Mexico Plans to Lift Swine Flu Shutdown

[gottago2mexico]

MEXICO PLANS TO LIFT SWINE FLU SHUTDOWN

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/SwineFlu/story?id=7494506&page=1

 

Key Points:

 

1. Worst of outbreak has passed

 

2. Virus might be no more than a typical flu season outbreak

 

3. Virus has entered into a stabilization phase in Mexico

 

4. Cases are starting to decrease

 

5. Medical experts concluding swine flu not any more dangerous than regular flu.

 

6. Mexico will be re-opening for business as usual.

 

7. CDC notes there have been relatively few severe cases of the illness.

["Wandering Wino's&quo]

MEXICO PLANS TO LIFT SWINE FLU SHUTDOWN

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/SwineFlu/story?id=7494506&page=1

 

Key Points:

 

1. Worst of outbreak has passed

 

2. Virus might be no more than a typical flu season outbreak

 

3. Virus has entered into a stabilization phase in Mexico

 

4. Cases are starting to decrease

 

5. Medical experts concluding swine flu not any more dangerous than regular flu.

 

6. Mexico will be re-opening for business as usual.

 

7. CDC notes there have been relatively few severe cases of the illness.

 

Lets see:

Mexico's economy in shambles due to drug wars and now the Swine Flu.

What to do:

1. Control the drug lords

2. Control the information regarding the Swine Flu.

I don't think you need to be a genius to guess what would be the easiest & fastest.

I love & respect the Mexican people we have had the pleasure of meeting on our many travels to their country , I just don't trust their government with my health. Of course this is IMO.

Return to Mexico now, but please self quarantine your self for 7 days on your return so you don't infect my neighborhood when you return.

 

 

 

 

 

[ladyd11933]

Do you quarantine yourselves in the winter when the average flu kills 36000 - 40000 people a year? Same thing I tell my kids every flu season - wash your hands, biggest prevention of them all.

[gottago2mexico]

There still has never been a case of swine flu in any port town in the Mexican Riviera - not Cabo, not Mazatlan, not Puerto Vallarta, not Ixtapa, not Acapulco, not anywhere along the coast. There are also no drug lord issues in any of the major Mexican Riviera port towns, and never have been. Mexico is a big country, and the resort towns are very safe.

 

Quarantine yourself not because you were in Mexico, but maybe because swine flu likely does exist in your hometown when you get back. 30 confirmed cases in California vs. 0 in the entire Mexican Riviera, most of the cases not far from Huntington Beach.

 

If Mexico's goverment is engaging in any sort of cover up, they sure aren't very good at it...plus they are working hand in hand with the WHO so I guess they must be in on it too....and all the swarms of international media running all over Mexico right now must also be in on it. Quite a conspiracy, and despite all this effort, Mexico's economy and reputation have still been destroyed, despite the swine flu never being seen outside Central Mexico/Mexico City. Man, they REALLY need to work at this whole controlling the information thing...

["Wandering Wino's&quo]

Do you quarantine yourselves in the winter when the average flu kills 36000 - 40000 people a year? Same thing I tell my kids every flu season - wash your hands, biggest prevention of them all.

 

We have heard this argument several times. Of course you are correct regarding the danger of influenza. That is the reason that flu shots are recommended each year. This is apples and oranges. The H1N1 flu is a strain that has not been seen before in humans and one that we have no immunity to, thus the reason for concern. We don't know yet how severe this virus will turn out to be, so to error on the side of caution seems prudent.

Personal hygiene is certainly important and one line of defense, but people who chose to travel to Mexico at this time I believe are putting their health at risk along with those that they come in contact with on their return. If a person chooses to take that risk for them selves today so be it, but IMO they should take some responsibility when they return from their visit to Mexico.

Again this is just my opinion, and I'm sticking with it.:D

["Wandering Wino's&quo]

There still has never been a case of swine flu in any port town in the Mexican Riviera - not Cabo, not Mazatlan, not Puerto Vallarta, not Ixtapa, not Acapulco, not anywhere along the coast. There are also no drug lord issues in any of the major Mexican Riviera port towns, and never have been. Mexico is a big country, and the resort towns are very safe.

