Jose Vargas stokes a carbon stove to heat tamales, as part of the street side breakfast stand he has operated for 15 years, with the help of his wife and sons, in the Xochimilco district of Mexico City, Friday, May 15, 2020. Vargas said they respected the stay at home recommendation for two weeks amid the COVID-19 pandemic, before running out of food. "We'll either die of hunger, or of sickness," Vargas said. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
The Associated Press
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.
'œWe're at the point where we begin to have fewer cases,'ť López Obrador said Friday. 'œBut in these days we have to be more careful, not relax the discipline, don't trust ourselves.'ť
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 2,437 new coronavirus test confirmations Friday, the highest daily total yet and the second straight day with over 2,000 new cases. There were 2,409 on Thursday.
The numbers suggest the pandemic has not yet peaked in Mexico, while the daily number of deaths rose by 290, below the one-day peak of 353 deaths reported Tuesday. Mexico has seen a total of 4,767 deaths so far.
'œWe are at the moment of the fastest growth in new cases,'ť said Assistant Health Secretary Hugo López-Gatell. 'œThis is the most difficult moment.'ť
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 'œessential activities.'ť
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.
Mexican officials also confirmed that a total of 827 Mexicans have died of COVID-19 in the United States - 594 of them in the New York area.
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.
'œWithout health, life isn't possible, nor the economy,'ť Giammattei said.
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AP writer Sonia Pérez D. in Guatemala City contributed to this report.
Customers walk through a partially-open public market in the Xochimilco district of Mexico City, Friday, May 15, 2020. 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. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
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Sara Vargas Lopez, right, speaks with a customer wearing a face shield as she sells tlacoyos and sopes in a partially-open public market in the Xochimilco district of Mexico City, Friday, May 15, 2020. 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. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
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A shopper walks past a policewoman standing watch inside a partially-open public market in the Xochimilco district of Mexico City, Friday, May 15, 2020. 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. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
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Eloisa Rojas Zamora, right, wears a mask as she sells tlacoyos and sopes in a partially-open public market in the Xochimilco district of Mexico City, Friday, May 15, 2020. While food vendors wearing face masks have been allowed to continue working, Rojas said her sales have dropped about 50% during the COVID-19 pandemic. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
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Tortilla and food vendors wear face masks as they wait for clients, in a partially-open public market in the Xochimilco district of Mexico City, Friday, May 15, 2020. 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. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
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Manuel Hernandez, 70, who says he continues to work as a plant seller though business has decreased due to the coronavirus pandemic, wears a face mask as he washes his car in a street in the Xochimilco district of Mexico City, Friday, May 15, 2020. 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. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
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A cross, put up to remember a man who died several weeks ago from unclear causes, adorns a tree inside a roped-off park in the Xochimilco district of Mexico City, Friday, May 15, 2020. 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. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
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People walk down a residential street in the Xochimilco district of Mexico City, Friday, May 15, 2020. 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. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
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