How the Coronavirus in Mexico Is Exacerbated by Inequality

“A governor declared that the disease was for rich people only and that it did not affect the poor. As such, how could we possibly expect Mexican citizens to react seriously to this pandemic when its government was behaving like this?”

As of today, Mexico is experiencing its 36th day of the coronavirus outbreak. The first reports of the disease came during one of the bank holidays in Mexico, commemorating the birth of the 19th century Mexican president Benito Juárez. During that weekend (March 14th-16th), many Mexicans decided to continue their long weekend plans. As such, one of Mexico’s most popular beach destinations, Acapulco, was full of tourists, and the hotels there boasted high occupancy rates. Countries such as Spain and the United States declared national emergencies that weekend, and many others—including Colombia, Peru and France took important measures like enacting quarantines and delaying the payments of taxes, rents, etc.—to help their countries focus on responding to the pandemic. However, from that weekend to the end of March, Mexico went from having 56 cases and one possible death to 1,215 cases and 29 deaths. The rate at which the cases are growing is approximately more than 100 per day, which puts Mexico on a similar trajectory as other countries currently swamped by the disease.

Mexico is not Spain—nor is it Colombia or the United States. We are a country of approximately 129 million people, where the gap between social classes is clear. People in Mexico have vastly different incomes and, consequently, ways of life. You can see a rich neighborhood like Santa Fe (in Mexico City) with its skyscrapers, luxury apartment buildings, gigantic malls, and prestigious colleges; yet, right next door is the old neighborhood of Santa Fe, where people live with barely enough to survive. These people—the people of the old neighborhood of Santa Fe—are the same ones that will soon acutely be living the coronavirus outbreak.

There has been much debate about the actions that the Mexican government has taken to face this pandemic. However, it is important to acknowledge that in Mexico there have been two responses to the pandemic: the one from the government and the one from the society itself. And when it comes to society’s response, the reactions have played out differently, with income level as a primary variable.