MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico will double security and limit capacity at the monument known as the Angel of Independence and at a fan festival in Mexico City’s main square for Sunday’s Mexico-England match. World Cup match after four people died during the celebrations following Mexico’s win over Ecuador earlier this week.
Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada announced the measures on Friday, unveiling a pre- and post-match safety plan following the deaths of four fans from suffocation and cardiac arrest.
As the host city of the World Cup and together with the team moving further than 40 years, Mexican fans poured into the streets to watch games and celebrate their victories after being kicked out of stadiums. exorbitant ticket prices. Mexican authorities assured viewers that the country is safe and the fact that they took every precaution after the February attack in Guadalajara following the death of a cartel boss has raised concerns.
The decision to tighten security came after two women, aged 19 and 44, and a 48-year-old man died of asphyxiation on June 30 in the streets near the central Paseo de la Reforma. Emergency services also treated a 25-year-old man for epilepsy, seizures and gastrointestinal bleeding. The man soon died in hospital from cardiac arrest.
The Mexico City Attorney General’s Office has opened an investigation into the four deaths, which is still ongoing.
Brugada told the press that on Sunday admission to the Independence Monument, commonly known as the Angel, and the Zocalo will be free, but for everyone’s safety, capacity will be limited.
Mexico City Public Security Minister Pablo Vázquez announced that only 25,000 people would have access to the Angel Monument, a popular place for fans to celebrate the team’s victories. Once this limit is reached, fans will be redirected to other areas along Paseo de la Reforma, where several screens will be installed to watch the game and celebrate.
A similar procedure will be applied to the Zócalo, the city’s main square, where access will also be closed once capacity is reached. Visitors will then be invited to go to one of more than 50 designated viewing areas throughout Mexico City to watch the game.
Security along Paseo de la Reforma will be reinforced by 6,000 officers, double the number deployed on June 30, Vázquez explained. There will be 7,500 police around the Azteca stadium and 3,300 in the Zocalo.
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Vázquez explained that a security perimeter will be established in the area near the Angel of Independence to control the flow of people. Street vendors and delivery drivers will not be allowed. The strategic closure of metro and metrobus lines near Paseo de la Reforma will also be implemented.
Mexico City Government Secretary Cesar Cravioto announced that from the early morning of July 5 until the next day, the sale of alcoholic beverages on the streets of the city center will be prohibited. Consumption will be allowed only in banquet halls, restaurants, hotels, private clubs, cinemas, theaters and auditoriums.
The city’s civil protection minister, Miriam Ursua, urged fans to avoid crowd games that have become popular, including “I Want to Fly!”, where people are thrown into the air and caught by the crowd, and “Let’s Float!”, where the crowd approaches in unison to a song popularized by the character Dory in the Disney film “Finding Nemo.”
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