Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador was criticized for underestimating the risk of infectious coronavirus disease, and medical authorities expressed concern that the Mexican government's policy was inadequate to respond to an outbreak that struck more than 400,000 people worldwide and killed more than 17,000.

Analysts claim that AMLO is concerned that the already falling economy in the country will take on a much massive blow. The year before, in his first year in power, Mexican GDP reduced by 0.1 percent for the first time since 2009. As per Reuters media outlet, citing a report released last week by Credit Suisse, the Mexican peso plummeted to historic lows this week, experts are expecting the economy to decline as much as four percent this year.

Whereas the disease outbreak has been proclaimed a global pandemic and large cities have shifted into lockdown, flight cancellations, and border shutdowns, Lopez Obrador has insisted that certain steps will just injure the Mexican economy.

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Mexico's unorganised measures

So far, the government has introduced a series of policies such as the suspension for a month of all formal and informal gatherings, including the Easter break for children in schools as well as encouraging people to do work at home. As an element of a four-week action plan to prompt people to stay away from others to lessen the risk of infection, the health ministry declared Monday a national "healthy distancing" day.

Health minister Hugo Lopez-Gatell Ramirez wrote in a tweet: "This is not a total economic pause, but rather reduction in activity, trying not to affect the sectors that live by the day." However, Director of the Center for the United States and Mexico at the Baker Institute, Tony Payan, had this to say: "Lopez Obrador has one priority and one priority only, that is to protect Mexico's economic performance."

Payan claims this has led to unorganised measures being pursued by local officials who have not been backed by federal directives or research evidence, operating with limited access to national resources. "Because there is no leadership at the federal level, there is anti-leadership, and state governors and mayors are left to take their own measures," Payan said. "The response has been uneven, with some states taking it very seriously, taking drastic measures and other states simply not doing enough," he added.

Queretaro state stopped public memorial services and ordered coronavirus victims to be cremated. On Monday, the state of Sinaloa, a home of drug cartels, demanded immediate closing of cinemas, restaurants, casinos and gyms. Yet the steps have differed greatly elsewhere in Mexico. On Friday, Jalisco state, which has reported 46 cases, declared a five-day suspension of cultural, religious and social events, and encouraged people to stay at home. Diners stayed open although mostly empty of customers. 

The Nuevo Leon state governor stated public parks, colleges, bars , restaurants, movie theaters, as well as casinos will have to shut down immediately, and officers were deployed to the street to make certain establishments comply.