Mexico City to re-enter lockdown

Mexico City, Dec 19 (IANS) Mexican authorities have said that the country’s capital, Mexico City will re-enter a lockdown from Saturday amid a spike in new coronavirus cases and hospitalisations.With hospital capacity close to 75 per cent, a level similar to June’s, the new measures are aimed to reduce mobility and curb the transmission of the virus, Xinhua news agency quoted the authorities as saying on Friday.The measures, which will remain until January 10, will also require all non-essential businesses to close in Mexico City and the State of Mexico, which surrounds the capital on three sides, Deputy Health Minister Hugo Lopez-Gatell told reporters.”Extraordinary measures are required to reduce infections, hospitalizations and most of all deaths in the next three weeks,” said Lopez-Gatell.Mexico City, the epicentre of the country’s pandemic, has registered 277,733 cases and 15,083 deaths so far.As of Saturday, a total of 1,289,298 people have been tested positive for the the virus across the country, while at least 116,487 others have died due to the disease.Mexico’s death toll is currently the fourth highest in the world, after the US, Brazil and India.–IANSksk/