Covid-19 death toll rises to 332; northern states close borders to outsiders

By

-

April 14, 2020

Mexico’s coronavirus death toll rose to 332 on Monday after health authorities reported the passing of 36 Covid-19 patients, while the number of confirmed cases of the disease increased by 353 to 5,014.

Health Ministry Director of Epidemiology José Luis Alomía said that hypertension, diabetes and obesity continue to be the most common existing health problems among those who have died.

Just over 11% of Covid-19 patients who have died had a history of smoking, 10% had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, 7% had kidney problems, 6% had cardiovascular disease, 4% had asthma and 4% had compromised immune systems.

Men account for 70% of the 332 fatalities, while women account for the other 30%. The fatality rate is 6.62 per 100 confirmed cases but 14.6 among those aged 60 or older.

Of the just over 5,000 people in Mexico confirmed to have Covid-19, 58% are men and 42% are women. Two-thirds of those infected have not required hospitalization while the other one-third have. Just over 19% of Covid-19 patients are in serious condition in the hospital and 4% have been placed on ventilators.

In addition to the confirmed cases, Alomía said that there are 9,341 suspected Covid-19 cases across the country and that 37,395 people have been tested for the disease.

The epidemiologist presented a table showing that 879 of the people suspected to have Covid-19 are in the hospital in stable condition, 1,022 are in serious condition and 145 are in critical condition on ventilators. The other 7,295 people possibly infected with coronavirus have less serious symptoms and are recovering at home.

Alomía also said that 84 people suspected of having Covid-19 have died, meaning that Mexico’s death toll from the disease could be as high as 416.

The Health Ministry said last week that the real number of coronavirus cases in the country was probably more than eight times higher than the number of confirmed cases, meaning that more than 40,000 people in Mexico now likely have Covid-19.

With cases of the disease rising steadily, Mexico’s health system is set to come under greater pressure as the number of health workers infected with Covid-19 continues to increase.

Mexican Social Security Institute Director of Medical Benefits Víctor Hugo Borja said Monday that the salaries and benefits of public health workers working directly with Covid-19 patients will increase by 20% throughout the duration of the epidemic.

As the outbreak has worsened, many municipal and state governments have implemented stricter measures to reduce the spread of Covid-19, such as restricting the entry of outsiders.

The governments of the northern border states of Coahuila, Tamaulipas and Nuevo León have now taken the decision to bar the entry of most outsiders, as has that in the Pacific coast state of Nayarit.

Coahuila Governor Miguel Ángel Riquelme said that people who arrive from other states and don’t have an important reason to enter will be prohibited from doing so. The same restriction will apply in Nuevo León and Tamaulipas.

Riquelme said that he and his counterparts in those states came to an agreement to restrict travel in order to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus that has infected 361 people in Coahuila, Nuevo León and Tamaulipas.

Among those who will be allowed to enter are people providing an essential service or seeking emergency health care, he said. The governor also said that there will be restrictions on people’s movements between Coahuila’s 38 municipalities.

In Nayarit, Governor Antonio Echevarría ordered the closure of that state’s borders with Sinaloa and Jalisco. Most confirmed Covid-19 cases in Nayarit (there were 25 as of Monday) have been introduced from those states, he said.

Source: Reforma (sp), Milenio (sp)

Mexican airlines running at 15% capacity; threat of bankruptcy looms

By

MND Staff

-

April 13, 2020

0

The situation is bleak for Mexico's airlines.

Mexican airlines are operating at just 15% of their capacity due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), a situation that could lead some into bankruptcy if no government support is forthcoming.

Peter Cerdá, IATA vice president in the Americas, told a virtual press conference on Monday that Mexican airlines stand to lose almost US $5.3 billion in income between March and May as a result of the drastic downturn in demand for air travel.

If the government doesn’t provide financial support for the airline sector, some carriers will be at risk of collapse, he said. That would pose a threat to Mexico’s connectivity with the rest of the world, Cerdá added.

