the Hospital Espanol and 6 health sector centers were saturated. In the case of the private clinical unit, a sign was in fact placed in its facilities indicating that the capacity at that location, to serve patients with COVID-19, had been exceeded.


Precisely, the Hospital Espanol maintains information on its website that "for the moment" does not have available beds to serve patients with COVID-19. " 


Besides, doctors from the Regional General Hospital ,Dr. Carlso Mac Gregor Sánchez Navarro (IMSS) went into unemployment this Monday due to lack of personnel, equipment and supplies to avoid protection to attend to coronavirus cases, which calls into question another AMLO statement issued yesterday and relative the country is properly prepared with specialists to care for people with this condition.


As stated by Alomía Zegarra, regarding general hospital beds, "not intensive care", there is still 80% availability. The general director of Epidemiology expressed that this percentage is nationwide; hence, he specified that Baja California and Mexico City "are practically approaching or are already in the middle of their occupation", with 53 and 51 percent of units available respectively.


Regarding beds with ventilators, he stated that in this state and in CDMX there is an availability of 69 and 72 percent, ranking as the entities with the highest occupancy.


However, the Secretary of Health in Baja California, Alonso Pérez Rico, reported on Monday that in the hospitals of the State Health Secretariat that operate in the “reconverted” modality, the occupation is 67%, with 104 beds and 45 ventilators available; while those of the Mexican Social Security Institute are 72.3% occupied and have "168 beds and 22 free ventilators" at the state level. In the case of support institutions, the Institute of Security and Social Services of State Workers (ISSSTE) is at 56.2% of its capacity, with 60 available beds and the ISSSTECALI, at 74.6 with 41 beds.


Thus, as for the average that the federal government handled in the case of BC, the numbers issued locally are reversed, with the global percentage (for all the institutions involved in this entity) being 67.525 per cent of occupation.


Pérez Rico, stated that "Our whole country is being painted in a more intense color, which is as the cases increase." Since yesterday, he warned that as of today BC would enter a "critical stage" due to the risk of contagion, a comment that this April 27 endorsed: "two very difficult weeks are coming for Baja California."


According to the latest official reports, in Mexico there are 4,972 cases of contagion in the "active" modality and in total 14,677 infectious cases have been reported. Meanwhile, Baja California has 1,345 accumulated cases, with 37 registered in the last 24 hours, making it the third place for infections nationwide.


