Precautions and Fear

Here's the scene from a department store in Torreón. El Universal is reporting that there are a dozen suspected cases of swine flu in Torreón and Saltillo, which I'd not heard as of this morning, and probably has something to do with the schools being closed. I can't help myself from analyzing every physical sensation in any part of my body (Is that a headache or did I just sleep on it wrong? Do my eyes hurt or is it just because I was reading with my glasses on?) every half an hour or so, to see if anything I am feeling corresponds with the symptoms. So far, thankfully, nothing. 

The whole city, and I suspect the country, has a really odd vibe right now. It's a fear nothing like that provoked by drug violence. When, for instance, eleven people were killed in one night in February, rumors careened around the city about upcoming and just occurred gunfights, and people mostly stayed in their homes for the next couple of days. Then, the fear was one of anger. People were pissed at the gangs and the police and the mayor and the president. Today, rumors are flying and people are mostly staying indoors, but there's no anger, because, thus far, it doesn't seem as though anyone as screwed up, so there's no easy villain. Instead, it's more of a mix of fear and novelty; the whole thing came out of nowhere, and seems more like a movie plot than something we are actually living. The fear also has a fleeting quality to it; everything outside appears normal (other a slight diminution of activity), and it just seems so far-fetched that a flu epidemic could bring our world to a stop, so it's easy to let your mind wander to other concerns. But then you check the news or your email box, and the reminders are many.