Mexico’s official COVID-19 death toll reached over 100,000 on November 19, 2020, making it the fourth highest in the world. The actual figures are expected to be even higher.
To reduce the spread of the virus and save more lives Mexico City, the capital of Mexico, implemented a ban on alcohol sales in half of its 16 municipalities last weekend and will implement the alcohol sales ban on the other half next weekend.
Since June 2020 the government of Mexico has been gradually relaxing COVID-19 restrictions which they instituted in the end March 2020.
Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum said that the capital was “at the limit” of its current status of orange under the traffic light system of COVID-19 restrictions. A return to the red zone would mean suspension of all non-essential activities in the capital.
The Mayor appealed to the citizens to cooperate with the restrictions in order to reduce hospitalizations in the capital.
Limiting alcohol availability is recommended by the World Health Organization during COVID-19 lockdowns. Alcohol – which is generally consumed in social settings – undermines COVID-19 preventive measures such as physical distancing and protective mask use. In addition, reasons for reducing alcohol availability during the pandemic include:
- Alcohol weakens the immune system making people more susceptible to infections such as coronavirus.
- Alcohol is a risk factor for many non-communicable diseases (NCDs) which are known to lead to more severe progression of coronavirus infection and increase risk of death from COVID-19.
- Alcohol-related diseases, injuries and accidents place avoidable strain on the healthcare system and emergency services which are at capacity due to the pandemic.