Finally, in what corresponds to deaths from coronavirus, the figure in this entity is 177, which places it in second place, below Mexico City."

~~~~~ 

This one will make you sick, it did me:


~ From Zeta:

Bonilla Reculo: Reabre Empresas No Escenciales 

 

"Safran negotiated reopening with the Governor and, under pressure from the United States government, restarted operations. Work stoppages and complaints of the operation of companies continue; achieve suspension of activities in Parker, Hyundai and Hisense"

["...the business leader explained that both the Baja California and the Mexican governments are receiving pressure from the United States consular body and from President Donald Trump himself to
re start certain operations that are essential to the American Union."]

 *****

"Nine days were enough for Governor Jaime Bonilla Valdez to change his strategy, and inexplicably stopped reporting how many companies are suspended for continuing to operate despite the fact that their activity is not essential in the face of the novel coronavirus pandemic.


Little remains of the belligerent attitude shown by the Governor on April 10, declaring that the Smiths Medical plant had been closed because it was not essential for Baja Californians despite the fact that it manufactures medical supplies.


Far away was the speech that because of his commitment to the people he would not give in to the "great pressure" he had when Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard called him to open that company, which finally agreed to sell part of its production and help the state government to acquire ventilators to restart its operation.

The change was not only reflected in the words of Bonilla Valdez, who in recent days has struggled to minimize the respiratory illness caused by SARS CoV2, but in the number of companies that suspended operations.

 
Official data indicates that from April 18 (the last day that the Secretary of Labor, Sergio Moctezuma Martínez López appeared in the president's morning message) to Tuesday the 21st, the operation of six companies in BC were suspended, when the daily average had been 54 companies. The highest number was achieved on April 12, with 261.

At press time, in the global cumulative, the Secretary of Labor and Social Welfare (STPS) suspended operations of 632 companies since April 7, bringing the total of 78,611 workers sent home.
The turnaround in Baja California occurs when the entire country is already in Phase 3 of the COVID-19 epidemic and the State ranks third in infections, with 852 confirmed cases, and second in deaths, with 96.


While the health authority at the federal level declares that in this Phase 3 the virus spreads rapidly, so there is an urgent need to suspend massive activities, including non-essential companies, in Baja California the governor is silent on the reopening of companies such as Safran , whose production is mainly focused on the aerospace sector, where a COVID-19 case had been confirmed at its Parque Pacífico plant in Tijuana.


On April 14, after a group of workers stopped activities, the head of the STPS went to the factory and, after referring to the agreement of the Federal Ministry of Health, asked managers to send staff to their homes along with enjoying their full salaries until April 30.


In its edition from April 17 to 23, ZETA reported that in said inspection, directors of that company had shown a letter from Foreign Minister Ebrard addressed to the president of Safran, according to Martínez López, who specified that the ventilators that the company would produce would not be produced in Baja California, where he is dedicated to the manufacture of aerospace equipment.


The closure determined by the state STPS was accepted by the company on April 14, however, on Monday, 20, workers reported that they had been contacted to restart operations the following day:


"Hello team, good morning. A few moments ago, Dave Harris and Greta Parra, through a conference, just informed us that we received authorization from the BC Government to restart operations tomorrow Tuesday 4/21/20 at our normal hours ”, with the exception of the staff considered as a vulnerable group and those people who would not be required, since the "start would be gradual".


Regarding this, Carlos Higuera, president of Tijuana's Economic and Industrial Development (Deitac), commented that Safran and Honeywell "sat down with the governor to talk and reach an agreement", since the former "has contracts with the United States Military, then, this is where the pressure comes from to open these operations. ”


The business leader explained that both the Baja California and the Mexican governments are receiving pressure from the United States consular body and from President Donald Trump himself to
restart certain operations that are essential to the American Union.


"We know that the pressure from the United States is far above a President of Mexico and much more than a governor, really the pressure exerted by companies of this type, especially those related to the US Military, are going to have all the media, of all kinds, politicians, diplomats, etc., to listen to and assert their rights, and this is no exception, "said Higuera.

MORE UNEMPLOYMENT AND WORKERS 'COMPLAINTS


With the revelation of more suspected or confirmed cases of coronavirus of workers in the manufacturing sector, the activity stoppages have even been extended to those plants with essential activity, such as Surgical Specialties , in the medical sector.

Others, such as Parker Baja Servicios, SA de CV (mechanical sector) faced two stoppages this week until the company gave in to the workers' demand to suspend operations. In this, a group of employees reported that in the two plants in Mesa de Otay in Tijuana, the healthy distance was not respected, there is also no antibacterial gel and they received a reusable fabric mouthpiece that must be washed daily.


On Tuesday, April 21, after lunchtime was up at the Hisense plant in Rosarito, a group of people refused to return to their respective production lines. Given this, the managers decided to suspend operations throughout the plant for two weeks, during which time the company will pay full wages.


