Mexico president refuses face mask after Covid-19 recovery
- President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador returns to public life after weeks of treatment
- Mexico’s virus death toll is the third-highest in the world, according to Johns Hopkins data
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Monday said he would not wear a face mask after his recovery from Covid-19, in spite of widespread support from top officials and the public for the measure.
“No, no,” the president said. “Additionally, according to what the doctors say, now I’m not contagious.”
When first asked on Monday whether he would set an example by wearing a mask, he skipped the question and instead launched into a polemic about his adversaries trying to thwart him.
The popular president is a strong advocate of free speech, and has used his daily morning news conferences to pillory opponents. Some critics argue he is unwilling to do anything that might make him look like he was being muzzled.
Unlike many of his top officials, Lopez Obrador has shunned face masks throughout the pandemic. His attitude, however, goes against the grain of Mexican public opinion, which is overwhelmingly of the view that wearing one is useful, polls show.