Mexican state brings back mask mandate as COVID numbers rise

FILE PHOTO: People wearing face masks walk along a street as Mexico City's authorities announce a full reopening of the city come Monday, the first time since the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, Mexico June 4, 2021. REUTERS/Edgard Garrido

A northern Mexican state reintroduced the obligatory use of face masks in closed public spaces, officials said on Monday, in a bid to reduce rising COVID-19 infections, as well as the spread of other respiratory diseases.

The health minister of Nuevo Leon state, home to Mexico's third-biggest city Monterrey, highlighted the updated guidelines in a news conference, and said that the measure will go into effect immediately.

Official figures show Nuevo Leon is one of the areas with the highest concentrations of COVID-19 in Mexico, with new daily cases ticking up to nearly 120 at the start of last week; the highest level since September.

FILE PHOTO: People wearing face masks wait at a traffic junction as Mexico City's authorities announce a full reopening of the city come Monday, the first time since the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, Mexico June 4, 2021. REUTERS/Edgard Garrido

Around 86% of the state's population have received at least one dose of a COVID vaccine, according to the latest figures, meaning the COVID risk is classified at "medium." Locally, the benchmark for a "low risk" environment is a 90% vaccination rate.

Mexico's federal government removed the recommendation to wear a face mask in open spaces in October, though it was never legally required.

(Reporting by Isabel Woodford; Additional reporting by Lizbeth Diaz; Editing by Aurora Ellis)