Mexico City and neighboring Mexico State will ban non-essential activities in an effort to curb an increase in COVID-19 cases that has overwhelmed hospitals, officials announced Friday.
Driving the news: Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum said hospital capacity is about 75 percent, but the federal government put the figure at 80 percent for AP. Families have reportedly searched for hours to find open hospital beds in the capital.
Details: From Saturday, restaurants must be closed except for takeaway meals.
- Many non-essential shops also have to close and cultural activities will be postponed or canceled.
- Restrictions will be extended until at least January 10th.
- Friday’s announcement comes when malls and stores have experienced an increase in customers during the holiday season.
What they say: “With these extraordinary measures we will help reduce infections and hospitalizations in the Valley of Mexico, “said Deputy Health Minister Hugo Lopez-Gatell he tweeted Friday.
The big picture: Mexico has nearly 1.3 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 and more than 116,480 deaths on Friday afternoon, according to data from Johns Hopkins University, although the numbers are believed to be much higher.
- According to Bloomberg News, Mexico City has confirmed more than 19,000 coronavirus-related deaths and approximately 20% of the country’s cases.
It is necessary to emphasize: Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has described the closures and mandates of tactical masks as “dictatorship” by AP.