TIJUANA (Border Report) — Siding with state officials, the city of Tijuana has decided to prohibit private Halloween and Day of the Dead celebrations due to concerns over the further spread of COVID-19.
The city has vowed to “put a stop” to any celebration not following health protocols or without permits for large gatherings.
“This is a fluid situation, we’re fighting against it, but people don’t understand that our job is to protect and preserve public health,” said David Gutiérrez Inzunza, head of Baja California’s Commission for the Protection of Sanitary Risks.
Gutiérrez Inzunza said every week they stop about 100 social events that operate in clandestine fashion.
“We can’t allow family gatherings and social events, that’s still the order of the day, these facilitate the spread of COVID-19,” Gutiérrez said. “People should not expect their government to solve everything. If we had the public’s complete support we wouldn’t have these types of issues. We are making a plea to the community in Tijuana and Baja California to help us, to be responsible. We are seeing a very lax approach by many people.”
A few weeks ago, a wedding reception in the city of Mexicali, about 120 east of Tijuana just south of the border, led to 100 new cases of the coronavirus.
“Let’s not celebrate weddings or other social events. But if you have to gather take extraordinary actions to prevent more infections among guests,” Gutiérrez said.
“If you can cancel or postpone do it. Health is the first priority along with your life and your family. What’s one social event? Let’s use the protocols in place and practice social distancing, use face masks. We can make a difference.”
Gutiérrez said this is why he and the state cannot allow any Halloween or Day of the Dead celebrations. He’s hopeful people will get the message and refrain from gathering.