MEXICO CITY – Mexicans expect President Andrés Manuel López Obrador to recover quickly from Covid-19, although many believe he could have prevented the infection if he had more strictly followed the government’s own health advice – and wore a face mask .
López Obrador’s diagnosis on Sunday ended the deadliest week of the coronavirus pandemic in the country, with the fourth highest number of deaths in the world.
“He was not taking care of himself, he always walked without a mask and did not respect social distance,” said Mexico City garbage collector Luis Enrique Flores, passing his cart through a wall full of government posters asking people to wore masks.
López Obrador, who stopped smoking after a heart attack in 2013, insists he is careful and followed the recommendations of his coronavirus secretary, Deputy Health Minister Hugo Lopez-Gatell, when asked why he does not wear a mask.
Opinion polls show that the majority of Mexicans approve of his health crisis management, and his popularity has at least improved in the pandemic, during which he kept a busy schedule and continued his travels through Mexico.
However, his aversion to wearing a mask is at odds with public opinion, polls suggest.
A July survey by the El Financiero newspaper showed that 86% of Mexicans wearing felt masks helped prevent the spread of Covid-19, while almost nine out of ten said they always used one when leaving home, a study by the Consultation Mitofsky polls on Monday.
“He should take better care of himself, he should wear a mask because he never wears it at his press conferences,” said Noe Méndez, a street vendor in Mexico City.
Only when flying does the president actually be seen wearing a mask. But his decision to board a plane on Sunday, a few hours before revealing that he owned Covid-19, raised criticism that it was undermining the government’s own message.
Marisol González, who runs a food stall in the capital, said that many ordinary Mexicans had to do much more to keep themselves safe and their businesses running.
Mexicans are increasingly concerned about access to health care as the pandemic extends to hospitals, but Reina Luisa Hernández, a massage therapist whose livelihood was hampered by the pandemic, said the president will receive the kind of care “not available for vast majority of Mexicans. “
Others expect the president to learn from his experience.
“It is good that he knows how it feels, how people are suffering,” said Teresa López, editor of a digital magazine. “Now he must take a more rigid approach.”
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