Covid-19: What next for Mexico?
Even though the Covid-19 epidemic has yet to reach a critical phase in Mexico, dates are being penciled in to get life in this country back to normal.
Even though the Covid-19 epidemic has yet to reach a critical phase in Mexico, dates are being penciled in to get life in this country back to normal.
Although Mexico is officially suffering a relatively small number of confirmed Covid-19 cases (2,785 cases and 141 deaths as of April 8 according to Worldometer.info), reports are surfacing that suggest a larger infection rate, another pathogen, or faulty tests or testing procedures.
Mexico’s federal government has invoked a national health emergency, mandating all “non-essential” businesses remain closed until April 30 – a measure designed to ensure the Covid-19 outbreak doesn’t get out of control.
All direct flights between Mexico and the United Kingdom will be suspended between April 7 and 30, the country’s Foreign Relations Ministry has announced. Both Aeromexico and British Airways fly to London Heathrow, while the U.K. carrier also operates direct flights from Cancun to London.
The fallout between OPEC kingpin Saudi Arabia and non-OPEC leader Russia has kickstarted an oil price war.
With Mexico facing economic meltdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador will stick to his principles of putting the country’s poorest and most vulnerable citizens first, rather than propping up the private sector with a bailout that he says will only lead to more “misery.”
Now that Mexico has entered “stage two” of the Covid-19 epidemic, meaning that “community” transmission is starting to take hold, the federal government is stepping up its containment strategy, primarily emphasizing the need to keep the country’s elderly safe and sound.
When the United States sneezes, Mexico catches a cold, ran a famous New York Times headline in December, 2008, at the height of the economic crisis.
Deputy Health Secretary Hugo López-Gatell said Tuesday that the epidemiological curve of the Covid-19 virus has entered “stage two,” meaning that person-to-person, or “community” cases in Mexico are now starting to be identified, as well as “imported” ones.