Over 200 countries have registered COVID-19 cases in their territory and it is almost impossible for any of them to prevent the negative effects of economic stagnation , the result of the coronavirus outbrea k and the halting of non-essential activities , in a bid to stop the spread of coronavirus.
Each government is doing the necessary adjustments and announcing measures to mitigate the effects the COVID-19 pandemic is having on the economy .
On April 5, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador unveiled the Emerging Program for the Wellbeing and Jobs. This program focuses on the reactivation of the economy in line with what the current administration has focused since December 1, 2019: privilege millions of Mexicans who live in poverty .
For this reason, the government paid several months in advance to 8 million elders and 10,500 million students and it was announced and farmers and fishermen will also receive financial aid. Furthermore, the President said there will be no changes made to the aid programs aimed at “the poor and vulnerable .”
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These measures meant to fight poverty are quite useful, but it is uncertain if they will be effective to help the main sectors affected by COVID-19: the urban, middle class.
In the country, the majority of coronavirus cases are located in three large urban areas: Mexico City and the metropolitan area, as well as in the metropolitan area of Puebla and Guadalajara , as confirmed by Dr. Hugo López-Gatell .
The paralyzation of these cities, inhabited by over 25 million, will cause economic damage in the region and it will surely have an impact on the national economy. Movie theaters, museums, restaurants, theaters, bars, night clubs, and malls are closed. Taxi drivers have no clients. Hotels are empty. There is no tourism. Furthermore, it is a fact that the larger the demographic density is, the more COVID-19 will affect the population. In the United States, New York is basically the epicenter of the disease .
The program presented by the President should not be taken as a done deal. It will require changes and reviews to make sure that it is, in fact, restoring the economy . There is a lot at stake in this country.
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