UN General Assembly
2020

As it is aware of the historical social gaps and weaknesses in the health-care system, my Government was one of the first in the region to take robust measures to contain the spread of COVID-19. They have saved thousands of lives despite elevated and distressing rates of death and contagion, while allowing for reversing decades of shortfalls with regard to infrastructure and investment in public health. We have fought to contain the disease while, at the same time, strengthening our response capacity. Six months after the struggle began, the number of people who have been infected with and died from COVID-19 is beginning to drop sharply in Peru, and we are firmly committed to stay the course until the end. Despite Peru’s macroeconomic strength, the pandemic has deepened inequalities and exposed structural weaknesses caused by the disruption. We are therefore implementing the largest economic containment and recovery plan in our Republic’s history, as well as one of the largest in the region, with an investment equivalent to 20 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).