 

Quarantine yourself not because you were in Mexico, but maybe because swine flu likely does exist in your hometown when you get back. 30 confirmed cases in California vs. 0 in the entire Mexican Riviera, most of the cases not far from Huntington Beach.

 

If Mexico's goverment is engaging in any sort of cover up, they sure aren't very good at it...plus they are working hand in hand with the WHO so I guess they must be in on it too....and all the swarms of international media running all over Mexico right now must also be in on it. Quite a conspiracy, and despite all this effort, Mexico's economy and reputation have still been destroyed, despite the swine flu never being seen outside Central Mexico/Mexico City. Man, they REALLY need to work at this whole controlling the information thing...

 

Felipe Salinas / Associated Press

Police officers drive past a burning police vehicle in Zihuatanejo, Mexico. In a three-week period, five grenade attacks were launched on police patrols and stations.

 

MEXICO UNDER SIEGE

Drug cartels' new weaponry means war

 

 

Email Picture

Felipe Salinas / Associated Press

Police officers drive past a burning police vehicle in Zihuatanejo, Mexico. In a three-week period, five grenade attacks were launched on police patrols and stations.

 

Narcotics traffickers are acquiring firepower more appropriate to an army -- including grenade launchers and antitank rockets -- and the police are feeling outgunned.

By Ken Ellingwood and Tracy Wilkinson

March 15, 2009

Reporting from Zihuatanejo, Mexico, and Mexico City -- It was a brazen assault, not just because it targeted the city's police station, but for the choice of weapon: grenades.

 

The Feb. 21 attack on police headquarters in coastal Zihuatanejo, which injured four people, fit a disturbing trend of Mexico's drug wars. Traffickers have escalated their arms race, acquiring military-grade weapons, including hand grenades, grenade launchers, armor-piercing munitions and antitank rockets with firepower far beyond the assault rifles and pistols that have dominated their arsenals.

[Laughing Angel]

So Wino, what's your point?

[ladyd11933]

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion - thank goodness for the First Admendment - but I guess as an RN (who went with 13 others to Mexico a month ago and none of us returned sick) I feel that this has been blown totally out of proportion. With approx. 6.7 billion population in the world and 1000 with this flu, a pandemic it is not.

 

Not trying to be a smart aleck, but seriously if you ever have to be admitted to the hospital, just make sure you don't ask your nurse what she has been exposed to that day (a lot of which we do not know we are exposed to until after the fact, like MRSA). That's why washing your hands is the best prevention to prevent the spread of germs and disease.

 

Not wanting to argue, just stating my opinion.:)

["Wandering Wino's&quo]

So Wino, what's your point?

 

Good question Laughing Angel. My point today is let's not hurry too fast to promote travel to Mexico. I thought that the OP was suggesting that it was now safe to travel to Mexico. I'm not in the travel industry so I am only giving my opinion as a tourist, and please remember this is only my opinion and from the responses I appear to be in the minority.

We will travel to Mexico again, but I would like to let things calm down there before jumping on a plane or cruise ship (well no chance of that as they have canceled all their port stops in Mexico).

Sorry I ruffled so many feathers. Go Mexico!

["Wandering Wino's&quo]

There are also no drug lord issues in any of the major Mexican Riviera port towns, and never have been. Mexico is a big country, and the resort towns are very safe.

 

Laughing Angel, I got to thinking maybe your question as what my point was also was in reaction to the my post about Zihuatanejo. The reason I posted that was in response to the op about resort towns being very safe. My Son was in Zihuataejo when this shoot out took place. Not what you expect from such a beautiful resort area.

I know that from my posts some of you probably think that I am negative on Mexico and I can possibly see why you would think that, but in reality I love Mexico and can't wait to go back. Guess I'm just a cautious blond from So. California, "you all know the type".:D

[midnightblue]

Johann and Sandra, since you are tour operators in Mexico, I think your opinion is some what biased. This ordeal has cost you a lot of money, and I am sorry for that. No one knew for sure how bad this outbreak really was. The Government of Mexico and the US and the cruise Lines had to do something. Had they continued to let people go to the Riviera with out knowing the extent of the spread of this, it could have been disastrous. Had the cruise Line ignored the warning and some passengers contacted this virus and actually died they would have been facing some serious Law Suits. I think that they were backed into a corner and their hands were forced. Lets just all hope that this passes quickly with out any more deaths. It was and economic blow to your area but I believe that they made the right decision. We were fortunate to have gone to the Riviera the week before all of this happened. Had my ports been canceled I would have been very upset, but had I gone there and gotten sick and brought it home to the rest of my family I would have been much more upset.