The IATA official also said that almost 97,000 direct jobs and 437,000 indirect ones will be at risk of disappearing if the federal government doesn’t help the airline industry through the current crisis.

Cerdá said that the IATA has written to federal authorities on four occasions to ask for assistance for the sector but has not received a response.

“We don’t see any support for the airlines from the Mexican government,” he said, charging that the authorities have shown a lack of leadership.

Cerdá stressed that financial assistance for the sector is especially important because Mexico depends on tourism for a substantial portion of its GDP. Governments of countries that depend less on tourism revenue have already announced packages to support airlines, he said.

The IATA, which represents some 290 airlines around the world, is also seeking discounts on the taxes and fees Mexican airports charge airlines to land, take off and park their aircraft. In addition, it is seeking to buy more time for airlines to make aviation fuel payments to the state oil company Pemex.

During Monday’s press conference, Cerdá predicted that the airline industry will be very different at the end of the coronavirus crisis than it was at the start. He suggested that the government’s airport project at the Santa Lucía Air Force Base north of Mexico City should be put on hold because demand for air travel will remain low for months and the industry won’t fully recover for years.

“We’re going to talk about it [with the government],” Cerdá said.

For its part, the government has said that the airport project, and its other large infrastructure projects, will help to create 2 million jobs by the end of the year and thus contribute to reactivating the coronavirus-battered economy.

Source: El Universal (sp), El Financiero (sp)

Health workers file 28 complaints against aggression, discrimination

By

MND Staff

-

April 13, 2020

0

Healthcare workers have come under attack.

Public health workers have filed at least 28 complaints after being subjected to attacks, discrimination and verbal abuse as they risk their lives caring for Covid-19 patients.

Nurses have been attacked with hot coffee, eggs and bleach, barred in some cases from using public transit and faced a barrage of verbal abuse from members of the public as Mexico’s coronavirus crisis continues to grow.

“You are the focus of infection,” “you are Covid” and “you’re contaminated” are just some of the insults that have been directed at health workers, according to a report by the newspaper El Financiero. One worker received a blunt threat from an unidentified person: “If I had a gun, I’d kill you.”

In Oaxaca, an official with the State Workers’ Social Security Institute spat at doctors and nurses and coughed in their direction after testing positive to Covid-19, El Financiero reported.

In the Sierra Norte region of the same state, four doctors and six nurses were reportedly rounded up and held against their will last week on the orders of a local mayor. According to local media, some businesses in the same area have refused to sell basic goods to medical personnel while a female doctor was evicted from a room she rented because she was allegedly “contaminated.”

Oaxaca and Jalisco, where the drivers of some public buses in Guadalajara have stopped nurses from boarding, have seen the highest number of violent incidents but aggression and verbal abuse has also been reported in at least eight other states and Mexico City.

Members of the public acted aggressively towards staff at one hospital in the capital as they tried to forcibly remove a family member suspected of having Covid-19, while the personnel of another were attacked by a person seeking to enter the facility to say goodbye to a loved one who had succumbed to the disease.

In San Luis Potosí, a nurse suffered two fractured fingers during a physical attack. Nurses have been the main target of aggressors but at least five doctors and one paramedic have also been attacked.

Deputy Health Minister Hugo López-Gatell last week demanded that the attacks and harassment stop, declaring that law enforcement authorities will seek to punish those responsible.

He said on Saturday that the National Guard is helping to keep medical personnel safe by providing security at health care facilities before ruling out any possibility of “militarizing the country” during the coronavirus crisis.

Source: El Financiero (sp)

Jicama is a versatile vegetable but make sure it’s fresh

By

Janet Blaser

-

April 13, 2020

0

Serve jicama raw or cooked, as in a stir fry.

I don’t know about you, but jicama is another one of those things I’d never heard of or even seen before I moved to Mexico. Even then, at first I ignored the round, bumpy tubers piled up at the mercado and little tiendas in my neighborhood.

