Coronavirus continues to wreak havoc in Mexico

By Sierra Juarez

QUERETARO, Mexico (AA) - The novel coronavirus continues to spread in Mexico, which is now among the top 10 countries in terms of the number of fatalities.

The government announced Wednesday that in just one day, the number of cases had grown by nearly 5% to 78,023. The country also reported 463 more deaths.

Despite the grim figures, the government still has its eye on reopening parts of the nation starting on June 1.

Mexico has suffered economically from the outbreak, and the government hopes that reopening the country will jumpstart the economy.

The government has attacked the coronavirus from several different angles, temporarily shutting down schools and imposing social distancing regulations.

States are able to impose more stringent regulations. Some, like Queretaro, have tried to control their borders and limit the number of people entering from places with high numbers of coronavirus cases like Mexico City.

In addition, the government has implemented some social programs for women and children amid the outbreak. That is because Mexico, like other countries around the world, is experiencing an increase in incidents of domestic abuse while people are stuck in lockdown with their abusers.

Senator Kenia Lopez Rabadan of the National Action Party said Wednesday that 30 women are calling the authorities for help every hour and that these types of calls rose by 23% during March.

To help vulnerable women and children, some states like Michoacan have set up help call lines and created shelters for them.

The country continues to develop new projects for fighting the coronavirus and on Wednesday announced a new digital payment system to move away from cash payments, which government officials hope will reduce the spread of the virus.