[pulledporky]

Reminds me of the Y2K thing 10 years ago. Was Y2K a non-event because it was all over-hyped talk, or was it because of the precaution and millions of hours spent changing code?

 

So when this flu thing is a memory, were the results because of precaution, or there was nothing to it to start with? We'll never know.

 

Q: If Mexico is so concerned with my safety, why would they let a cruise ship from a known infected area come to their "sterile" Riviera port?

A: Dead Presidents

["Wandering Wino's&quo]

Johann and Sandra, since you are tour operators in Mexico, I think your opinion is some what biased. This ordeal has cost you a lot of money, and I am sorry for that. No one knew for sure how bad this outbreak really was. The Government of Mexico and the US and the cruise Lines had to do something. Had they continued to let people go to the Riviera with out knowing the extent of the spread of this, it could have been disastrous. Had the cruise Line ignored the warning and some passengers contacted this virus and actually died they would have been facing some serious Law Suits. I think that they were backed into a corner and their hands were forced. Lets just all hope that this passes quickly with out any more deaths. It was and economic blow to your area but I believe that they made the right decision. We were fortunate to have gone to the Riviera the week before all of this happened. Had my ports been canceled I would have been very upset, but had I gone there and gotten sick and brought it home to the rest of my family I would have been much more upset.

 

Midnightblue, now that you mention that the op has a tour business that relys on tourist going to Mexico I can see why they are posting such positive information regarding that area. I checked some of her other posts and they all seem to be of the same nature, questioning the danger of the flu and discrediting the cruise lines decisions to pull their ships out of Mexico etc. I guess I don't understand why cc allows such a conflict of interest on our boards. Now more then ever information posted on cc needs to be responsible and helpful to all of us who plan our cruises & travel around this information. I have over the years optained so much valuable suggestions on so many subjects here on cc. and made friends to boot.

I also feel sorry for them as I know that what is happening must be a terrible financal disaster for their company, but still I feel they need to step away from that if they are going to post on cc.

[wolfshadow]

Well, I just got back from the Mariner's ill-fated cruise to nowhere. Cabo was as wonderful as ever but you all know the rest of the story by now. I for one would have gladly continued on to Mazatlan and PV as we know there was no swine flu at either of these Ports. The very morning we sailed into Cabo we were told there was no swine flu cases in any of the Ports we were visiting. There still isn't. They made the choice to be safe though and the decision was made to close all 3 Ports to furthur cruise ships, then they decided to take us to San Francisco, which believe me a lot of us didn't want to do. For us, it was because we live a little over an hour away now, but we both grew up in the Bay Area and have both been to SF a gazillion times. I mean we love SF but we can go anytime. We then had to sail back down to SP, the whole way in the fog only to get into our car and drive 6 hrs home. Yay!

 

I don't blame Johann and Sandra from trying to let people know that everything is going to be okay. This pandemic has not been what was expected and many, many more people die each year from the regular flu. People just have to use common sense when visiting anywhere. Wash your hands often and bring some anti-bacterial instant hand cleanser. This has effected them greatly, I'm sure.

 

We had planned for 3 years to get back to Stone Island to visit friends and now it will be 2 more years before we can get back there. We can't cruise as much as others seem to be able to. I'm glad some are happy with now going to Canada and back, but I certainly hope that they get back to the regular cruise to Mexico for those who wanted sun and warmth, not cold and rain.

