After nearly three month of lock down during this ongoing virus pandemic everyone is anxious to have tourists be able to return and see all of the shutdown businesses reopen. There is a financial crisis now, as the Los Cabs region depends basically solely on tourist for their livelihood.
As summer season now settles in, the days are becoming progressively warmer. This is time to work and be able to save a little money for the upcoming tropical storm season. The latest news we hear is that the government expects by June 15 to start gradually open up economic activities. This will be in stages, with health and safety being the top priority. So we are hoping by the end of this month we will be able to see some return to our normal routines.
On June 1 some 14,000 local construction workers returned to work. Local fishermen are still able to fish for personal consumption. The main action for this past week has been a big bite for striped marlin, anywhere from 2 to 15 mile offshore, straight out of San Jose del Cabo and towards Punta Gorda. Good numbers of mullet are starting to move in along the beaches and this will surely attract gamefish, such as roosterfish, dogtooth snapper and amberjack. We are looking forward to getting back to work and enjoying some great fishing.
Normally during this time frame of the later part of Springtime we would see bustling tourist activity, but of course nothing has been normal at all now for the past couple of months. Without any tourists in sight the Los Cabos area is now pleasantly receiving great weather conditions, progressively warming, though not too extreme yet, clear sunny skies, little wind and high temperatures in the mid to upper 80’s.
Orders are allowing fishing for personal consumption only, though this is not strictly being enforced, though no charters of any tourists is allowed. With the warming weather the fishing has been good for the limited personas venturing offshore. With ocean water temperatures now ranging from a chilly 68 degrees on the Pacific and up to 78 degrees in directions further towards the Sea of Cortez, the more consistent action is being found from the Gordo Banks and north towards Iman Bank.
A variety of action was found, from yellowtail, amberjack, bonito, red snapper and grouper off the structure, to striped marlin, wahoo and yellowfin tuna on the surface. Bait has been limited, though this past week there were sardinas being found near the Puerto Los Cabos Marina jetties. On a negative note there has been illegal pouching reported from inside the protected Cabo Pulmo Preserve, apparently authorities were ignoring enforcement and pirates were taking advantage. In addition there were juvenile roosterfish harvested in large numbers by commercial pirates that have no respect at all for exploiting these prized gamefish that are now jeopardized for future generations.
The Coronavirus has now infected some 3,500 cases in all of Baja, with 540 deaths related. Numbers of infections are still climbing, we have not seen the peak yet. No date has been set for reopening the Tourist Destination, on June 1 the three levels of Government will analysis containment at a National level and this will dictate when certain areas will be able to gradually reopen any tourist activity. Now into two months of confinement, people are anxious, many thinking this is all a hoax, fake news, not taking things serious.
This pandemic has created great problems, there is now an unprecedented economic crisis due to over 80% of the local population reliant on International tourists for their livelihood. The next 15 days will be critical not to relax restrictions, ignoring health authorities alerts of not to leave home, practice social isolation, healthy distancing, will make risk of contagion that much greater and will only delay any reopening of the area to tourists.
School sessions have been closed for the entire semester, now gearing up to open for the fall. Grocery and convenient stores are now ordered to close by 8 p.m. People are only supposed to be outside for basic necessities, no more than one person per vehicle is allowed, though actual enforcement of this rule has been lax enforced and they are still permitting public transportation to operate. All public beaches are still closed.
Wanted
to give an update of what is going on in Southern Baja. As we progress through this
unprecedented spring season with no tourists in sight, it is now actually starting
to feel a bit like summer the last few days, daytime highs of 85 degrees, clear
sunny skies with very little wind. Baja California now has over 1300 confirmed
cases and 136 deaths related to the Covid-19 Pandemic, consensus is that these
figures are on the low side.
Mexico,
including Baja, has now entered Phase 3 of the Pandemic, which means that we
are now in the midst of highest chances of this virus spreading to out of control
proportions. All schools, beaches, Resorts, restaurants and other non-essential
businesses are shut down. There are now strict local orders to shelter in
place, stay at home. Municipal, Federal and National Guard police forces will
all be teaming up efforts to help control and enforce these lock downs. As of
April 25 they say anyone out on the street for unjustified reasons will be
subject to a $8,000 peso fine, jail time or forced community service.
Many
locals still are not taking the situation that seriously, thinking that
everything is way to over cautious and that it is still okay to socialize with
family and friends, etc… hard to convince them otherwise. Authorities are
having a difficult time enforcing imposed emergency regulations and their priorities
do not always seem justified, while they confiscate surf boards and keep everyone
off the beaches there are other groups of people gathering in many other areas
that show no willingness to abide to social distancing, some of this does not
make any sense.
It
has just been announced that sportfishing will be allowed for people just for
their personal consumption, no commercial or charter activity is authorized.
These rules have been loosely regulated up to this point, but supposedly will
become much stricter. As of now they have extended the present lockdown until
the end of May. Also the International airport Terminal II has been closed
down, the limited flights now arriving will use the original domestic Terminal
I. They believe by July that Terminal II will be reopened, much of this will all
depend on how the spread of this virus can be brought under control and the
region can begin safely allowing the flow of tourists back into the country.
Local
schools are just beginning to try teaching courses through the Internet and TV,
slow process that local teachers do not really have the necessary training or technical
support to do. They are thinking of reopening class rooms June 1, which many believe
would not be a safe idea, but all of this is still just in the process of being
planned out.
All
in all, considering, things are going okay, everyone is ready to have this
situation pass and get back to their normal lives, stress levels are high and financial
crisis is evident. Who knows what the new normal will be like, people are
becoming more anxious by the week.