According to testimonies collected by ZETA , the electronic sector company continued to operate despite the fact that its activities were not essential; however, all the employees interviewed agreed that they took their temperature at the beginning and at the end of their working day, they were provided with mouth covers and gloves, and they were placed taking care of the healthy distance.


The same day, Hyundai suspended the operation of all its plants in the State, after a group of workers stopped work at the plant located near La Presa, demanding that activities be suspended.
Jesús Javier Medina Duarte, general secretary of the Mexico Moderno Union, said the workers' demonstration accelerated a cessation of activities program that had been established between the union and the company, which had previously obtained a permit from the state government to continue working , documenting that he had an urgent order for refrigerated trailer boxes (for transporting medicine and food).


He said that on Monday it was learned that a worker at Hyundai plant 1 died as a result of COVID-19 and from there "we all panicked ". That would explain why the workers decided to stop work and not wait for their plant to suspend operations according to what was agreed, said the representative of the Revolutionary Confederation of Workers and Peasants.


Another complaint referred to ZETA that in the Alaris BD plant , the Human Resources area had not granted paid rest days to a person who had temperature, cough, muscle pain and headache.
In this regard, Juan Pablo Solís, general manager of the company, assured in an interview with this Weekly that since the epidemic began, the plant takes the temperature on all shifts to everyone who enters the company, mouth covers are used and Filters were implanted so that whoever was unwell could go to the medical service.


The executive acknowledged that the company has a couple of confirmed cases of COVID-19 of workers working in administrative areas. They are already recovering at home.


Since the agreement issued by the federal Health Secretariat on March 31, just over 400 people who are considered to be in the vulnerable group have been sent home with full wages and more transportation routes have been implemented so that workers have a healthy distance.


Medina Duarte stressed that the operation of the Tijuana plant is essential, since the intravenous sets that are used by about 85% of hospitalized people are manufactured there. These products go to institutions of the Health Sector in Mexico and are also exported.

NOT ALL COMPANIES PAY FULL WAGES


Another person, who works at Grupo NAPS, reported that the maquila where he works, which makes cables for oil platforms, informed them that he would not pay full wages to his collaborators to suspend operations, despite the fact that the authority had said it was his obligation.


“They told us that if they were to give us time they would pay us only 60% of the salary, that an agreement was being made and that we should sign it”, but given the refusal of some, “we do not know what will happen because the in charge of human resources ”, he added.


In addition, they warned that the company asked to sign a sheet in which they allegedly stated that they were aware of the situation and that it would serve the company to support the endorsement of the workers, without actually accepting it and specifying the conditions of said agreement, pointed out the discontents.


Heriberto Galindo, president of the Industry Human Resources Association in Tijuana, confirmed that not all workers are being paid full wages.


In the vast majority of companies, staff are working directly and were sent home "with their 100% salary," but in those who do home office there is great variation, "there are many who are paying 100% , others who reached an agreement to work partially and make partial payments. ”


Carlos Higuera, from Deitac, indicated that what actually happened is that large companies paid 100% R, as many larger companies reached an agreement close to 100%, and the smaller ones, which are not directly maquiladores, negotiated some type of percentage, which on average ranges around 50%.


For his part, Galindo pointed out that around 90 thousand people from the manufacturing sector are at home, with which 130 thousand companies in BC have suspended operations.


After referring to the fact that the International Monetary Fund estimated that 2.9 million jobs will be lost in Mexico, he considered it necessary for workers, government and companies to unite to reactivate the economy and “not lose our sources of employment, because if that happens, it will not There will be money available to our government to replace wages, and this will lead to more insecurity in our regions, "he warned.

ALMOST 100 BUSINESS REQUESTS TO BE ESSENTIAL


On April 17, Index and state government officials agreed to establish an intersecretary group to analyze and, where appropriate, authorize requests from companies that require continued operations, arguing essential activity.


Carlos Higuera, president of one of the organizations that participates with the STPS, SEST, Cofepris and SSa, commented that until Thursday, April 23, one hundred companies had made the request. Of these, 10% refer to companies whose activity was suspended and require a process of maintenance and / or shipment of raw materials, with a minimum of personnel.

All the documents were sent to the State Government and it is expected that until next week there will be a response to the requests. The Commissioner of the Federal Commission against Sanitary Risks (Cofepris), David Gutiérrez Inzunza, agreed on this, confirming that so far no company is guaranteed to operate.


The authority's decision will be based on three criteria: that the company is essential, in accordance with its articles of incorporation, its contracts and the veracity of what is being reported "because lately all are essential," Gutiérrez stressed, in addition to complying with adequate prevention or sanitation measures.


"Another requirement is that they have a reintegration plan for their work teams, that is, that the restart be gradual," Higuera additionally noted."


 More reports within original link.

