In Mexico, President López turns any issue into low politics by reducing it to the simplistic guilt of the past, his other data, or the media plots against him. It does not matter if they are health, financial or international politics, he always refuses to analyze them, ponder his strategies (that is to say) or consult real experts. This has had deadly consequences in terms of safety and health.
Now that we are experiencing the fourth wave of COVID with more than 25 thousand new infections, the president and his health secretary López Gatell (the other is an ornament, sadly) are consoled with the fact that yes, there are more infections, but how is it? of a less lethal variant, there are no kills. On the morning of January 6, AMLO even said that there are no deaths.
Perhaps it is time to clarify the contexts. Yesterday Thursday, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director of the World Health Organization (WHO), said: “Although omicron appears to be less severe compared to delta, especially for vaccinated people, it does not mean that it should be classified as mild.” He added that it is causing deaths and “overflowing” hospital services. In other words, less serious does not mean harmless, as our authorities seem to believe.
How are they reacting in other latitudes? In Europe, the end of the year was marked by increased restrictions. Some countries, such as Switzerland and France, put mandatory vaccination on the table. In Italy (90% vaccinated) all public New Year’s Eve celebrations were canceled and face masks became mandatory abroad. Additionally, a series of preventive measures were announced in long-distance transport, local public transport, cinemas, theaters, museums and sporting events. Other countries imposed less severe measures, such as partial closures and the use of face masks abroad, but did not interfere with the mandatory vaccination. The United States considered, in principle, not to close activities.
However, this week that is about to end, record numbers of infections were registered: in the United States, more than a million in a single day; France and the United Kingdom reached about 300,000 and more than 200,000, respectively. Australia, which had been effectively defending itself against contagion, counted 50,000. In these cases, these are countries with a large part of their population vaccinated. Infections have reached record numbers worldwide in recent weeks.
Again, the WHO points out that the enormous circulation of omicron opens the risk of it mutating to more aggressive varieties, in addition to putting pressure on hospital services globally. The debate on the mandatory nature of vaccines, international restrictions on travelers, the carrying of special papers to circulate on public transport or enter places such as restaurants or museums is retaken with force. Of course, protests against these measures are intensifying. The debate is not easy and it is affecting leaders like Macron, among others.
In Mexico there is no debate. The government seems determined not to shut down any social or economic activity. Nor will it impose the obligation of vaccination or the use of a mask. Come on, there is not even concern about an increase in hospitalizations or the effects of minors. Let us remember that vaccination has only been opened for those 15 years and up. The government continues to use vaccines politically and refuses to carry out more tests. Claudia Sheinbaum boasts that 50 daily exams are carried out in the free testing centers for each site, something clearly insufficient, but it helps that the statistics are not worse.
Except in social networks, some opinion columns and few media, there is no significant pressure for the López government to change its policy. Perhaps only from the outside there is real pressure for it. I think that the majority of the population, including businessmen and merchants, do not want the obligation of anything or the closure of large or small establishments. The closing months were very hard and there is the belief that the government is handling the COVID-19 pandemic well, this according to all the surveys reviewed. The motto of a good part of the population seems to be: you have to close your eyes and take risks.
Covid changes lives. This is something that does not seem to be weighted properly. Families that have lost one or more of their members have been seriously affected. A good number of survivors of the pandemic suffer sequelae that could accompany them for life. And no, the government has not done a good job, but most Mexicans do not seem to care enough to demand that López Obrador modify his policy.
Reference-www.eleconomista.com.mx