Authorities in Acapulco, Guerrero, broke up at least three large events in the city over the weekend, obliging over 700 people to return to their homes to continue to mitigate the spread of Covid-19.

The ISSSTE and IMSS social security hospitals in the city are both reaching close to 90% capacity, prompting Mayor Adela Román Ocampo to announce that the facilities were on the verge of collapse on Friday.

Federal Epidemiology Director José Luis Alomía announced on Saturday that Guerrero has now surpassed Mexico City as the entity with the highest hospital occupancy rates in the country.

He warned that the state will see its highest number of infections in the week to come, with Acapulco as its epicenter. His calculations estimate that May 30 will be the most critical day of the pandemic in the resort city.

Over half of the cases in the state — 619 of 1,175 — are in Acapulco, as have been at least 31% of the deaths, with 53 of the 170 who have died of Covid-19 in the state so far. Such numbers have led authorities to order the digging of 300 new graves in the city’s El Palmar cemetery to handle the influx of burials.

The dismal stats didn’t stop at least three large parties, which were broken up by municipal authorities on Saturday night and early Sunday morning.

They sent over 400 people home from a quince años party, thrown to celebrate a young girl’s entrance into womanhood at the age of 15, while another 200 were forced to leave a wedding. Officials broke up at least one other large party that night as well.

The municipal government also announced that it has had to force the closure of bars that have refused to suspend service during the pandemic.

State Health Minister Carlos de la Peña Pintos said that the two primary hospitals in Acapulco treating Covid-19 patients were at 89% and 85% capacity as the city braced itself for the worst of the virus.

The hospital dealing with the coronavirus in the state capital Chilpancingo is at 80.6% occupancy. The one in Taxco is at 37.7% and the hospital in Iguala is only at 25%. Average hospital occupancy statewide is at 70%.

Source: El Universal (sp)