As lockdown is implemented in towns and cities across the globe, Felipe Carrillo Puerto is no different. Last week, on April 22nd, the Mexican President announced that the country had entered Phase 3 - the most serious stage of the coronavirus pandemic.For Mexican health officials, this phase refers to the point where they expect the virus will spread the fastest, hitting its peak in May. Although we luckily have very few confirmed cases in Carrillo, over the last week lockdown measures became much stricter across the state.Referred to here as cuarentena (quarantine), back in March the municipality of Felipe Carrillo Puerto shut its schools, bars, and restaurants, acting early in order to limit the spread to not only to protect the town itself but the surrounding Maya communities. Within days the market closed, the bus station closed and roadblocks were created to check who is coming in and out of the town to discourage people from traveling. Currently, we are allowed out of our homes for food and medicine but that’s pretty much it. Main roads through town have been closed to discourage driving for the sake of it. We can go out between 6 am and 11 am and then 4 pm-8 pm and masks are mandatory in the street. Cars with out-of-state plates are now required to have a special permit to be able to circulate and the parking lots of the two grocery stores are closed and policed to prevent congregating.Weirdly a lot of the side streets feel busier. It’s normal for families to sit outside their houses (especially when it’s an average of 99 degrees every day, like it is at the moment) but a lot of people have come back home after losing their jobs in the hotels in Tulum, Playa and Cancun making houses fuller so they naturally spill out into the streets more. That’s not to sound like a bad thing. It’s nice to hear chatting and laughter when social gatherings are forbidden and public spaces are closed. These extended families living together just drills home how much more careful we need to be to protect the town.One thing that will always stand out about Carrillo is the community spirit and now is no exception. People are supporting local businesses, sharing people’s new ventures, shopping for their grandparents, dropping care packages to those who might be struggling, and donating to buy PPE for the local hospital and food parcels for the local communities.  Things have certainly changed in Carrillo but for many of us it’s business as usual with these measures becoming the “new normal”. The people of Carrillo are resilient and while we watch the world’s reaction to COVID-19 ahead of us, we hope that the quick actions of our town will keep our beloved community safe over the coming weeks. 

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The best way to experience the Mexican lifestyle is in person, with a Na’atik Immersion experience. Not only do you live with a local Mexican-Maya family, sharing home-cooked meals and free time, but also receive expert instruction in your chosen language at our school. Best of all, every immersion experience helps fund our subsidized and free local education program, helping local students to access opportunities and make their own futures.