one step back, two steps forward

The liberated jardin

 It is not every day that you see a political parable enacted in front of you.

But, before the parable, we need a little background.

The coronavirus has given all of us an opportunity to learn a lot about Mexico's federal system. On Friday, the president of Mexico announced his desire to reopen Mexico's economy immediately. He was reluctant earlier in the year to suggest business closures because he knew, as did every world leader, the effect it would have on people's daily lives.

But his announcement was merely precatory. As president, he can control federal employees and agencies, but in matters relating to health security, the power (if not the money) is primarily vested in each of Mexico's 32 states. A model most (but not all) Americans understand.

Following the president's speech, the governor of Jalisco (the state where I live) announced that the state would start lifting its restrictions on mingling in phases -- leaving the impression that stage 1 would have started yesterday. He did a few quick political hokey pokey steps and backtracked the next day saying that the next two weeks were phase zero, and the program would start on 1 June.

Then the president of our county chimed in that starting this week, hotels and restaurants would open at 50% capacity, but the beach would remain closed.

The fact that most non-essential businesses have kept operating here and people have long been on the streets living their lives may explain why the mixed messages did not lift many eyebrows. But it did lift one thing. 

Since the "stay home" request was made, the perimeter of the jardin in San Patricio has been wrapped with yellow police tape, making it look like the final reunion site for unfortunate Agatha Christie characters. The idea was to restrict people from using it as a traditional social mingling spot. It was the equivalent of closing down the Cheers bar.

When I drove to the market on Sunday, I noticed the tape was gone. Not just torn down, but wadded up and tucked away. I suspected the citizens were reclaiming their territory.

Because I had failed to shoot the liberated plaza on Sunday, I drove over on Monday to get some photographs for you. The liberation looked total. The lunch counter in the center of the plaza was open for business. Two masked and gloved women were ready to fulfill customers' orders. None had yet arrived.

But I was wrong about the plaza's liberation. Three masked (and somewhat surly) policemen were stringing more police tape -- red this time. I guess we had had our yellow warning.

I talked with one of the women at the lunch counter. "How was she going to serve food if the plaza was taped off?" She had the answer. The police were only going to tape off the north and south quadrants of the plaza.

And she was correct. When they were done, all of the benches were still off limits, but people could walk through a strip of liberated land to purchase food -- and then eat it elsewhere, I guess. But certainly not on the park benches.

Re-taped

And that was the political parable. Mixed closure messages tied with the desire to start earning a living. I talked to a local businessman who was watching the ebb and flow of government restriction. He shook his head and said: "They are all clowns."

I did not ask him who the "all" were in his sentence. I suspect it would have included most of the federal system pyramid.

Personally, I would hate to be one of the leaders faced with transitioning society back to a version of normal. Everything they do will be criticized because there is no one right answer. 

Too many people treat this issue as if it were a matter of religion -- if others do not agree with them they should be burned at the stake or, at least, denied medical care for their impertinence. Facebook is filled with the "my way or the highway" approach to discussion.

Me? I am doing what my neighbors are doing, It seems every nation has its own method of dealing with this virus. The New Zealand method. The South Korea method. The Sweden method. The China method (where they can simply make up statistics in their artless totalitarian way).

And then there is the Mexico method that seems to be a hybrid of several national methods -- along with a heavy sprinkling of Sweden and ad lib. It will be years before we know the actual health and economic effects of the virus. And, even if there is any possibility of agreeing on the numbers, people will still be debating what they mean for long after I have closed up my keyboard for good.

The opening of the lunch counter was one small step for the lunch crowd, but it may be a giant leap toward freedom.

Main street in San Patricio looking quite normal