Extended Vacations / Healthcare System Progresses

Dignified Vacations Decree. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador signed the Dignified Vacations Decree on Dec. 26, 2022 and it will be published today on the Official Journal of the Federation (DOF). Starting 2023, the vacation days that Mexican workers are entitled to will double, from 6 to 12 days, as employee well-being continues to be prioritized. “Saint Benedict’s recommendation is [to dedicate] 8 hours to work, 8 hours to rest and 8 hours to think,” said López Obrador.

Migrants Arrive at Kamala Harris’s Home on Christmas Eve. López Obrador said that those who took buses of migrants to the house of US Vice President Kamala Harris were opponents. “It is a very inhuman attitude because it is a time of low temperatures. They dare to use the pain of people in favor of their xenophobia toward migrants and their political interests,” said López Obrador.

Respiratory Diseases on the Rise. Mexico racks up eight weeks of increases in COVID-19 cases. It is important to remain vigilant, said Deputy Minister of Health Promotion Hugo López-Gatell. In addition, influenza has recorded higher peaks than in previous years, after the period in 2020, when there was practically no influenza due to the isolation measures, he added. 

López-Gatell assured that there is no shortage of vaccines in the country. "There are enough and they have been acquired on time," he said.

Healthcare System Progresses. Director General of IMSS Zoé Robledo accused past administrations of 30 years of neglect toward the healthcare system. “Mexico became the champion of diseases that could have been prevented,” he said. However, López Obrador said that the country “is making a lot of progress” and it will soon have a similar healthcare system like the one in Denmark.

“By the end of next year, we will already have a public healthcare system similar to Denmark’s and it may be even better. We are going to guarantee a quality healthcare system for all,” said López Obrador, adding that in Denmark “there is no corruption like there was in Mexico.”