Business closures, domestic violence, job losses… the ravages in Oaxaca two years after the pandemic

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Oaxacans have adopted the advantages in their daily lives, but also the blows that the Covid-19 pandemic has left two years after the first registered cases-

Oaxaca de Juárez.- On March 14, 2020, the first two cases of Covid-19 were confirmed in the state of Oaxaca. Two years and one day after the Oaxaca Health Services (SSO) declared the first case in the entity, Oaxacans have adopted preventive measures against the disease in their daily lives.

The first two cases were a 62-year-old man and a 30-year-old woman. To date, the SSOs have confirmed 118,694 infections of the disease, which is still active in 82 municipalities and 482 cases. Meanwhile, 6,098 people have died from causes related to the disease.

While attending his shop dedicated to the repair of electrical appliances in the Historic Center of the city, Miguel Curiel points out that two years after the pandemic,  the economy of Oaxacans continues to suffer the ravages of the pandemic.

And it is that dozens of businesses lowered the curtains in the face of the ravages of the health emergency. At the federal level, the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare (STPS) indicates that Oaxaca shows a deficit of 5,638 jobs that were lost during the pandemic.

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“Although many businesses found spaces to open their doors, many people were left unemployed, while others started in informal commerce,” says the merchant.

For Guadalupe Velasco, the pandemic completely changed the daily life of the school-age population, as they had to combine their housework with academic work, while face-to-face classes have not been re-established so far. “In addition to homework, I have to keep an eye on my younger siblings and help with the housework,” she says.

In this regard, the “Rosario Castellanos” Women’s Study Group (GES Mujer) specifies that for women of school age, the pandemic has meant having to take on housework and even drop out of school .

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“The Covid-19 pandemic is also a factor that aggravates risk conditions for women, in all areas, but undeniably in relation to violence, which implies the urgency of addressing it, with protection measures”, the organization points out.

On her side, María Robles, who runs a vegetable stand in the El Rosario subdivision, points out that the pandemic made her have to combine raising her two children with her job. Well, they go with her to the working day. Likewise, she points out that although at first she did not plan to get vaccinated against Covid-19, the increase in infections and deaths made her reflect on the importance of taking care of her health and that of her children.

The Oaxaca Post