At some point curiosity got the better of me and I began to buy one now and then, carefully peeling off the paper-thin skin and cutting it into thin sticks to munch on. Inside it looks like a potato, but is sweet, crispy and juicy, like a firm pear.

That was about all I ever did with jicama until a friend served a salad that included shredded jicama and I saw what I’d been missing.

In my opinion the most important thing to know about this member of the bean family is how to pick fresh ones. Once they’re a little old, the crispy, sweet, juicy flesh gets stringy, tough and kind of tasteless. This was something I didn’t learn until one of the farmers at the Mazatlán Mercado Orgánico (whose nickname is, appropriately, “The Jicama Guy”) had me taste jicama that had just been dug that morning. All I can say is – wow! What a difference than the store-bought ones!

The name jicama comes from the Náhuatl word xīcamatl. It’s sometimes called the “Mexican turnip” or yam bean, although it’s really like neither of those in flavor or texture. The plants produce pretty flowers and then bean pods (which are poisonous and used in the making of insect poisons!), but the edible tubers themselves grow underground.

Make sure you buy jicama fresh for the best flavor.

Jicama plants require a long, nine-month growing period and do not tolerate frost or cold. They’re inexpensive and readily available all over Mexico; just try to find the freshest ones possible for the best flavor.

Jicama, cut into sticks, can be kept in a container of water in the fridge for a tasty, calorie-free snack. Creative chefs are also using paper-thin slices of jicama in place of tortillas for tacos and wraps.

Apple-Jicama Slaw

½ small head green cabbage, cored and thinly sliced
½ large jicama, sliced into matchsticks
1 apple, sliced into matchsticks
½ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup pineapple or apple juice
1 tsp. white sugar
Hot sauce to taste
Salt & pepper
Chopped fresh cilantro

Place cabbage, jicama and apple in a large bowl and toss. In a separate bowl, whisk mayonnaise, juice, sugar, hot sauce, salt and pepper in a bowl until smooth and fluffy. Pour mayonnaise mixture over cabbage, jicama,and apple; add cilantro and toss to combine. Let sit for 5 minutes.

Jicama & Pepper Stir-Fry

When making a stir-fry, always cut the veggies the same size and thickness, so they cook quickly and uniformly. Feel free to use what you’ve got on hand: carrots, asparagus, celery, mushrooms – whatever!

1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
½ medium onion, cut into wedges
1 tsp. grated fresh ginger
2-4 cloves garlic, minced
2 green, yellow or red bell peppers, cut into thin strips (2 cups)
1 jicama, peeled and cut into 2x ½ -inch pieces (about 1-1/3 cups)
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. fresh limón juice
1 tsp. toasted sesame oil
2 tsp. toasted sesame seeds
Optional: 1 cup cooked cut-up chicken, pork or tofu

Pour cooking oil into a wok or large skillet. (Add more cooking oil as necessary during cooking.) Preheat over medium-high heat. Sauté onion, ginger, and garlic in hot oil for 15 seconds. Add sweet peppers and jicama; stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add protein, if using, and heat through. Add soy sauce and sesame oil; sauté about 2 minutes more or until peppers are crisp-tender. Sprinkle with limón juice and top with sesame seeds.

Jicama Mango Salad

Great as a side dish, or serve on fish or shrimp tacos.
1 large jicama, peeled & cut into matchsticks
1 red bell pepper, cut into matchsticks
1 mango, peeled & cut into matchsticks
½ red onion, cut into matchsticks
½-1 fresh jalapeño, minced

Dressing:

½ cup chopped cilantro leaves
2 limes, juiced
¼ cup honey
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. cayenne

Toss jicama, red pepper, mango and onion together in a large bowl. In another bowl, mix together cilantro, lime juice, honey, salt and cayenne. Pour cilantro mixture over the jicama mixture and toss gently to coat. Refrigerate, covered, for at least 15 minutes to blend flavors. – AllRecipes.com

Baked Jicama Fries

These won’t get as crispy as fries made with potatoes, but they taste good nonetheless. Serve with a creamy dipping sauce or guacamole.

