The Guadalajara Reporter
Guadalajara's Largest English Newspaper
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.
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.
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.
Governor Enrique Alfaro has confirmed the first death from Covid-19 in the state of Jalisco, bringing the national fatality total to three.
In a press conference, the governor explained that the victim was a 55-year-old man who succumbed in the Clinic 110 of the Instituto Mexicano de Seguro Social (IMSS) in Guadalajara. The governor said the man suffered from diabetes and obesity.
The governor also promised to step up testing for Covid-19, noting that the state laboratory had around 5,000 test kits now available.
Alfaro said another measure under consideration is the suspension of flights to the state from abroad.
