Nine Mexican States Reinstate Mask Mandates as Measles Cases Surge

Mexico City — At least nine Mexican states have reinstated mask mandates in response to a surge in measles cases, which have reached 8,575 confirmed infections from 2025 through February 6 of this year, according to data from the Health Ministry.

The states of Mexico, Jalisco, Veracruz, Hidalgo, Morelos, Baja California, Baja California Sur, Zacatecas, and Aguascalientes have reintroduced the health measure, which was first imposed nationwide in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic and remained in place until October 2022, when the health emergency officially ended.

While mask use is not universally mandatory in all these states, authorities in the State of Mexico, Jalisco, and Veracruz have made it compulsory in elementary schools, daycares, government offices, and healthcare facilities.

State-Specific Measures

In the State of Mexico, masks became mandatory yesterday across all educational levels. Schools have also implemented health controls, including non-contact temperature checks and rapid clinical observation by staff. Students with a temperature above 38°C, red rashes, red eyes, cough, or white spots inside the mouth must be isolated, and health units must be contacted for evaluation and possible testing.

Jalisco also made masks mandatory yesterday in its 7,157 primary and secondary schools. State Education Secretary Juan Carlos Flores Miramontes justified the move, noting that measles cases have appeared in 43 schools, primarily in the municipalities of Tlaquepaque, Tonalá, Guadalajara, and Zapopan. Five schools suspended entire shifts, while others isolated one or two groups.

Jalisco has recorded 1,910 measles cases so far. The State Health System and education sector aim to contain outbreaks within 30 days, especially in the Guadalajara Metropolitan Area. State and municipal governments in Jalisco also implemented mandatory mask use in offices and enclosed spaces starting yesterday.

In Veracruz, the Health Sector announced that mandatory mask use will resume next week at the University of Veracruz Hospital—part of the Comprehensive Health Care System (SAIS UV)—and at daycares operated by the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS). Some elementary schools have already required masks for about a week and have asked students to bring hygiene kits with spare masks, antibacterial gel, and soap. They also encourage frequent handwashing and “cough etiquette.”

In Aguascalientes, Baja California, Baja California Sur, Hidalgo, Morelos, and Zacatecas, mask use is recommended for those with symptoms or who have been in contact with an infected person.

Vaccination Campaigns Intensify

Elsewhere in the country, state governments and public universities—such as the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), the University of Guadalajara, and the Autonomous University of the State of Mexico (UAEMéx)—have launched intensive vaccination campaigns to contain the infection, as most cases involve unvaccinated individuals.

“Among confirmed cases with available information, 78 percent were not vaccinated, and in 11 percent the vaccination history was unknown,” the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) stated in a health alert for the Americas published last week.

In Mexico City, the government plans to set up more than 300 vaccination points at health centers, 64 modules in public transportation systems—including 50 stations across the 12 lines of the Metro, Metrobús, and RTP—and in high-traffic areas like high schools and universities, Chapultepec Park, the Zócalo, and the Angel of Independence. Each of the city’s 16 boroughs will have at least one central module with extended hours until 11:00 p.m. to accommodate working residents.

Health authorities urge people to get the Triple Viral vaccine—which protects against measles, rubella, and mumps—with the first dose primarily for children aged one to six years, and the second at 18 months up to age six. For those aged six to 49, the Double Viral vaccine (measles and rubella) is available to complete unfinished vaccination schedules or for individuals without a record of receiving the vaccine.