López-Gatell was photographed over the weekend in what appears to be a beachfront restaurant in the Mexican state of Oaxaca, in the seaside town of Zipolite, ideal for tourists. The images quickly went viral on social media.
He can be seen sharing a table with a woman. He is not wearing a mask, which is not mandatory while sitting in restaurants that are allowed to open.
Another viral photo from a few days earlier also showed López-Gatell in an airplane aisle using his cell phone, the mask pulled down from his nose and chin.
Traveling through Mexico is currently unrestricted, so the deputy health minister did nothing illegal while traveling, although he disrespected his own guidance and that of the local authorities.
Many in Mexico are furious at the apparent hypocrisy of the Johns Hopkins-trained epidemiologist, whose message of Quédate en casa, or Stay at Home, has become a familiar expression. Since the beginning of the pandemic, López-Gatell has given evening press conferences widely broadcast in Mexico, in which he urges people to wear masks properly and practice social detachment.
Online, people expressed anger that López-Gatell was traveling at a time when the medical team is under so much pressure. “When thousands of doctors did not see their families in Mexico or died, when tens of thousands of health professionals cannot dream of taking a vacation, a picture emerges,” wrote Xavier Tello, a health policy analyst in Mexico City.
In the hard-hit Mexico City, almost 30 public hospitals report that they have reached 100% capacity, while many others are approaching that mark. The metropolis returned to the Red Alert, the country’s largest coronavirus alert indicator, more than two weeks ago. This forced many companies to temporarily close in the middle of a mandate to cease all non-essential activities until at least Sunday. Even so, the undersecretary of health traveled from Mexico City.
A Mexican government source confirmed the authenticity of the photos. The Ministry of Health did not respond to requests for comment, but López Gatell is expected to address the incident at a news conference Monday night at 8 pm EST.
Recently confirmed cases and deaths have steadily increased across the country since the beginning of October, with recent daily figures being some of the highest in the pandemic. More than 127,000 people have been killed by the virus.
Asked about Lopez Gatell’s travels, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said reporters should refer these questions to the undersecretary, but he seemed to justify the trip.
“He has been working hard, fulfilling his responsibilities,” said López Obrador. “It is good that there is this public scrutiny, but civil servants also have rights.”