Before the switch from orange to red traffic light in the state of Guanajuato, today, places such as cantinas, bars, casinos, and nightclubs in San Miguel were already closed—taking a step ahead in sanitary measures—now health protocols for the end of the year remain to be determined. 

After the change in color was announced, Atención spoke with President Luis Alberto Villarreal. He said that those that need to close have been closed from the beginning, and that those who decided to temporarily and extraordinarily change their business to restaurant bar, have been subjected to protocols and rules dictated by the authorities. “Nothing changes. We have anticipated these measures,” he stated, “Despite the fact that at the federal or state level the colors have changed, they are not easy to make sense of: there are orange traffic lights that seem redder and reds that even seem green. San Miguel has been able to maintain itself with very low per capita indices nationally and internationally, even with the growing number of deaths and infections.”

This, assured the president, is because city officials have been clear and consistent; people have not been lied to. The pandemic, he continued, “has been terrible, devastating, painful, complex. Speaking with the truth and being consistent in the narrative has allowed us to be where we are, and it will allow us to stand up and move forward.”

For the end of the year holidays there is a ban on mass events and he is working with the health authority to determine other extraordinary measures. For now, on Dec. 31, the first square of the city will be closed off to pedestrian traffic starting at noon and will not reopen until 2 p.m. on Jan. 2. “More than prohibiting, [the point is to] avoid concentrations of people, as was done on the day of el grito (independence day).” Finally, he invited locals to take good care of themselves, and visitors to have more respect for Sanmiguelenses and the city.