Subdued celebration in San Luis R.C.
Independence day to be observed virtually
SAN LUIS RIO COLORADO, Son. – For the first time in memory, residents won’t be able to gather in the city’s downtown plaza to celebrate Mexico’s independence day.
The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted the border city across Yuma County to stage a virtual observance of the holiday instead.
In past years, Benito Juarez Park and its adjoining cobblestone plaza brought together thousands of residents on the night of Sept. 15 for a celebration that featured live music entertainment, vendors selling items commemorating the holiday and children’s attractions. The fiesta ended with the Grito de Independencia, or Cry of Independence, the traditional recitation of the appeal made by Miguel Hidalgo, a Catholic priest, to Mexicans in 1810 to rise up against the country’s Spanish rulers.
This year, the celebration will be canceled, and the grito ceremony will be led by Mayor Santos Gonzalez from behind closed doors in City Hall and transmitted on the city’s Facebook page.
“The people will be able to see a live transmission of the Cry of Independence from their homes, on social media,” said Juan Pedro Morales, spokesman for the city. “The event is scheduled at 10 at night and only the mayor, his family and some officials will be there.”
Before the grito, Gonzalez is scheduled to deliver his informe, his annual report on the state of affairs of the city, to a reduced audience.
Previously, the report was delivered to hundreds of residents. This year, owing to efforts to contain the coronavirus, Gonzalez will deliver his remarks for a representative of the Sonora state governor and other dignitaries in a speech that will be closed to the public.
Also, the traditional independence day parade slated for Sept. 16 in San Luis Rio Colorado will be canceled.
Sonora Gov. Claudia Pavlovich has announced she likewise will perform the grito ceremony on social media rather than in a public gathering.
The changes in plans for independence day celebrations come as San Luis Rio Colorado and Sonora are seeing a downturn in COVID-19 cases.
Sonora recently dropped from orange to yellow, or moderate range, on the color-coded scale used by Mexico’s federal government to measure the COVID-19 risk in each of the country’s 31 states. From June through mid-July, Sonora was in the red range, denoting maximum risk of contagion.
The city has allowed the opening of restaurants and other businesses under restrictions and allowed visitors to return to the beaches of El Golfo de Santa Clara in limited numbers.