Worst Day Recorded: 39 Deaths and 403 Extra Cases

Over 403 new confirmed cases and 39 more deaths were reported in the last 24 hours, recording the highest daily increase in both categories since the COVID-19 pandemic arrived to Mexico. The Ministry of Health confirmed that the country’s total death toll reached 233 while 3,844 positive cases are now confirmed.

Lorena Rodríguez Bores Ramírez, technical secretary of the National Council of Mental Health, explained that brigades of professionals in mental health are visiting hospitals to support the medical staff and patients who are going through a crisis situation. Additional training was also announced for first responders.

According to Ministry of Health officials, the recommendation for the most of the population that are in confinement is to watch their regular daily schedule including sound sleeping hours drinking enough fluids, exercise, eat healthily and refrain from drugs and alcohol to ensure the immune system is at its strongest.

As of Friday, April 10

403         new cases (from yesterday)

3,844     confirmed cases nationwide

10,300   under investigation

233         deaths

Impact on markets (19.30 hrs)

US Dollar              MX$23.31            (-1.10%)

BMV IPC               34,567.78             (-----)

Dow Jones          23,719.37             (-----)

CFE will not waive charges

CFE Director General Manuel Bartlett ruled out the possibility of waive electricity service charges to support people affected by the COVID-19 crisis. “CFE cannot waive electricity charges” he said regarding calls to ease or suspend regular bills as part of the stimulus plan. Bartlett explained that the national energy company needs the cashflow to pay wages of 90,000 workers and buy fuel to generate electricity.

Strong week for the peso

The Mexican currency corrected last week’s plunge and registered a 6.60 percent appreciation against the US dollar, the best weekly performance since January 1995 when it rose just over 9 percent, according to Bloomberg data. On Friday, the greenback closed at MX$23.30 in a dull session after local markets were closed due to the Easter holidays.

Second flight from China

Mexico’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Marcelo Ebrard announced this morning on Twitter that the loading over 2 million masks in Shanghai onto a flight headed towards Mexico has been concluded. This will be the second flight in the Mexico-China airlift established with the support of Aeroméxico. According to Ebrard, the new shipment will arrive in Mexico late today and the cargo will be distributed throughout the weekend.

Stricter measures are assessed

To prevent the spread of COVID-19, Mexico City is analyzing the closure of businesses that sell essential products, such as food, the local government Minister Rosa Icela Rodríguez said. After reports of more than 8,000 customers crowding La Viga market for consecutive days, a regular practice during Easter days, Rodríguez said the case is being assessed. “We are analyzing the closure of these businesses,” Rodríguez stated in a video conference.

Virtual session for SCJN

Starting April 20, the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation (SCJN) plenary session will meet remotely, reported the minister president of the country's highest court, Arturo Zaldívar, on his official Twitter account. “In historical decision, the Plenary of the SCJN agreed to meet remotely from April 20. The priority is to save lives and resume the jurisdictional function as much as possible,” he wrote.