A traffic light scheme
Despite the first cases of COVID-19 being confirmed by the end of February 2020, it was not until a month later that a National Health Emergency was declared by the government, with critics stating that the risks had been downplayed during the first weeks of the outbreak. A general quarantine lasted until mid-May, when a period gradually aiming at a “new normal” was declared until the beginning of June. From that month on, a “traffic light” scheme was implemented. The system, still in place today, consists of four colors which stand for different contingency plans based on a series of epidemiological indicators. A choice of color or plan is reviewed regularly for each municipality and state.These contingency measures, though necessary for limiting the spread of the disease, have had serious sanitary, social, and economic consequences in the Latin American country. While some impact can already be measured in indicators such as Mexico’s GDP, and unemployment rates, the full reach of this multifaceted crisis is yet to be estimated and will likely differ between regions and sectors. Families, however, have experienced firsthand the consequences since the beginning of the pandemic, with challenges going from economic and household-related concerns, to physical and mental health problems.
