Updated May 15, 7 pm

UPDATE MAY 12: The Governor of the State of Jalisco has announced that all businesses may reopen on May 13.

UPDATE MAY 8: Puerto Vallarta is now shut down until May 18. The original closure was lifted for 2 days and then reinstated. Bars, clubs and public events are closed or canceled but restaurants and “essential” businesses are open.

NOTICE: The city of Puerto Vallarta has announced the closure of all night clubs and bars in the Centro and Old Town areas from April 26 until May 18 as a precaution against the spread of swine flu. Many events are also canceled.

Please contact ANY event ahead of time to see if it is still being held.

Concerning the following “official” regulations, consider that there are many variances and loopholes and individual businesses may have situations different than the general.

• All Vallarta schools closed until May 6
• Clubs and bars in Old Town and Centro closed until May 4. Some bars and clubs are open north of Centro. Some bars are open if they also have restaurant licenses.
• Movie theaters closed until further notice
• Taco stands in Old Town are Closed
• Restaurants are open but must close by midnight and may serve only 2 alcoholic beverages to a customer.
• The May Day parade (May 1) is canceled
• Political campaigning is curtailed (general elections are on July 6)
• The Beach Soccer Qualifier is canceled
• The May 2 BlueshineTrip Rave postponed

APRIL 29

• There is visual screening of passengers at the airport and bus stations
• Any May Festival activities are postponed or canceled
• All events of the Cultural Department of Puerto Vallarta are canceled or postponed. The traditional Vallarta May Fiestas will begin May 9.
• Buses and cabs are now being “disinfected” with bleach at the beginning or end of each shift. Drivers have been issued masks but use is voluntary.
• All visits to any prison in Jalisco are suspended until May 6 (try not to get busted between now and then…)

APRIL 30

• Don’t tell the authorities, but many bars and restaurants are not honoring the 2 drink limit…
• At least 2 bars/restaurants on Olas Altas have been closed down by the Reglamentos for “violations” of the rules. They apparently had been turned in by a neighboring bar. You may still drink at the neighboring bar that remains open, if you wish.
• According to Reglamentos, if a restaurant is serving alcohol, it can do so only if food is ordered also. This rule is in effect until May 4.
• No alcohol may be served at beach restaurants after 7 pm
• Many government offices closed from May 1 to May 5 for the triple holiday weekend

MAY 1

• All 70 May Fiesta Events have been canceled.
• The Filippa Giordano Concert on May 9 is postponed to an unspecified date.
• No more than 30 people can gather at any one time and restaurants may serve no more than 100 customers at one time
• The Mexican Secretariat for Communications and Transportation has announced enhanced health screening for all international passengers departing Mexico from the following six airports: Mexico City (Benito Juarez), Guadalajara, Monterrey, Cancun, Cabo San Lucas, and Puerto Vallarta. Any passengers displaying obvious flu-like symptoms may have their temperature taken by health officials; tests for the H1N1 virus may then be administered to those with fevers. Passengers with high temperatures or testing positive for the H1N1 virus will be denied boarding. All passengers should allow ample time for any delays the new health screening may add to the check-in process at the airport. At this time, the Embassy does not know of any plans to expand this screening to other airports or to arriving passengers, but the traveling public should be alert to this possibility. Other than the health screening, neither the U.S. government nor the government of Mexico has imposed any restrictions on travel between the U.S. and Mexico.
• Government Announcement closing Federal offices and some businesses from May 1 to May 5
• The 2009 Vallarta Altruism Festival on May 24 has been canceled. Ticket refunds are available.

MAY 2

• There are now roadblocks at all major highways into Puerto Vallarta and people with out of state license plates are being stopped and ordered to fill out a questionnaire like the one used in the airport.

MAY 3

• Lots of partying in the colonias
• Not many people still wearing masks

MAY 4

• Mexico Health Secretary Jose Cordova says most economic activity will resume Wednesday, May 6, ending a five-day National closure of nonessential businesses to stop the spread of the new virus.
• Puerto Vallarta looks and feels quite normal except the big clubs are still closed and the City Government seems to be out of town.
• WHO advises no restriction of regular travel or closure of borders.

MAY 5

• Clubs and Bars may legally reopen Thursday, May 7
• University and high schools will reopen May 7. Primary grades and daycare will reopen Monday, May 11
• No new flu-related deaths in Mexico have been recorded since April 29.

MAY 6

• 15 cases of H1N1 flu were confirmed in Guadalajara from samples taken on April 29. All cases are now recovered and healthy.

MAY 8

• All bars, clubs, public meetings, schools, and places of entertainment closed again until May 18, by order of the Governor of the State of Jalisco. (ANNOUNCEMENT)
• WHO is not recommending travel restrictions related to the outbreak of the influenza A(H1N1) virus.
• Restaurants may serve alcohol only with food and may remain open until 2 am instead of the State suggested midnight
• The City Government of Vallarta will be open from May 11 on.

MAY 9

• Two verified cases of the flu have been found in Vallarta
• Cars heading north on Hwy 200 are being stopped at the Nayarit border and occupants are asked about flu symptoms. The average number of people “channeled” for further testing is about 1 per day (out of 60,000 who pass through the roadblock).

MAY 12

• The Governor of the State of Jalisco has authorized the reopening of all types of businesses in Puerto Vallarta on May 13. Schools will stay closed until May 18. LINK to SOURCE

MAY 15

• CDC Travel Health Warning for Novel H1N1 Flu in Mexico Removed
  This information is current as of today, May 15, 2009 at 16:46 EDT

  CDC’s Travel Health Warning recommending against non-essential travel to Mexico, in effect since April 27, 2009, has now been downgraded to a Travel Health Precaution for Mexico.

  CDC has been monitoring the ongoing outbreak of novel H1N1 flu in Mexico and, with the assistance of the Mexican authorities, has obtained a more complete picture of the outbreak. There is evidence that the Mexican outbreak is slowing down in many cities though not all. In addition, the United States and other countries are now seeing increasing numbers of cases not associated with travel to Mexico. Finally, the risk of severe disease from novel H1N1 virus infection now appears to be less than originally thought.

“Hay medicina, hay cura, hay sicosis”
Panic, fear and hysteria are real the dangers now.
Lo siento.

LINKS (HINT: The United Nations WHO websites are the most accurate):

• Local Medical and Legal Updates of the Flu (Banderas Bay News)
• Official State of Jalisco Flu Information Website
• UN WHO Disease Outbreak News
• Official Emergency Regulations of the State of Jalisco (in Spanish)
• National Emergency Regulations of May 1, 2009
• US CDC H1N1 Flu Website
• UN WHO Swine Flu Website
• Mexico Gov online forum on the Flu (in Spanish)
• Interesting Article on the Source of this Flu