•MANDATE: Nearly all Mexicans (95 percent) support adopting of a universal mask mandate to prevent the coronavirus spread in public spaces, according to a new poll by Mexico City’s Reforma newspaper. A vast majority, 81 percent, would also agree for authorities to impose fines for non-compliance.
•APPROVAL: Just days after Mexico became the fourth country in the world to surpass 100,000 confirmed coronavirus deaths, the poll found that 51 percent of Mexicans believe that the number could have been less if the country had taken appropriate containment measures.
• AUTHORITARIAN: “I believe that the best thing is to raise awareness in the people and trust the people. No to authoritarian measures”, said President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, when asked about a mandate. Some Mexican states like Chihuahua and Nuevo León have recently adopted a mask mandate.
• FORECAST: The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington (IHME), Mexico could prevent at least 8,503 deaths in the coming months if the country adopted a universal mandate. Reforma’s poll was conducted via phone among 400 adults between November 20 and November 22.
