For economic reasons, Mexico rejects new lockdown

Mexico City’s municipal government chief Claudia Sheinbaum rejected new lockdown measures to counter a third wave of Covid-19 infections, saying “shutting down the economy is no longer an option.”

The statement happens as one-third of active coronavirus infections in Mexico are concentrated in the capital, and local officials are predicting a new peak for August. According to Ms. Sheinbaum, to conciliate the economy and the fight against the pandemic, “what we must do is improve vaccination.”

Though 97 percent of Mexicans under hospitalization are unvaccinated and almost 19 percent of the population is already fully immunized, the country recorded over 15,000 new daily Covid-19 cases, resembling numbers from January. In Mexico City, the average occupancy rate of hospitals is at 64.5 percent, according to official data. 

Even so, the country is keeping a watchful eye on the economy, especially after an 8.5-percent GDP drop in 2020. Ms. Sheinbaum made an “open appeal for more investment,” especially in Mexico City, which accounts for 17 percent of the country’s GDP.

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