por ALFREDO AZCARATE VARELA
THE BAJA POST/EDITOR
Failing to fulfill the preventive protocols to safe keep their customers form the COVID19 pandemics risks, the Mexicali branch of the State Commission for sanitary Risk Prevention (COEPRIS in Spanish) has resulted in shutdown of several businesses in Mexicali, mainly restaurants and bars.
Among the sanctioned establishments are: “La Palapa de Los Sanchez” where dozens of people were happily partying, not taking consideration of the safe distance, nor were they wearing mouth covers and/or facemasks, so the coronavirus contagion risk was high.
COEPRIS Mexicali branch chief, Marco Aurelio Gámez Servín, said that the last few days there has been an intense surveillance in order to penalize those businesses and commercial establishments that don´t follow the health protocols, because the positive cases have been on the rise for the last few weeks in Mexicali.
During last Friday late night and early Saturday, several bars, such as LA CAGUAMERA and EL CAMPESINO were suspended and shut down by COEPRIS, they are located on the bar area of Mexicali downtown, and last Sunday it was the “Palapa de los Sanchez” was also closed by the authority, the latter is located on the highway to Mexicali International Airport, in the area known as Colonia Abasolo.
Gámez Servín, regretted that after a few beers or cocktails, some people tend to relax and don´t wear their facemasks or mouth protectors, they don´t respect the safe distance so the contagion risk becomes bigger and more feasible, and also said that the orders of Health Secretary, Alonso Perez Rico, and from the State COEPRIS Commissioner, David Gutierrez is “Zero Tolerance” for all those who are not following the protocols and prevention actions.
Besides the temporary suspensions, he also said that in case of “second time offenders” they may be fined up to 400 thousand pesos (about 20 thousand dollars) and called everyone involved to obey the health authority safety protocols, and he warned that there will be “surprise visits” and those who get closed won´t be allowed to reopen as long as the orange light gets yellow, so they had better obey the health protocols.
