Mexico City suspends non-essential activities as virus cases rise

Mexico City and the neighboring State of Mexico will suspend all non-essential activities from this weekend because of a spike in the number of coronavirus cases, the mayor said Friday.

Only essential activities such as the sale of food, energy, transport, manufacturing and financial services will be allowed, Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum said.

The new measure will be in effect until January 10.

Sheinbaum said Mexico City was "close to 75 percent of its hospital capacity" and that admissions were on the rise despite repeated calls to the population to reduce their non-essential movements.

A combined 23 million people live in Mexico City and Mexico state, and the increasing number of deaths has made it necessary "to take extraordinary measures," said Health Undersecretary Hugo Lopez-Gatell.

Mexico state governor Alfredo del Mazo said his state would also take "drastic measures to slow down the rate of infection."

Mexico, a country of 128.8 million people, has recorded nearly 1.3 million infections and more than 116,000 deaths.

In Mexico City alone, there have been more than 277,000 cases and more than 19,500 deaths.