The coronavirus epidemic has been controlled in Mexico thanks to the containment measures put in place by health authorities and the public’s general compliance with them, President López Obrador said on Sunday.

“We’ve been able to control the epidemic; instead of it taking off as has unfortunately happened in other places, the growth here has been horizontal and this has allowed us to prepare very well in order to have everything that is needed [in terms] of medical equipment and specialists,” López Obrador said in a video message posted to social media.

The measures put in place to contain the spread of Covid-19 – such as the suspension of all nonessential activities – have ensured that hospitals have not been overwhelmed with coronavirus patients, he said.

López Obrador said that 70% of beds set aside for the treatment of Covid-19 patients are currently unoccupied, although some hospitals in Mexico City and Tijuana have seen the demand for their services increase significantly amid the worsening outbreak.

The president also said that his administration will provide financial assistance to thousands of low-income families so that they can add extra rooms to their homes, adding that a range of infrastructure projects such as roadworks and drainage repairs will be carried out in 50 highly marginalized municipalities. The projects will help to reactivate the coronavirus-battered economy, López Obrador said.

The president’s remarks came a day after he announced a 10-point plan that he said would benefit all Mexicans, including those of the middle and upper classes.

In another video message, he acknowledged that Mexico’s economy would take a hit from the coronavirus epidemic but pledged that the situation will improve quickly.

“There will be a quick return to normality … to the wellbeing that matters to us most,” López Obrador said.

The 10-point plan that will allow that to happen, he said, consists of eliminating corruption; reducing government expenditure; guaranteeing people’s freedoms; establishing an authentic rule of law; creating an environment of peace with justice; not raising taxes; not increasing the price of fuel; lowering interest rates; investing in infrastructure projects; and taking advantage of the new North American free trade agreement, which is set to take effect on July 1.

López Obrador again highlighted that his government will provide 3 million loans to poor and middle-class Mexicans to help them through the coronavirus-induced economic downturn and renewed his pledge to create 2 million new jobs this year.

The government will distribute a huge amount of money to citizens to strengthen domestic consumption, he said.

“The people must have money so that they can buy goods, above all essentials; food, clothes, whatever is most needed.”

Source: Milenio (sp), La Jornada (sp)