Mexican government

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador says stay-at-home orders in response to the coronavirus should be voluntary during his morning press conference on April 15, 2020.

Mexico’s president is defending the recent purchase of a baseball stadium in Sonora.

The payment of roughly 510 million pesos — or a little more than $20 million — was made in February, the same month the country’s first COVID-19 case was confirmed.

But the purchase itself was finalized in December, well before the coronavirus outbreak was declared a pandemic, according to a spokesperson.

“That stadium was acquired to support workers serving the state of Sonora,” President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said at his daily briefing Monday morning, responding to critical coverage of the purchase. “And also so that it wouldn't be destroyed and turned into a shopping center.”

Nearly a third of the proceeds will go to support the state employee pension fund, with most of the rest going to fund the state’s response to the pandemic, according to a state release. Another 60 million pesos is destined for public safety.

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