Seeks Agreement on Pipeline / Stands by Health Strategy

Agreement with Yaquis to change pipeline. President López Obrador said an agreement is being negotiated with the Yaqui community to change the route of the Guaymas-El Oro gas pipeline in Sonora. “What is being sought is an agreement with the Yaqui people to change the layout,” he noted after announcing yesterday a development and urban improvement plan for Yaqui communities. The president explained that since the pipeline cannot be used, current losses are way bigger than the cost of changing its route, a project that will be paid by the government and managed by CFE.

Successful health strategy. President López Obrador said a responsible health contingency plan was designed to face the COVID-19 pandemic and that there is no need to change the strategy. “There has been a responsible management by scientists and specialists in the health sector,” he replied when asked about Mexico exceeding 50,000 deaths. The president stressed again that Mexico has achieved better results compared to other countries. “What did we do right? We flattened the curve. It took longer, but hospitals were not saturated,” he noted.

MX$30 billion to fight the pandemic. MX$30 billion (US$1.3 billion) has been invested so far to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, President López Obrador said. “About 50,000 health workers, doctors, nurses and other workers in the health sector have been hired,” he said. The president expressed again his support for Deputy Minister of Health Hugo López-Gatell, who he said was a “victim” of a meddling campaign promoted by opponents of the government.

Tourism recovery this year. A full recovery for the tourism sector is expected by the end of the year, President López Obrador said. “The forecast is that normality will be achieved in the tourism sector by the end of the year,” he said after reporting 10,000 new jobs had been created in the first week of August. The president said Mexico has not been notified about the US travel alert issued yesterday and that the country is facing fewer problems with the pandemic than its northern neighbor.

Applauds security meetings. President López Obrador recognized the importance of security meetings with state governments during his recent tours. “We know what crimes are committed, which ones are on the rise and how crime incidence is being reduced,” he said during his daily briefing from Los Cabos. Baja California Sur Gov. Carlos Mendoza Davis highlighted that his state reported the second-fewest homicides in the country.

-----

Click HERE for full transcript in Spanish