~~~~~ 

I feel kind of sick right now.  I hate Donald Trump. Well, up in the states I think one of our most fave reporters is Juan Gonzalez. If you haven't already, take a look at what he has to say where the USA is headed, and BTW, all the reports are so terrific. I'm sorry Mexico, I know apologies are never enough.

~ From Democracy Now ! 

Juan Gonzalez: "Make No Mistake : This Country Is Eding Closer to Neo-Fascist Authoritarianism"


~~~~~

Back with the drug war stats later.

Thursday, February 1, 2018

"Hate of The Union" Podcast & Transcript by Jeremy Scahill - "Es un Fascista" by Leo Zuckerman - January 2018: 185 Executions According to the Authorities - Dig Into "Algiers"

Courtesy U.S. News


I waited to blog anything hoping to find local Mexican reactions to the 2018 State of the Union Address two nights ago.  Personally, I found it to be disgusting and frightening and the response from Joe Kennedy to be weak. Plus, who trusts the Democratic Party anymore ?  Later I found out about his ties to the corporates from the Intercept.  So, if you had your hopes up, forget about it.

Finally this afternoon I did find an op-ed piece by Leo Zuckerman who hit the nail on the head, that is that Trump is a Fascist. ( Leo, he's a Nazi: "Chicago's Promise" by Maryam Saleh)  Thank God someone said something down here (locally)...for a few seconds I thought maybe they were afraid to say anything because of the NAFTA talks.

This is an important podcast with transcript from Jeremy Scahill featuring Naomi Kline, Marcy Wheeler and our favorite Juan Gonzalez:

The Intercept

1/31/2018

INTERCEPTED PODCAST; HATE OF THE UNION  
 Jeremy Scahill 


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More on everything Seig Heil Trump here:

Democracy Now !

Donald Trump


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Here is Leo Zuckerman's op-ed pasted for you:

Frontera - Frontera Info - Juegos de Poder

"He is a fascist"

Leo Zuckermann
Yes, Donald Trump, he's a fascist. He has no shame. His propaganda techniques are emetic.
 
On Tuesday, in his first Government Report, he again accused undocumented immigrants of criminals. He used, once again, the fallacy of generalization. "For decades, open borders allowed drugs and gangs to fill our most vulnerable communities [...] tragically, they have caused the loss of many innocent lives." He then introduced two black couples who were in the audience: Evelyn Rodriguez, Freddy Cuevas, Elizabeth Alvarado and Robert Mickens, parents of Kayla Cuevas and Nisa Mickens, murdered on Long Island, New York, in 2016. "Many members of gangs have taken advantage of flagrant gaps in our laws to enter our country as foreign minors without company ending in high schools like those of Keyla and Nisa, "said Trump. "Evelyn, Elizabeth, Freddy and Robert: Tonight, everyone in this chamber is praying for you. Everyone in the United States is suffering for you. 320 million hearts have been broken by you. We can not imagine the depth of his grief, but we can make sure that other families never have to endure that pain. "
 
The President proposed, then, his immigration reform. "My duty, and the sacred duty of every elected official in this chamber, is to defend the Americans: protect their safety, their families, their communities and their right to the American dream. Because Americans are also dreamers, "Trump finished, clearly referring to the young people previously protected by President Obama's DACA program and known as" the dreamers ".
 
Go piece of performance and manipulation. From grief see the US politicians standing, applauding both couples, who painfully cried in the gallery of the House of Representatives. Of course I can not even imagine the pain of those parents. But I'm afraid they were used for a propaganda piece of a fascist regime. Black people, with Hispanic surnames, victims of some gang members of the worst kind. The perfect stamp to generalize that the undocumented are a ball of criminals. The use of an emotional image to manipulate the truth.
 
To Trump, the empirical evidence is worth a cucumber. For him, all undocumented immigrants are criminals that have to be stopped and deported. That is your "truth". The statistics of serious institutions, academic findings and even common sense can go to the pipeline.
 
What Trump did on Tuesday, and what the US rightwing media such as FOXnews and Breibart are doing, is using the fallacy of generalization. Stereotyping social groups to discriminate them. "Jacobo is a miser. Jacobo is Jewish.
 
All Jews are greedy. " Sounds familiar? Goes another: "Pedro is a lazy guy. Pedro is Mexican. All Mexicans are lazy. " A conclusion is inferred from insufficient evidence. Racists love this kind of fallacious thinking. Here Trump's on Tuesday: "Gangs murdered Keyla and Nisa. Some of those gang members were undocumented. The undocumented are murderers. " This, of course, leads to the magical solution of the demagogues: "Let's sport the undocumented, let's build a wall so that they do not re-enter and, voila, the crime will disappear".
 
Let's see, now, the reality. According to data from the Migration Policy Institute, an organization that studies the issue of immigration without taking a position on how to resolve it, the incarceration rate for US-born citizens is 3.51%. The incarceration rate of those born outside that country is 0.86%, that is, only a quarter of the first (the undocumented is a subset of the population of the unborn in the US).
According to the Department of Justice, about 5% of inmates in state and federal jails are "non-citizens." One of two: either the police detain less undocumented than citizens or the undocumented commit fewer crimes. Which one sounds more feasible? For the second, man, for a reason of common sense: the undocumented live in fear of being caught and deported; they respect the law thoroughly so as not to confront the authorities. Of course, there are some misguided sheep who rape and murder because that is what, unfortunately, is the human condition. But you can not stereotype a whole social group for what a few do.
 
The correct thing to do is to generalize based on statistics and probabilistic models. If Trump did that, he would come to the opposite conclusion. But he, as a fascist, is interested in manipulating the truth to advance his racist and anti-migrant agenda."
 

* - The author is a political analyst / research professor at the Center for Economic Research and Teaching (CIDE).
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January 2018 execution stats according to the authorities stand at 185 dead:

Frontera

por, Angel F. Gonzalez 01/02/2018

You can follow the Police Reports here:
And, of course Zeta:
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Meanwhile I think Paris is just about ready for a little road trip out to the desert, Dr. Jackson released her !  She is back to hopping into the bathtub, last night she partially ate my Dead Sea Mineral Soap.  I'm still wearing the boot.

Jeremy Scahill had an interesting interview on the "Hate of the Union" broadcast  with "Algiers", here's a slightly more recent song of theirs: (Hey, why weren't these guys nominated for a Grammy ?)