Venezuelan clown shifts towards virus awareness

A clown who once worked children's shows and birthday parties has had to reinvent his shows due to severe COVID restrictions in Venezuela's capital.

Jorge Felix Moreno now rides Caracas' public transportation system all day long performing magic tricks and clowning around for tips.

But 50-year-old Moreno also has a serious side, he gives passengers sound advice on the need to protect oneself against the virus.

"Please use the face mask," said Moreno to passengers on a recent bus ride through the southside of the city.

Moreno uses his skills as a clown to get through people in a funny way to raise awareness about COVID-19. He tries to be eloquent and fun about it rather than to give people a "boring speech".

Seven months of pandemic has wreaked havoc across Venezuela where most businesses were ordered closed and gatherings of more than a handful of people were prohibited.

Birthdays and other family celebrations suddenly disappeared and Tachuela, the clown no longer was getting the calls he had become accustomed to that paid his wages and put food on the table, forcing Moreno to find a new way to make a living.

Moreno has been a clown for 30 years and has no other profession, so after considering options of how he could survive during this pandemic, he decided to stick with what he knows best and took his show on the road riding an average of 10 buses per day for a total of 3 hours.

While not making as much money as he used to, Moreno says this new modality has helped him make do during the worst moment of his career.

But more importantly, he feels that his entertaining the people during these difficult times and offering messages of care and hope is the most important aspect of what he now does.

"I have always used my work to raise awareness. For instance, when I am crossing the streets and I see that a car ignores the red light, or they stop at a crosswalk I use my whistle. (Also) to help an elderly person cross the street, or a person with a disability" said Moreno.