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PULSE NEWS MEXICO

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) said Wednesday, June 1, that, after careful scientific and medical analysis, his administration will most likely suspend the use of Daily Savings Time (DST) in Mexico.

The decision, which comes on the heels of the U.S. Congress voting in March to make Daylight Savings Time permanent starting in 2023, was based on the fact that there tends to be a higher incidence of heart attacks and strokes during the change of time in fall and spring.

“Studies have shown that the (energy) savings resulting from Daylight Savings Time are minimal and the potential damage to health is considerable,” AMLO said during his daily press conference on Wednesday.

López Obrador went on to say that the estimated savings from DST are about a billion pesos a year nationwide, an amount that could be compensated for by “turning off two lights.”

“Regardless of the economics, it is proven that it affects health,” he said.

On Sunday, May 29, most of the United States resumed Daylight Saving Time, moving ahead one hour, and will resume standard time in November.

Mexico generally follows suit two weeks later.