Mexico’s president said Saturday that his government hopes to build ventilators domestically, as coronavirus cases rose to 1,890 and officials reported 79 deaths so far in the pandemic.
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said Mexico also is seeking to buy up to 5,000 ventilators abroad. But, he added, “we are testing prototypes to manufacture ventilators in our country, and do it soon.”
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Mexico’s president said Saturday that his government hopes to build ventilators domestically, as coronavirus cases rose to 1,890 and officials reported 79 deaths so far in the pandemic.
But López Obrador said he would try to avoid government budget deficits in coping with the spread of the coronavirus and in dealing with the economic damage from the pandemic.
A municipal employee closes off access to the main plaza of Coyoacan, in Mexico City, Saturday, April 4, 2020. Mexico has started taking tougher measures against the new coronavirus, but some experts warn the country is acting too late and testing too little to prevent the type of crisis unfolding across the border in the United States. (AP PhotoFernando Llano)
A police officer, wearing a protective face mask, steps into a sanitizing tunnel as a preventive measure against the spread of the new coronavirus, as she arrives for her shift, in Mexico City, Saturday, April 4, 2020. Mexico has started taking tougher measures against the new coronavirus, but some experts warn the country is acting too late and testing too little to prevent the type of crisis unfolding across the border in the United States. (AP PhotoFernando Llano)
A municipal employee, wearing protective gear, walks across a basketball court closed as a preventive measure against the spread of the new coronavirus, in Mexico City, Saturday, April 4, 2020. Mexico has started taking tougher measures against the new coronavirus, but some experts warn the country is acting too late and testing too little to prevent the type of crisis unfolding across the border in the United States. (AP PhotoFernando Llano)
Sexual workers, wearing protective face masks, stand in line as they wait to receive a monetary incentive offered by the mayor to stay home in a measure to curb the spread of the new coronavirus, in Mexico City, Saturday, April 4, 2020. Mexico has started taking tougher measures against the new coronavirus, but some experts warn the country is acting too late and testing too little to prevent the type of crisis unfolding across the border in the United States. (AP PhotoFernando Llano)
A municipal employee loops caution tape around park benches to discourage people from sitting on them in the main plaza of Coyoacan, in Mexico City, Saturday, April 4, 2020. Mexico has started taking tougher measures against the new coronavirus, but some experts warn the country is acting too late and testing too little to prevent the type of crisis unfolding across the border in the United States. (AP PhotoFernando Llano)
A municipal employee, wearing protective gear, disinfect an area of a Coyoacan public park as a preventive measure against the spread of the new coronavirus, in Mexico City, Saturday, April 4, 2020. Mexico has started taking tougher measures against the new coronavirus, but some experts warn the country is acting too late and testing too little to prevent the type of crisis unfolding across the border in the United States. (AP PhotoFernando Llano)
Mexico also faces a shortage of specialized doctors, and has gone on a recruitment campaign to train and get more qualified people working.
A man pays for a refreshment through a plastic screen, used as a preventive measure against the spread of the new coronavirus, in Mexico City, Saturday, April 4, 2020. Mexico has started taking tougher measures against the new coronavirus, but some experts warn the country is acting too late and testing too little to prevent the type of crisis unfolding across the border in the United States. (AP PhotoFernando Llano)
But López Obrador said he would try to avoid government budget deficits in coping with the spread of the coronavirus and in dealing with the economic damage from the pandemic.
Municipal employees, wearing protective gear, disinfect an area of a public park as a preventive measure against the spread of the new coronavirus, in Mexico City, Saturday, April 4, 2020. Mexico has started taking tougher measures against the new coronavirus, but some experts warn the country is acting too late and testing too little to prevent the type of crisis unfolding across the border in the United States. (AP PhotoFernando Llano)
A municipal employee closes off access to the main plaza of Coyoacan, in Mexico City, Saturday, April 4, 2020. Mexico has started taking tougher measures against the new coronavirus, but some experts warn the country is acting too late and testing too little to prevent the type of crisis unfolding across the border in the United States. (AP PhotoFernando Llano)
A police officer, wearing a protective face mask, steps into a sanitizing tunnel as a preventive measure against the spread of the new coronavirus, as she arrives for her shift, in Mexico City, Saturday, April 4, 2020. Mexico has started taking tougher measures against the new coronavirus, but some experts warn the country is acting too late and testing too little to prevent the type of crisis unfolding across the border in the United States. (AP PhotoFernando Llano)
A municipal employee, wearing protective gear, walks across a basketball court closed as a preventive measure against the spread of the new coronavirus, in Mexico City, Saturday, April 4, 2020. Mexico has started taking tougher measures against the new coronavirus, but some experts warn the country is acting too late and testing too little to prevent the type of crisis unfolding across the border in the United States. (AP PhotoFernando Llano)
Sexual workers, wearing protective face masks, stand in line as they wait to receive a monetary incentive offered by the mayor to stay home in a measure to curb the spread of the new coronavirus, in Mexico City, Saturday, April 4, 2020. Mexico has started taking tougher measures against the new coronavirus, but some experts warn the country is acting too late and testing too little to prevent the type of crisis unfolding across the border in the United States. (AP PhotoFernando Llano)
A municipal employee loops caution tape around park benches to discourage people from sitting on them in the main plaza of Coyoacan, in Mexico City, Saturday, April 4, 2020. Mexico has started taking tougher measures against the new coronavirus, but some experts warn the country is acting too late and testing too little to prevent the type of crisis unfolding across the border in the United States. (AP PhotoFernando Llano)
A municipal employee, wearing protective gear, disinfect an area of a Coyoacan public park as a preventive measure against the spread of the new coronavirus, in Mexico City, Saturday, April 4, 2020. Mexico has started taking tougher measures against the new coronavirus, but some experts warn the country is acting too late and testing too little to prevent the type of crisis unfolding across the border in the United States. (AP PhotoFernando Llano)