Another coronavirus casualty: Mexican fiestas

MEXICO CITY - In the old days, back when people could gather in large groups without fear, mariachi singer Nancy Velasco was the life of the fiesta.

She and her band would announce their arrival at social events in and around Mexico City with an eruption of trumpets and violins. Guests would go wild, embracing and sometimes weeping as they sang along.

But parties, like so many traditions taken for granted before the COVID-19 pandemic, are now on hold indefinitely here.

It may seem like a trivial loss in a country where COVID-19 has killed more than 47,400 people and the attendant recession has eliminated well