Monday, September 15, 2025

‘We won’t die from coronavirus, we’ll die of hunger,’ says corporate head

The president of corporate conglomerate Grupo Salinas has declared that Mexicans will die of hunger rather than coronavirus if the government orders a lockdown to contain the spread of Covid-19.

After calling for support for President López Obrador – who just days ago urged Mexicans not to stop going out and supporting local businesses – Ricardo Salinas Pliego said that “bringing the economy to a halt” would cause large numbers of people to go hungry because they feed themselves and their families with their daily earnings.

“We won’t die from coronavirus but from hunger,” he said in a meeting with directors of Grupo Salinas companies, among which are TV Azteca and financial and retail firm Elektra.

“In Mexico, the vast majority don’t live on a salary, they don’t live from their savings nor from the government; the vast majority live day to day. … If the majority of the population stops earning income today, they simply won’t have anything to eat tomorrow,” Salinas said.

The businessman also said that a lockdown would trigger “crime” and “chaos,” as has already been seen in México state and Oaxaca with the looting of supermarkets by large groups of people.

Salinas went on to say that it is a shame that the streets, schools and parks are empty and that businesses are closed.

“This cannot be,” he said, adding that while Covid-19 is “very contagious,” it’s not particularly dangerous.

“You get it, you recover and you develop immunity. … It affects old people more and those who have existing health problems. Without a doubt this virus exists but it’s not highly lethal. We must forget this incorrect comparison that the virus equals death, it’s not true.”

Source: El Universal (sp) 

Have something to say? Paid Subscribers get all access to make & read comments.
Culiacan

Threats of violence cancel ‘Grito’ celebrations in Sinaloa and Michoacán 

1
Mexico City's Iztapalapa borough will also forego celebrations out of respect for the deceased and injured in last week's gas explosion.
Jarritos truck sticks out from a sinkhole on a street in Mexico City

Sinkhole swallows Jarritos delivery truck in Mexico City

0
At least eight families living near the sinkhole have been asked to leave the immediate vicinity while authorities seek to identify the cause of the 8-meter deep crater.
crash in Yucatán

Highway accident west of Mérida kills 16, injures 2

0
A freight truck carrying beer, a passenger transport van and a private vehicle were involved in the crash on the Mérida–Campeche federal highway near the town of Kopomá, Yucatán.
BETA Version - Powered by Perplexity