BajaNaranja - 5-15-2020 at 02:16 PM
Lockdown otherwise remains in place
Thurs May 14 saw peak new COVID-19 positive cases in Mex: 2,409
73% percent of Mex City general care hospital beds are full
Source for the info above:
Infections soar as Mexico moves toward restarting economy
By CHRISTOPHER SHERMAN
May 15, 2020
https://apnews.com/fa7f70d386f23694193ce7e44af4b0c7
MEXICO CITY (AP) — As Mexico moves toward a gradual reactivation of its economy Monday, the number of new coronavirus infections grows higher every
day, raising fears of a new wave of infections that other countries have seen after loosening restrictions.
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador is straddling the issue, telling the public that the fight against the virus depends on continued social
distancing in many places while describing how other areas will begin to return to work Monday.
“We’re at the point where we begin to have fewer cases,” López Obrador said Friday. “But in these days we have to be more careful, not relax
the discipline, don’t trust ourselves.”
The comments came on the same day the government clarified guidelines for the construction, mining and automotive industries to return to work Monday.
The next two weeks will serve as a period to formalize their protocols to keep workers safe, but if they do so and get approval they can open any time
before June 1.
There were 2,409 new COVID-19 test confirmations Thursday, the first time that number has exceeded 2,000 in one day. “We are at the moment of the
fastest growth in new cases,” said Assistant Health Secretary Hugo López-Gatell. “This is the most difficult moment.”
Health officials have said the real number of infections is far higher. Mexico has a lower rate of testing for the virus than any of the world’s
largest economies, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development
The country’s lockdown — which began in March — will remain in place, but those particular industries will be allowed to resume because
Mexico’s top advisory body on the pandemic, the General Health Council, said Tuesday it had decided to classify them as “essential activities.”
There were signs that hospital capacity was nearing its limit Mexico City, the hardest-hit area. The Health Department reported that 73% percent of
the city’s general care hospital beds were full; the percentage was lower for intensive-care beds, but that was partly because of the expansion of
improvised ICU units at hospitals and other venues.
On Friday, about 2,000 ventilators purchased by private companies and donated to Mexican hospitals arrived aboard a flight from Chicago, Illinois. The
machines are made by Royal Philips, a Dutch company with plants in the U.S., and were acquired by major Mexican companies.
There is concern in the medical community that talk of relaxing social distancing measures is coming too soon and could lead to a devastating second
wave of infections as resources dwindle and medical personnel are running on fumes.
Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei announced Thursday night that he was putting the country back on lockdown after a surge of new infections in
the first week after he allowed shopping centers to reopen.
Guatemalans will be under a 24-hour per day stay-at-home order through the weekend. The restriction will loosen Monday to a 5 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew
for the week.
“Without health, life isn’t possible, nor the economy,” Giammattei said.
pacificobob - 5-15-2020 at 04:17 PM
The last 2 paragraphs have me thinking americans should attempt a trade....president sheetstain for
President giammattiei.
Good post bajaN
elgatoloco - 5-15-2020 at 05:08 PM
Ford, GM, RAM, IH, KW among other truck manufacturers in the sates are all ramping back up after 6-8 weeks of closure. They ALL get components from
Mexico in some form or fashion. Hopefully they can reopen safely and stay that way. Hope springs eternal.
Alm - 5-18-2020 at 10:46 AM
Mexico have set a red-green "stoplight" for reopening. Some states will reopen sooner, some later. This is a federal plan: Color-coded map
US-run automotive plants are labeled "essential": https://www.brproud.com/news/mexico-sets-red-light-green-lig...
Next day after AMLO promised to reopen auto-plants this Monday, the guidelines were published to postpone it until June 1: Delay until June 1
On the curve in the 2nd link it looks like the epidemic is in Phase 3 - the peak, and new cases are dropping but I doubt it. Other sources report
that daily new cases are still increasing: see graph 2.
[Edited on 5-18-2020 by Alm]
BajaNaranja - 5-19-2020 at 12:39 PM
Great post, Alm - thanks for those updates