Puerto Vallarta (PVDN) – Hugo López-Gatell has declared that Mexico is no longer in a state of health emergency due to COVID-19, and as a result, all pandemic-related measures sanctioned by the General Health Council will be discontinued.
The cessation of the original decree, enacted on March 23, 2020, which announced the health emergency related to COVID-19, was confirmed by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, stated López-Gatell during a morning press conference.
The Undersecretary of Health mentioned that Mexico has been ready for the removal of the COVID-19 emergency declaration for quite some time. A significant factor in this decision was the high level of immunity achieved against the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the country, which stands at 95% according to the Ministry of Health.
The revocation of the emergency status follows shortly after the World Health Organization (WHO) did the same due to the global decline of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. This virus has been responsible for almost 7 million deaths globally, according to official statistics.
In a statement, WHO Director, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, highlighted that COVID-19 has permanently altered our world and us. He asserted that if we revert to pre-COVID-19 norms, it would signify a failure to learn from the crisis.
However, he emphasized that this decision shouldn’t be mistaken for complacency against the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Governments need to transition from emergency response to disease management, as per WHO’s recommendations. Their data suggests a global COVID-19 related death every three minutes.
In Mexico, the Ministry of Health has reported that the pandemic continues to subside, with a weekly average of six deaths and 890 COVID-19 cases recorded between April 23 and 29. The official toll of SARS-CoV-2 related deaths in Mexico since March 2020 stands at 333,913.
The Ministry’s declaration is somewhat symbolic, as nearly all commercial, educational, and recreational activities in Mexico have already resumed without restrictions, such as requiring a negative test for the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
Globally, the narrative surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic is shifting. The United States is planning to end its emergency declaration on May 11, which will also terminate the compulsory vaccination requirement for incoming air travelers.
In Mexico, some preventive measures, like mandatory face masks in hospitals and health centers — a rule that President Andrés Manuel López Obrador initially resisted — remain in effect.
Puerto Vallarta (PVDN) - Hugo López-Gatell has declared that Mexico is no longer in a state of health emergency due to COVID-19 . . .
