The other symptoms of the Coronavirus crisis: hunger, desperation

State will cover some basic costs for 2 months under contingency plan

A baker in Uman helps hungry people in the community. Photo: Google

The brutal economic impact of the coronavirus in Yucatan compelled at least one woman to offer her shoes in exchange for food.

Her sad proposition reflects the plight of countless workers whose source of income quickly dried up when the economy shut down. A local newspaper found many other examples of desperate, out-of-work citizens offering to exchange everyday goods for a meal.

In this case, a merciful bakery owner in the Piedra de Agua neighborhood of Umán offered the unnamed woman as much pan dulce as she wanted — no shoes required.

The D’Mary Panadería then broadened the invitation to anyone who is hungry.

Nearly half of all Yucatecans live in poverty, according to official figures, even before the population was urged to stay home to avoid COVID-19.

Yucatan Gov. Mauricio Vila Dosal announced that, as a coronavirus contingency, the state government will absolve needy families of drinking water and garbage collection bills for two months, and cut their electric bills by half if they maintain low power consumption. The plan reaches 507,000 homes, or 63% of Yucatecan households.

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