Pandemic could set back Peru's poverty fight a decade: official

LIMA, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- The novel coronavirus pandemic could raise the level of poverty in Peru by 10 percent, President of the Council of Ministers Pedro Cateriano warned on Monday.

"Preliminary projections estimate that poverty could rise between 8 percent and 10 percent. That would set the country back 10 continuous years in its fight against poverty," Cateriano told Congress, where he asked for a vote of confidence in the cabinet he has been heading since July 15.