2-3 jicama, peeled and cut into medium-sized fries
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp fresh limón juice
Salt & pepper to taste
1/8 tsp. chile powder
1/8 tsp. onion powder
1/8 tsp. paprika

Preheat oven to 400 F. In a small bowl, combine spices. Gently toss the jicama fries with the oil and lime juice, then sprinkle with the spice blend. Spread fries evenly on a baking sheet, making sure they’re not crowded or they’ll steam and get soft instead of crispy. Bake for 20-25 minutes, flip, and bake for 15-20 minutes. Serve immediately. –Huffpost.com

Janet Blaser of Mazatlán, Sinaloa, has been a writer, editor and storyteller her entire life and feels fortunate to write about great food, amazing places, fascinating people and unique events. Her work has appeared in numerous travel and expat publications as well as newspapers and magazines. Her first book, Why We Left: An Anthology of American Women Expats, is available on Amazon. Contact Janet or read her blog at whyweleftamerica.com.

Tourism minister announces 300-million-peso post-virus campaign

By

Susy Buchanan

-

April 13, 2020

0

tourists on beach — Promotion is intended to lure them back.

In 2019 Mexico was one of the top 10 most visited countries in the world, drawing some 44.7 million visitors to its beaches, cities and historical sites.

And although due to coronavirus 2020’s outlook looks decidedly grim, Miguel Torruco Marqués, head of Mexico’s Ministry of Tourism, is hoping he can revive this essential industry once the coronavirus epidemic has subsided.

It’s a somewhat daunting endeavor that will take time and patience.

“In these times of health crisis, it is of utmost importance that as a country we send a message of unity and empathy to the world, and from today we focus on being ready for when the recovery phase begins,” Torruco said.

Mexico has, after all, been through tough times in the past, he stated, recalling the H1N1 swine flu in 2009 which decimated the tourism industry and from which it took some 32 months to get back to pre-2019 visitor levels.

"Mexico Love You Soon"

Watch this video on YouTube

One of the videos in the promotional campaign.

To that end, the tourism minister announced a three-phase, 300-million-peso (US $12.68 million) marketing campaign to keep Mexico on the minds of potential visitors.

The first, “immediate” phase revolves around the theme of “see you soon,” including a sweeping YouTube video, the first of several the ministry has planned, promising potential visitors that Mexico will be waiting for visitors when they are ready to come back.

“In times of crisis, Mexican people have proven that working together, federal, state and municipal governments, private sector and citizens are able to overcome any adversity,” wrote Torruco on the ministry’s YouTube channel on March 20. “I invite you to circulate this video among your contacts with the aim of encouraging the spirit and commitment of the Mexican tourism sector. This video is the first of several that will be released through the media as part of a campaign designed to show the strength of our great nation and maintain our leadership in tourism.”

“The journey is within us” is the theme of the second phase, where the marketing message will remain one of subtlety and empathy, as nations are expected to be emerging from the pandemic at different times.

Some markets targeted for the campaign include the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Italy, France, Germany, Spain, Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Chile, Australia, China, Japan and South Korea. The ministry is also looking to attract strategic audiences such as youth, families, couples, businesses, the luxury market, LGBT and Baby Boomers.

National tourism from within Mexico will also be encouraged.

The final, “recovery” phase will be more of a hard sell and a call to action reminding people in those targeted markets that “Mexico needs you.”

“A diverse grid will be created to provide content to people in their homes and so that Mexico continues to be present and on the top of the mind of international travelers,” said Torruco as he tries to salvage what was, in 2018, a US $22.5-billion industry.

Source: Noticaribe (sp)

OPEC+ agrees to Mexico-US deal to reduce oil production

By

MND Staff

-

April 13, 2020

0

Energy Minister Nahle: 'unanimous agreement.'

