López-Gatell was photographed at the weekend at what appears to be an oceanfront restaurant in the Mexican state of Oaxaca, in the beach town of Zipolite, for tourists. The images quickly went viral on social networks.
He can be seen sharing a meal with a woman. He does not wear a mask, which is not required while sitting in restaurants with permission to be open.
Another viral photo a few days earlier showed López-Gatell in an airstrip using his cell phone, mask pulled under his nose and chin.
Traveling to Mexico is now largely unlimited, so the Deputy Minister of Health did nothing illegal while traveling, although he violated his own instructions and those of local officials.
Many in Mexico are convinced of the apparent hypocrisy of the Johns Hopkins-trained epidemiologist, whose message Stay home, or Stay home, has become a household expression. Since the beginning of the pandemic, López-Gatell has held large-scale nightly press conferences in Mexico, urging people to wear masks properly and practice social distancing.
Online, people have expressed anger that López-Gatell would travel at a time when medical staff are under such pressure. “When thousands of doctors have not seen their families in Mexico or have died, when tens of thousands of health professionals cannot dream of taking a vacation, a photo comes,” wrote Xavier Tello, a health policy analyst. from Mexico City.
In Mexico City, nearly 30 public hospitals reported reaching 100% capacity, while many more are approaching that mark. The metropolis returned to Red Alert, the highest warning indicator for coronavirus in the country, more than two weeks ago. This has forced many companies to temporarily close in the middle of a mandate to cease all non-essential activity until at least Sunday. And yet the deputy health secretary traveled from Mexico City anyway.
A Mexican government source confirmed the authenticity of the photos. The Ministry of Health did not respond to requests for comment, but López Gatell is expected to address the incident in a press conference on Monday evening at 20:00 EST.
Recently confirmed deaths and cases have risen steadily across the country since early October, with the recent daily number being one of the largest pandemics. More than 127,000 people have been killed by the virus.
Asked about Lopez Gatell’s travels, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said reporters should ask these questions to the deputy secretary, but they appeared to justify the trip.
“He worked extremely hard, he fulfilled his responsibilities,” López Obrador said. “It is good that there is such public control, but civil servants also have rights.”