Meeting With US/Fires a Political Tool?
Home > Policy & Economy > Article

Meeting With US/Fires a Political Tool?

Photo by:   Gobierno de México
Share it!
Paloma Duran By Paloma Duran | Journalist and Industry Analyst - Tue, 03/23/2021 - 11:02

Migrants will receive COVID-19 vaccine. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador reaffirmed the government’s commitment to vaccinating the entire population of Mexico, including migrants. López Obrador recalled that the vaccination plan divides the application by priority groups, but that migrants are also included. "Everyone who was born in Mexico, has been nationalized or is in our country as a migrant will be vaccinated. However, it will depend on the availability of vaccines," López Obrador said.

Percentage of people who do not want to receive the vaccine is decreasing. López Obrador called on Mexicans to respect the decision of people who do not want to receive the COVID-19 vaccine and highlighted that the percentage of people in this camp has decreased as the demand for doses has increased by municipality. “We have to respect, convince and persuade (people) that vaccination is important because it helps us protect ourselves. It does not produce serious reactions or cause side effects that can damage our body,” said López Obrador.

Recommendations for a safe Easter holiday. Deputy Minister for Prevention and Health Promotion Hugo López-Gatell presented recommendations to prevent COVID-19 contagions during the  Easter holidays. Among them:

  • Enjoy a walk with your family in a nearby place.
  • Take advantage of the holidays to spend time with your family.
  • Go to places with few people.
  • If you go out, do it in groups with maximum of five people and in outdoors places with good ventilation.
  • Try to go out at less crowded times and sleep at home.
  • Have safe encounters with family and friends, keep a healthy distance.
  • If you participate in religious events, do it from home.
  • Protect yourself from the heat, wear light clothing, sunscreen, glasses, and hydrate.
  • Follow basic protective measures: healthy distance, wear masks correctly and wash your hands frequently.
  • If possible, stay home.

Plant in Queretaro could produce more than 1 million doses per week. López Obrador announced that the plant that packed the CanSino vaccine in Queretaro will produce 1.5 million doses per week; however, López Obrador explained that first the plan must have the authorization of COFEPRIS. “The most difficult part of the vaccination plan was obtaining the antigen; however, now with the doses packaged in Mexico and those that will continue to arrive, the vaccination plan will be strengthened throughout the country,” said López Obrador.

Vaccines from the US will soon arrive in Mexico. Minister of Foreign Affairs Marcelo Ebrard announced that between March and April, the doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine that the US gave to Mexico will arrive. Ebrard said that 2.7 million vaccines are expected to be shipped, which will benefit 870,000 older adults in Mexico. In addition, Ebrard said that a new shipment with the active ingredient will arrive tomorrow and will be sent to the Liomant plant in the State of Mexico. “On March 24, we will have 6 million in bulk. Those arriving tomorrow are for the plant's processes, while those from the US will arrive in April,” López Obrador said. On March 18, the US agreed to ship its surplus of COVID-19 vaccines to Mexico and Canada to accelerate the region's immunization process.

Meeting with the US to discuss immigration issues. López Obrador explained that the meeting with the Coordinator of Southern Border Affairs of the US Roberta Jacobson will be to discuss important immigration issues and denied that the visit to Mexico by US officials has the objective of rebuking Mexico. “They always imagine that (officials) will come from the US to scold us or that we will enter into unworthy negotiations, but they are wrong. Our relationship with the US is of mutual respect and we thank the government very much for not interfering and respecting our constitutional foreign policy principles,” said López Obrador, referring to his political opponents.

Government's actions to control fires not for electoral gains. López Obrador explained that the fires reported in Coahuila and Nuevo Leon are being overseen by the government to control and extinguish them. However, López Obrador mentioned that his government is being accused of taking many actions for political gain, particularly with elections coming in June, but he said this was not true. "As the election season approaches, everything is being used. They want to say that in Coahuila we did not care about the fire, that we are irresponsible, but it is not true because we have made important decisions," López Obrador said. The authorities have explained that the fire began on Tuesday in Coahuila’s Arteaga municipality and then spread to the community of San Jose de las Boquillas in Nuevo Leon. Currently, the fire is 70 percent under control in Coahuila and 40 percent in Nuevo Leon. The Coahuila government has stated that it suspects that the fire originated from human activities in the tourist area of Arteaga, reported La Jornada.

 

Click HERE for full transcript in Spanish

Photo by:   Gobierno de México

You May Like

Most popular

Newsletter