[gottago2mexico]

Hi guys,

 

Yes, all of Mexico has been brutally hit economically by this flu scare, but the posts are not "positive" or "biased". They are not my opinion. They are factual, based and sourced on actual WHO and government data, official statements and news reports. They don't fit the hysteria everyone has been in, but changing the facts to fit the hype is not cool. Somebody has to set the record straight, and all my posts are backed up with actual sources and factual data (not "suspected" or "possible", but verified, confirmed facts, at least according to government agencies and worldwide authorities like the WHO). Consider this - are yours? Not being negative, just trying to bring the factual data to the surface, since it has been buried so far behind the hype.

 

SWINE FLU NO MORE DANGEROUS THAN REGULAR FLU, NAPOLITANO SAYS

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/05/04/swine.flu.main/index.html

 

Not my opinion, it's the opinion of the U.S. Government.

[Sandy Sails]

Actually Sandra has a very valid point. There are NO confirmed cases in the Mexican Riviera. Meanwhile, Seattle has 9 confirmed cases with 45 pending confirmation.

 

So the cruise ships are bringing people to Seattle instead of the MX Riviera...

 

Sandra, when I do my Mexican Riviera cruise August 30th (and I will!), I'll be sure to have my gang book our excursions through you. Help out a bit.

 

Take care! Sandy in Seattle

[quincytoo]

Actually Sandra has a very valid point. There are NO confirmed cases in the Mexican Riviera. Meanwhile, Seattle has 9 confirmed cases with 45 pending confirmation.

 

So the cruise ships are bringing people to Seattle instead of the MX Riviera...

 

Sandra, when I do my Mexican Riviera cruise August 30th (and I will!), I'll be sure to have my gang book our excursions through you. Help out a bit.

 

Take care! Sandy in Seattle

 

BC has 27(??) confirmed cases some right here in Victoria!!! My husband's co-worker's wife might have it!!!

 

I would feel feel safer in PV (no confirmed cases) then I do in Victoria right now

[CRUISING71]

Sandy Sail,

 

We are going to cruise on the Splendor on August 30th too....are you on the Splendor?

 

I hope they go to Mexico by August when we sail. I wonder if they changed June's schedule to Mexico or not? But as of today...all sail up to June 17 are going up North.

[gottago2mexico]

BC has 27(??) confirmed cases some right here in Victoria!!! My husband's co-worker's wife might have it!!!

 

I would feel feel safer in PV (no confirmed cases) then I do in Victoria right now

 

46 confirmed cases now in BC, 6 of them on Vancouver Island.

 

http://www.vancouversun.com/Health/Update+latest+swine/1562396/story.html

[Sandy Sails]

Cruisin71 - I'll be on the Mariner of the Seas August 30th - as long as it's going to the Mexican Riviera. I'm certainly not going to fly from Seattle to L.A. to cruise to Seattle.

 

The Mariner "Pacific Coast" schedule is through the June 14th cruise. We shall see what they decide to do. I've certainly got my fingers crossed that everything goes back to their original schedule after that.

[wolfshadow]

Cruisin71 - I'll be on the Mariner of the Seas August 30th - as long as it's going to the Mexican Riviera. I'm certainly not going to fly from Seattle to L.A. to cruise to Seattle.

Now you know how we felt when we were told we would be going to SF after they closed the Ports in Mexico on us last week. We were on the Mariner's 'Cruise to Nowhere', as I call it. We would have loved having the choice of being let back off in San Pedro so that we could have just driven back home since our car was down there and given a 50% future cruise credit like Princess gave their passengers. Instead, we got to go back home to SF, get cold and soaked without having the proper clothing, then sail back down (36 hrs worth) in total fog the WHOLE way back down to SP. Our rollcall of 130+ are not happy campers! We heard that around 400 people got off in SF instead of sailing back down. And, Royal obviously thought they were doing us a favor by compensating us with a pittance of OBC ranging from $150 - $300 based on stateroom and an hour and a half of Bloody Marys, Mimosas or Screwdrivers. Over 12,000 drinks were consumed in that little amount of time, but because my DH doesn't drink alcohol and I only had one Bloody Mary, it was hardly enough to make us happy!

[Sandy Sails]

Wolfshadow, you definitely were robbed! It's so not fair. Someone here at work is going on the Mariner next week and the only reason he's going is because of all the compensation he received from RCL. I feel so badly for all of you who sailed on the April 26th cruise.