The group of 23 oil producing nations known as OPEC+ agreed to cut production by 9.7 million barrels per day (bpd) in May and June after reaching an agreement with Mexico.

In a Twitter post on Sunday afternoon, Energy Minister Rocío Nahle said that the 23 countries had reached a “unanimous agreement” to reduce supply in order to stabilize prices as demand for oil plummets due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The cut, which includes 2.5-million-bpd reductions by both Saudi Arabia and Russia, will reduce global oil supply by about 10%. OPEC+ initially asked Mexico to reduce its production by 400,000 bpd but the government refused.

President López Obrador said on Friday that the group subsequently lowered its request to 350,000 bpd. To help Mexico comply, the United States agreed to cut its oil production by an additional 250,000, he said.

In turn, Mexico committed to reducing its output by 100,000 bpd, an amount that represents 5.5% of daily production in March.

United States President Donald Trump told reporters on Friday that the U.S. would “help Mexico along, and they’ll reimburse us sometime at a later date when they’re prepared to do so.”

He said that the United States would cut production by 250,000 to 300,000 bpd in May and June. The Energy Ministry of Azerbaijan, one of the 10 countries that joins the 13 core OPEC members to form the larger group, said that that the United States would compensate for Mexico by making an additional 300,000 bpd cut.

The deal is a diplomatic victory for Mexico even though Trump indicated that he expects something in return. López Obrador had charged that the cut asked of Mexico was unfair considering that its production is much lower than some other OPEC+ members and that it is only just starting to recover from a prolonged decline in crude output.

Foreign Affairs Minister Marcelo Ebrard praised Nahle for her role in reaching Sunday’s agreement.

“Very good work Rocío Nahle, defending the interests of Mexico and at the same time facilitating an agreement to stop the decline of oil prices. The strategy designed by President López Obrador worked. Good news,” he wrote on Twitter.

Source: Milenio (sp), Reforma (sp)

Doctors warn of ‘ticking time bomb’ as citizens ignore safe distance measures

By

MND Staff

-

April 13, 2020

0

The Nueva Viga market in Iztapalapa, Mexico City. — The Nueva Viga market in Iztapalapa, Mexico City, on the weekend.

Doctors at hospitals in several México state municipalities have warned of a “ticking time bomb” as many citizens ignore the government’s social distancing recommendations amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Doctors in municipalities including Tlalnepantla, Ecatepec, Tecámac, Nezahualcóyotl, La Paz and Chalco – all of which are in the greater Mexico City metropolitan area – told the newspaper El Financiero that many residents don’t accept that Covid-19 even exists or don’t follow the recommended health measures, such as staying at home, because of their precarious economic situation.

Markets are crowded with people, street food stalls and small restaurants known as fondas continue to attract large numbers of customers, public transit is full, children are playing in the streets and locals are holding parties, they added.

It’s like there is no health risk at all, the doctors said, describing the gatherings as “large focuses of infection.”

The doctors charged that municipal authorities are not doing enough to warn people about Covid-19 and its risks and as a consequence residents are continuing to work, go shopping and eat outside their homes as if coronavirus didn’t exist.

Some patients with the telltale symptoms of coronavirus, such as fever and a dry cough, are not tested for the disease and therefore their illnesses are not classified as Covid-19, they said. The doctors also said that their hospitals lack equipment, medicines and personnel to give adequate treatment to coronavirus patients.

“This situation turns these marginalized areas into a ticking time bomb that could explode very soon,” they told El Financiero.

“After Mexico City, we’re the state with the most cases. … The problem will be huge without the reorganization of hospitals, without [enough] ventilators.”

Mónica Bautista, a federal deputy who represents México state, said that the doctors’ demand for more personal protective equipment (PPE) has not been met. The lack of PPE is the cause of Covid-19 infections among medical personnel in the state, she said, adding that the director of the emergency department at the La Perla hospital in Nezahualcóyotl lost his life to the disease.

