Coahuila Governor Miguel Riquelme hosted a big birthday party for one of his employees Saturday in spite of a prohibition against such festivities, according to a report by the newspaper Reforma.
The event took place in the city of San Juan de Sabinas and was attended by Mayor Julio Long, Saltillo Mayor Manolo Jiménez, and various other mayors and political dignitaries from around the state.
The party was in direct violation of state and municipal decrees. On Friday, a committee headed by Jiménez asked citizens to report large social events and parties that put public health at risk.
Saturday’s birthday party, held for Riquelme’s chief of staff, Lauro Villarreal Navarro, was revealed when Mayor Jiménez posted images of the festivities — which he later deleted — on WhatsApp. In the photos, guests are neither wearing masks nor maintaining a safe distance.
In one photo, Riquelme can be seen with Jiménez, businessman Urbano Santos, and Monclova Mayor Alfredo Paredes, whose city was in the news in April for having the largest outbreak of Covid-19 in Mexico at the time.
According to the federal health ministry, the state has had 8,995 confirmed Covid-19 cases since the beginning of the pandemic, and 1,339 are currently active. According to the state, 80% those active cases are concentrated in six municipalities, including Saltillo, Torreon, and Monclova.
