Life is a beach.
The health officer who led the COVID-19 response in Mexico was photographed on an unmasked vacation by the sea, ignoring his own advice to “stay home” during the pandemic.
Dr. Hugo López-Gatell, undersecretary of health, was spotted in photos relaxing at a beach resort in southern Oaxaca, about 800 kilometers from his home in Mexico City, the Los Angles Times reported.
He was seen in a photo outdoors at a beachside bar with a woman – none wearing a mask.
In a second photo, he was captured talking on a cell phone with his mask hanging below his chin – during a crowded flight from Mexico City.
López-Gatell had flown on New Year’s Eve to the beach destination – taking a break from his nightly press conferences where he provides updates on the pandemic and frequently urges residents to “stay home,” reported the LA Times.
Critics criticized his trip as the country faces one of the highest coronavirus mortality rates.
“He’s traveling at the worst of the pandemic,” wrote political writer Denise Dresser on Twitter, the LA Times reported.
“He is far from where he should be: with health personnel, running the vaccination campaign, setting an example.”
López-Gatell on Monday defended his trip, saying he had “nothing to hide”.
“I went to visit very close relatives, good friends, and we were in a private home during the end of the year,” he said, Mexico Daily News reported.
He also acknowledged that he had already visited the restaurant, where he was photographed without a mask – but stressed that he was not breaking any rules there, as the cases are lower than in other regions.
He went on to say that some of the criticisms of his trip were politically motivated.
“In the electoral context, it is clear that different political forces want to benefit, want to create demons and create enemies to position themselves,” he said, the vehicle said.