SANTIAGO, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- Chile will emerge stronger from "the multiple crises" caused by the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and its impact on healthcare and the economy, Chilean President Sebastian Pinera said on Thursday.
"I have the deepest conviction that our country is going to overcome and emerge stronger from the multiple crises that we have had to face, and that together we will continue to walk the paths of freedom, progress, unity, justice and peace," said Pinera.
The president spoke during a national business conference, which he addressed remotely from his home, where he has been quarantining since a close contact tested positive for COVID-19.
Regarding the pandemic, Pinera highlighted his government strategy to upgrade the public healthcare network by adding another 1,600 intensive care unit beds.
He also touted the integration of the public and private healthcare systems, in order to optimize coordination and efficiency to combat the pandemic and strengthen the capacity for testing, tracing and isolating COVID-19 cases.
Regarding Chile's economic recovery, Pinera said the budget was marked by austerity, in order to stabilize the fiscal deficit and public debt starting in 2024, and the redirection "of more than 2.46 billion U.S. dollars ... to finance new priorities resulting from the crisis."
"Our economy is already in the process of recovery, both in terms of economic activity, in which we have already seen almost six months of monthly growth, and in terms of job recovery, in which we have seen four months of growth in job creation," he said.
According to the latest report from the Ministry of Health, Chile registered 656,712 positive cases of COVID-19 and 17,294 deaths as of Thursday. Enditem