[winewanderer]

Now you know how we felt when we were told we would be going to SF after they closed the Ports in Mexico on us last week. We were on the Mariner's 'Cruise to Nowhere', as I call it. We would have loved having the choice of being let back off in San Pedro so that we could have just driven back home since our car was down there and given a 50% future cruise credit like Princess gave their passengers. Instead, we got to go back home to SF, get cold and soaked without having the proper clothing, then sail back down (36 hrs worth) in total fog the WHOLE way back down to SP. Our rollcall of 130+ are not happy campers! We heard that around 400 people got off in SF instead of sailing back down. And, Royal obviously thought they were doing us a favor by compensating us with a pittance of OBC ranging from $150 - $300 based on stateroom and an hour and a half of Bloody Marys, Mimosas or Screwdrivers. Over 12,000 drinks were consumed in that little amount of time, but because my DH doesn't drink alcohol and I only had one Bloody Mary, it was hardly enough to make us happy!

 

I sympathize with you.

 

I was on the Carnival Splendor the same week, 6 sea days with 1 port stop in SF (where I was born and raised and live 1 hour from).

 

At least you guys got on board credit. We got zilch. There was apparently a 1 hour of free cocktails but we never heard anything about it. We only received back $40pp for 2 missed ports.

 

All I can say is at least my hubby and I spent the bare minimum as we had an inside cabin, a great cruiecritic group rate and only spent $100pp on airfare to Long Beach.

[wolfshadow]

Wolfshadow, you definitely were robbed! It's so not fair. Someone here at work is going on the Mariner next week and the only reason he's going is because of all the compensation he received from RCL. I feel so badly for all of you who sailed on the April 26th cruise.

Thanks for your sympathy! This is one of the reasons the rest of us are so upset, too, the cruisers after us received all of the choices and we weren't given any. It was here you go, this is the way we're doing it and you should be happy about it! This was my first cruise with Royal, too! The ship was beautiful, the crew was wonderful but we paid our money knowing this already.........not to be held captive and be taken to SF where I grew up across the bay from and have been thousands of times already, not to mention they had to have known the weather report ahead of time. No one onboard was packed for cold, windy, rain! It was totally miserable. At least Princess gave their passengers a 50% future cruise credit, which will probably end up with them gaining many past Royal customers!

I sympathize with you.

 

I was on the Carnival Splendor the same week, 6 sea days with 1 port stop in SF (where I was born and raised and live 1 hour from).

 

At least you guys got on board credit. We got zilch. There was apparently a 1 hour of free cocktails but we never heard anything about it. We only received back $40pp for 2 missed ports.

 

All I can say is at least my hubby and I spent the bare minimum as we had an inside cabin, a great cruiecritic group rate and only spent $100pp on airfare to Long Beach.

I know how you feel! You guys really got scr***d. I do understand that so many pitched a fit though that you at least were given the choice to go back to Long Beach and get off. I would have preferred that option as to the 'this is what we're going do to people' that we got. We only got $9.82pp returned for Port Fees and we did get a $200 OBC because we were in a balcony but that just ended up going for an Alcatraz/Sausalito excursion that ended up being a joke. Cost us $81pp and we only got an hour on Alcatraz, in the rain, and an hour in Sausalito, in the rain. My feet got soaked because I didn't bring any tennis shoes, only had some good water shoes, which was fine for the walking but my socks just loved sucking up that water! I was so cold by the time we got back to the ship we just stayed in our cabin to warm up. I felt so sorry for those who tried to walk over to Pier 39. We watched them trying to walk back in that rain and wind with their newly purchased umbrellas! Yuck! Then the thick fog all the way back, good thing we paid for that balcony, huh?

[quincytoo]

46 confirmed cases now in BC, 6 of them on Vancouver Island.

 

http://www.vancouversun.com/Health/Update+latest+swine/1562396/story.html

 

And today Marnier of the Sea(??) was in Victoria today bearing 6,000 people......How stupid is that???

 

They cancel the cruises to Mexico coast where there have been NO CONFIRMED cases and take the ships up to places where it is actually confirmed and two too many cases!!!!!!