Mexican mariachis sing the blues amid pandemic

Each day Mariachi musicians gather at the Plaza Garibaldi in Mexico City to deliver songs with messages of love, hope or sadness to passersby who hire them to uplift their spirits. These street musicians get paid by the song or job and many must earn a daily pay to support their families.

But the new coronavirus has left many of these Mexican musicians singing the blues. The plaza, a place where Mariachi musicians traditionally tune up and wait to be hired, remained nearly empty on Saturday as people were in lockdown following the outbreak of coronavirus disease.

Mexico's government has broadened its shutdown of "non-essential activities" to the private sector and prohibited gatherings of more than 50 people to fight the spread of the new coronavirus. Miguel Cruz, a 60-year-old musician, said people distrust the news media, and that they are making people afraid.

He was feeling the results of it, he said. Cruz arrived at the square at noon but hadn't gotten any work by 8 p.m. Any other Saturday, he said, he would have already played between two-to-four deals by this time. Cruz usually arrives with five other musicians.

He was alone on Saturday because his colleagues were afraid to leave their homes. Mexico currently has 1,890 confirmed coronavirus cases, with 79 deaths.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death. The vast majority of people recover.