Since the Covid-19 pandemic, only a handful of countries around the world have never closed their borders and are open to all visitors, mexico is one of them.
Now, Mexico is once again ahead of the rest of the world, making the remarkable decision to officially recognize Covid as an endemic disease and ending Mexico's famous Covid color warning system.
Throughout the pandemic, the Covid color warning system classifies different states as green, yellow, or red based on the trends in each state's pandemic. The darker the color of the state, the more social restrictions are expected. Now, the system is officially and completely obsolete.
"The Covid pandemic will officially end in Mexico on May 1"
Since April 25, Mexico has stopped classifying federal states according to pandemic color markings, marking the end of all surviving pandemic guidelines more than two years after the virus first appeared. Since that day, Mexico has stopped issuing new Covid recommendations and stopped recommending hygiene measures.
Deputy Minister of Health Hugo López-Gatell
Hugo Lopez-Gatell, Mexico's deputy minister of health, one of Mexico's leading authorities on COVID-19 management, said reporting on the epidemiological situation in the states and their subsequent classification would be discontinued and the current warning system would end on May 1.
New reports will not appear after 1 May, so the 13th outbreak report (between 18 April and 1 May) will be final. At that time, all 32 states in Mexico will be given "green" status according to the government's new approach to Covid management.
In other words, in Mexico, Covid is still a virus, just like all other widely spread viruses. Lopez-Gettle was quoted as saying that the coronavirus "is not going to go away" and that it is time to "move on from the pandemic." It's like the flu. For respiratory viruses, it is characterized by fluctuations and changes. In the hot season, the infection rate decreases, while in the cold season, the infection rate rises. Covid-19 will most likely start to behave this way, but that's how we live, and if we have high levels of immunity, the impact will be smaller.
Extended reading: Will COVID end forever? Forgotten epidemics may tell us https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s?__biz=MzU3OTAzNTcxNA==&mid=2247507712&idx=1&sn=b0fdfacd090a506b59ba6b6fe1bf3ff4&chksm=fd6ea82dca19213ba13cc5fd7d05998ae80b92340949b623b7ea5cf63a41207617e616f26b5e&token=981513031&lang=zh_CN#rd
Overall, Mexico has never been a country that targets travelers or takes drastic measures to deal with the virus, unlike many countries in Europe or Asia that have only recently begun to reopen their tourism industry. Mexico has kept its borders open even during Omicron's darkest months and has welcomed visitors from the start of the outbreak, regardless of vaccination status.
"Mexico claims to be the freest country in the world now"
As of May 1, strict Covid tracking and authorization will be a thing of the past. Mexico's actions during the Covid era have indeed established a unique position and a good international image for them in the world.
Lopez-Geiter also reminded the public that while masks have always been optional in most destinations in Mexico, Mexican states have full autonomy in Covid measures, such as Jalisco, which still mandates the wearing of masks. Therefore, when traveling to Mexico, foreigners must check out the latest guidelines for the destination.
"Mexico is the safest since Covid"
What is endemic disease? According to the Definition of the World Health Organization, an epidemic can only be declared if a country manages to suppress the virus and keep it at the lowest possible level. High vaccination coverage of the adult population, as well as minimal deaths and transmissions, are equally relevant markers. In the near term, Mexico is in line with these criteria.
The current outbreak in Mexico is that hospital occupancy remains at 2%, adult vaccination coverage is 90%, with an average of 4 deaths and 292 cases per day in the past 14 days, with an incidence of 2.8 infections per 100,000 inhabitants.
With the decision, Mexico has also opened universal vaccination registrations for minors aged 12 years and older since April 28, making it possible for all minors to receive the Covid-19 vaccine.