Mexico street artists and vendors worry about virus-hit future

Yussel GONZALEZ, AFP•March 24, 2020

Street musician Luis Valdovinos is seen in Mexico City, where increasingly empty streets are making it harder for him to make a living (AFP Photo/ALFREDO ESTRELLA)

Mexico City (AFP) - Before the coronavirus pandemic struck, Luis Valdovinos was earning about $12 a day playing his barrel organ in the streets of Mexico City.

Now, it's taking him a lot longer to make that much money.

The streets of the Mexican capital are emptying out with each passing day, as residents become more and more aware of the need to practice social distancing to curb the virus's spread.

For performers like Valdovinos, such measures are threatening his livelihood.
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"Some people have money (to offer), and the rest of them can go to hell," said the 46-year-old, whose instrument creates a somewhat ominous drone that fits the mood of a city in fear.

"All of Mexico is afraid. Businesses are closing. Unfortunately, those of us who live off the streets every day are the ones who are hit hardest."

Valdovinos is part of the whopping 56 percent of all Mexicans who work in the informal economy. No taxes, no social security, no safety net.

Many of those people live day to day, and simply cannot work from home, as tens of millions of people around the world with typical office jobs are able to do.

"Those who cannot have a 'home office' run a greater risk of suffering the economic and social consequences of this public health crisis," said the advocacy group Citizen Action Against Poverty.

"Their low income and list of needs make these people the most vulnerable in a virus pandemic scenario that requires quarantining and social distancing," the group said.

- 'No other choice' -

Gabriel Gonzalez is facing many of the same problems as Valdovinos.

The 42-year-old Gonzalez is a street clown -- he specifically dons the make-up of the sinister Pennywise from Stephen King's "It."

Before the coronavirus crisis erupted, he could count on making about $40 a day in fees paid by tourists wanting to take pictures with him.

Now, he's making 10 times less than that, as the mega-city of more than 20 million people turns into a virtual ghost town, and tourists are scarce.