Mexican Defence Minister tests positive for Covid-19

Mexico City, Feb 18 (IANS) Mexico's Minister of National Defence Luis Cresencio Sandoval said that he has tested positive for Covid-19 and will quarantine at home under medical supervision.

"I will continue my duties in quarantine from home, under medical treatment and relying on the officials of the National Defence Ministry in keeping with the chain of command," said the 61-year-old minister on Wednesday.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and several members of his cabinet have tested positive for Covid-19 since the outbreak of the pandemic in Mexico nearly a year ago, the Xinhua news agency reported on Thursday.

Mexico's nationwide infections surpassed 2 million on Tuesday with more than 175,000 deaths from the disease, the world's third-highest Covid-19 death toll, after the US and Brazil.