More from masked-up Mexico City - Update

The situation has escalated from a health crisis to a severe economic crisis in the past three days with Mexico facing a five day shutdown of all non-essential services and businesses. Over the past three days restaurants, bars, cafes, gyms, pool halls, swimming pools have all been shut down joining the closed schools, churches, Public Events, and Government offices. Rumours that supermarkets may also close spawned a panic buying hysteria with stockpiling reminiscent of the 2000 Millenium scare, leading to three hour queues in Walmart and the like...Businesses are losing millions of dollars a day and this is hitting hard on the heels of the dire impact of the global Recession...

These hotel workers may not look quite so concerned a few days ago, but now the crisis is really beginning to bite economically, and those running businesses are really beginning to question such restrictive measures. The government has so far stopped short of restricting travel or closing down the metro, but pesero and taxi drivers are now obliged to wear both surgical face masks and gloves if they wish to stay in business. Here are my local Delta Sitio taxi drivers all masked up and ready to drive....

When they start driving they have to don the surgical gloves as well...

Here is my masked taxi driver taking me to my apartment this afternoon, looking somewhat sinister, but with his rosary swinging beneath the driver's mirror...

WHO has reported tonight that the spread of the disease seems to have now stabilised... let us hope so... but even if this is the case the economic ramifications and consequences of this, as tourists are cutting short their holidays and fleeing the country, will be felt for a long time to come here in Mexico...

In the meantime, Mexico City feels and looks like it has morphed into some weird Science Fiction movie or even worse a perverted porno film. In light of this, do you think this guy, spotted at the Maco Art Fair last weekend, had any awareness of how he was presenting himself???

Is he offering us DF residents some brand new form of sexual service that promises to be out-of this-world to entertain us during this crisis?? Or is he merely worried about his own health and contracting the deadly disease?? Whichever - the irony of his statement seemed totally lost on him!!

Will keep you posted on whatever happens next here in Mexico City.....