Bautista, a lawmaker with the Democratic Revolution Party, was also critical of the fact that some doctors are earning a fortnightly salary of just 8,000 pesos (US $340). The doctors themselves said that about 20% of those employed at public hospitals in several México state municipalities don’t even have a contract and as a result cannot access benefits including free medical care.

Although President López Obrador claimed on Saturday that “the vast majority” of Mexicans are doing the right thing and staying at home as much as possible, the picture painted by the México state doctors tells a very different story.

Deputy Health Minister Hugo López-Gatell also contradicted the president, stating Saturday night that social distancing recommendations are not being adhered to as the government would like in some parts of the country.

“Schools were closed on March 23 and that was the most solid contribution to the healthy distance [initiative] because from one day to the next about 15 million stopped traveling [on the nation’s streets]. The suspension of the remainder of [nonessential] activities was added later but … it hasn’t been fully respected,” he told reporters at the nightly coronavirus press briefing.

López-Gatell called on state health authorities and governors to take the necessary decisions and implement the operations required to ensure that the social distancing rules are upheld.

A stricter “stay at home” rule to limit the spread of Covid-19 took effect in Sonora on Monday and Nuevo León Governor Jaime Rodríguez Calderón said Friday that his government was also considering the option of using the police to ensure people comply with the order not to go out.

Although he said on March 31 that the commencement of the government’s social distancing initiative should soon result in a decrease in the number of coronavirus cases reported on a daily basis, López-Gatell said Saturday that it was still too soon to know the impact of the measures put in place.

Confirmed cases of Covid-19 have continued to rise steadily in April and the total is now approaching 5,000. Just under 300 people in Mexico have lost their lives to the disease, which has now killed close to 120,000 people around the world.

Source: El Financiero (sp), El Universal (sp)

Fishermen in Oaxaca give away their catch to needy families

By

Cody Copeland

-

April 13, 2020

0

Fishermen deliver free fish to residents of Puerto Escondido.

Fishermen in Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, have begun to donate their catches to people in marginalized neighborhoods who have been the hardest hit by the economic effects of Covid-19.

The president of the Oaxaca State Fishing Alliance, Anselmo López Villalobos, said he and his fellow fishermen are doing it with an “attitude of solidarity” inspired by President López Obrador, who called on people to help the neediest in society during the crisis.

“While some fish, others empty nets, others cart the fish off to put it on ice and from there distribute it,” he said.

López said that many low-income residents in Puerto Escondido have come to rely on the donations as their main or only source of food during the Covid-19 crisis.

The municipal government of San Pedro Mixtepec, in which the popular tourist destination is located, is subsidizing the effort by covering the cost of fuel for the fishboats.

Alliance members are also donating fish to citizens in San Pedro Pochutla and Salina Cruz, located farther down the coast.

Fishermen in the latter city said they are prepared to give up to 240 tonnes of fish per month to those in need, a monthly donation valued at 10 million pesos (US $421,000).

“We will keep doing this as long as the circumstances allow us to,” said López, who added that he even wants to expand the program as far inland as Oaxaca city.

And to ensure that the circumstances allow him to carry out the initiative he is asking the state and federal governments for a 2.5-million-peso (US $105,000) donation to mobilize more boats in the alliance’s fleet.

“That investment is nothing for the federal and state governments,” he said.

Sources: NVI Noticias (sp), Net Noticias (sp)

Governor orders indefinite suspension of alcohol sales in Sinaloa

By

Cody Copeland

-

April 13, 2020

0

Governor Ordaz: 'We have to take care of you.'

Sinaloa has become the second state to enact a dry law to prohibit sales of beer, wine and spirits due to the Covid-19 emergency.

Governor Quirino Ordaz made the announcement in a video posted to his Twitter account on Sunday, justifying the measure as a means “to avoid people continuing to get together in large concentrations in their homes” during the Easter Week holiday.

