COVID-19: Is this the right time to re-open the country? 

Although the whole of society wishes the COVID-19 pandemic was over and while it is essential to resume economic activities amid the increasing number of companies closing and the loss of jobs , it seems like the federal government wants to re-open the country exactly when it is entering the most critical stage of the pandemic. The strategy to resume economic activities is prompting many to wonder if it is too soon to return to our daily lives and if Mexico will apply tests to guarantee there are no future outbreaks and to make sure those who have recovered from the illness are now immune .

According to experts, resuming economic, educational, and social activities should only take place if there is a certainty the virus won’t spread as quickly, something that is only possible through massive testing ; otherwise, the outlook won’t be clear, as in the case of the Sentinel Surveillance model, which makes projections through the application of a statistic model fed by a few thousand COVID-19 cases and the extrapolation of results to millions of cases; however, the health of those millions of possible COVID-19 carries is unknown, as well as their habits, which could drive them to spread the virus. The situation could be even worse in Mexico if the government is hiding the real numbers and deaths, as suggested by a foreign newspaper.

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Nevertheless, the federal government hasn’t applied massive testing , as suggested by national and international organizations, to corroborate that resuming economic activities won’t result in a new outbreak . Now that the government is moving towards the re-opening of the country, a few states have questioned the three-phase strategy and announced they will not resume their activities until they are sure the worst part of the pandemic is over.

The federal government announced some areas will resume their activities following a three-phase scheme, however, the reach and limits of these strategies are not clear; therefore, Mexico must prevent a new public health crisis sparked by COVID-19 and to turn the issue into a political feud between the federal government and state governments. If Mexico got together to face this crisis, what people expect is not to rush to re-open the country , otherwise, the situation could turn catastrophic thanks to a quick and reckless decision.

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