(Bloomberg) -- Peru’s new cabinet chief won a vote of confidence in Congress after presenting a pandemic strategy to lawmakers that put containing the virus ahead of reactivating the economy.

Lawmakers voted 115-5 in favor of cabinet chief Walter Martos and his ministerial team Tuesday, with four abstentions. He was appointed last week after his predecessor lost a confidence vote.

Peru is among the countries worst affected by the coronavirus deaths with more than 20,000 confirmed deaths and one of the world’s deepest economic contractions. The South American country has witnessed a surge in virus infections after ending lockdown on July 1 to ease the economic damage caused by more than three months of stay-at-home restrictions.

“It will be difficult to move forward with reactivating our economy if we don’t contain this disease,” Martos, a retired army general, said in an address to the opposition-controlled Congress.

The government will bolster measures to prevent infections and ease a shortage of medicinal oxygen while taking steps to secure vaccines from top international laboratories, Martos said.

His predecessor, Pedro Cateriano, became the first cabinet chief to lose an inaugural vote of confidence after a presentation in which he give few details on new virus measures and focused instead on reactivating the economy with measures such as reducing red tape for mining investment.

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.