“Just imagine if we had thousands and thousands of people on the beaches, with people who neither feel nor know they are sick. This would have generated a really regrettable situation for all Sinaloans in the next few weeks,” he said.

Still, there are some who continue to gather for family and private events which, Ordaz said “shouldn’t happen, because we have to protect your health and that of our community.”

He also announced that restaurants in the cities of Culiacán and Navolato will be closed to diners. Only take-out and delivery service will be allowed.

Fears of increased rates of domestic violence and alcohol’s popularity among gatherings of people have prompted a number of state and local governments across the country to restrict alcohol sales in one way or another during the Covid-19 crisis.

Tabasco is the only other state to restrict all sales of alcohol.

Ordaz said the suspension of alcohol sales is indefinite and would take effect today (Monday).

“It will be until further notice as we go along watching the numbers, how they change, how they improve,” he said, assuring citizens that the decision was made “because we have to take care of you.”

Sinaloa currently has 236 confirmed and 246 possible cases of Covid-19, and 26 people in the state have died as a result of infection.

Source: Eje Central (sp)

By staying at home, Mexicans setting an example for the world: AMLO

By

MND Staff

-

April 13, 2020

0

López Obrador commended Mexicans for staying at home, one day after thousands of people descended on fish markets.

The behavior of Mexicans in response to the coronavirus crisis is setting an example for the world, President López Obrador said on Saturday.

“I want to thank the people a lot, all Mexicans; the behavior of the majority of Mexicans, the vast majority, is really exemplary because you’re following the [social distancing] recommendations to the letter – not going out, staying at home, looking after ourselves, keeping a healthy distance,” he said in a video message posted to social media.

López Obrador said that Guerrero Governor Héctor Astudillo told him that the beaches of Acapulco were empty on Good Friday and Easter Saturday, adding “here in Mexico City, [people’s] movement is minimal and I have reports like this from the whole country.”

Things “are going well for us, despite everything.”

However, Deputy Health Minister Hugo López-Gatell said on Saturday that social distancing recommendations “are not being respected by everyone” and called on state governments to help enforce the measures.

“In some states we are seeing progress … but above all in the northern area of the country there are many factories still operating …” Businesses not engaged in essential activities were supposed to close during the month-long emergency period that comes to an end April 30.

The “most important thing” for now, the president said, is to overcome the health crisis. Confronting the economic crisis will come later, he added.

“Have confidence that we’re doing things in a professional manner, with a lot of responsibility to protect our people. The main aim is to save lives, … the economic recovery will come later,” López Obrador said.

“Mexico has a lot of strengths, … it is being revealed that we have united, fraternal families. … This great institution, the Mexican family [is] the most important social security institute in the country. [We have] exemplary people, we’re providing a lesson to the world with our behavior,” he said.

“I know it is a sacrifice [to stay at home] but this is going to give us good results, we’re going to save lives. Those who lose their lives are not numbers; any human who loses his or her life should pain us,” López Obrador said.

Without any qualifications to his claim, the president said that Mexico is among the 10 countries with the fewest Covid-19 cases and coronavirus-related deaths, an assertion that is incorrect on both counts.

Among around 180 countries with at least one case of Covid-19, Mexico had the 37th highest number on Monday morning, according to data complied by the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. The Sunday tally of 296 deaths placed Mexico below just 23 other countries in terms of fatalities.

López Obrador’s claim that people’s movement is minimal is also misleading. Hordes of people descended on seafood markets including the Nueva Viga market in Mexico City and the Mextepec market near Toluca, México state, on Good Friday, while some citizens didn’t heed the call not to travel over the Easter weekend.

There was an exodus of Guadalajara residents to the coastal resort city of Puerto Vallarta, the newspaper Milenio reported, while many Mexico City dwellers traveled to the state of Morelos, causing some towns to erect blockades to prevent entry.

Source: Milenio (sp)