COVID-19: Mexico can’t let its guard down

Official numbers released by health authorities indicate a decrease in COVID-19 contagions and hospitalizations in the capital. Although the economic situation forced authorities to reopen certain businesses, Mexico City authorities are celebrating the fact that people are breaking with the transmission chain , as well as a decrease in hospitalizations and new infections.

These are great news that indicates the path to follow: testing to detect new cases, maintaining physical distancing measures, and promoting the use of face masks.

This also represents an achievement because, despite high contagion and death rates, the city’s health system and funeral services did not collapse. Until now, these two services continue working properly.

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Nevertheless, the population should not be overly optimistic regarding the positive results, for example, New Zealand authorities had to implement a lockdown after successfully handling the pandemic and not registering local COVID-19 cases for 102 days. Moreover, the positive results do not mean that the local government has controlled the pandemic; scientists have said the novel coronavirus is here to stay.

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador says Mexico is nearing the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, that health authorities are handling it properly, that new jobs are being created after a surge in unemployment, celebrates that more and more people are out on the streets and that there is a decrease in new infections. Therefore, the president refuses to implement a lockdown or reformulate the strategy used to fight COVID-19.

It seemed liked Mexico was winning the war against COVID-19 a month ago, but then it registered a surge in cases when physical distancing measures came to an end and when people started to dismiss health measures. Some people thought this was the end of stay-at-home orders and resumed their daily activities without any protection measures. Now it is more important than ever to be careful after registering positive results.

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