Mexico News Today Monday, July 20, 2020

MONDAY, JULY 20, 2020

Another 6.4bn pesos needed to catch up on virus testing; record new cases Saturday Mexico needs to spend at least 6.4 billion pesos—US $283.4 million—on Covid-19 testing kits in order to have the capacity to reach the average testing rate of the OECD, according to a Mexico City think tank. FULL STORY RELATED: Wearing a face mask is mandatory in 24 states. FULL STORY Cartel demonstrates its firepower with video showing heavily armed convoy A video of heavily-armed Jalisco New Generation Cartel members in a convoy of vehicles is a message to government, according to one analyst: "Come after us and we'll strike back.' FULL STORY Share this email and introduce friends to Mexico News Daily Forward

Once again, governors rebel over feds’ virus risk map The governors of several states have indicated that they won’t impose stricter coronavirus restrictions this week despite being allocated a “red light” on the latest “stoplight” map, used to indicate the risk of infection. FULL STORY Governor calls for 10-day voluntary confinement Oaxaca Governor Alejandro Murat has called on residents to participate in a voluntary 10-day lockdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus. FULL STORY Jalisco governor accuses virus czar of playing politics Enrique Alfaro has accused Deputy Health Minister Hugo López-Gatell of allocating a “red light” to his state on the coronavirus risk “stoplight” map because “he felt like it.” FULL STORY Combating the virus: ‘We don’t need bottled poison’  Covid-19 has had a huge impact on Mexico due to the high prevalence of diet-related chronic diseases, Deputy Health Minister Hugo López-Gatell said. FULL STORY They trusted in God, a local chile and tequila to protect them from the virus In March they said 'No pasa nada.' Today the Mexico City pueblo of San Gregorio Atlapulco has the highest number of cases in the capital. FULL STORY Party time: governor, mayors forget coronavirus Coahuila Governor Miguel Riquelme hosted a big birthday party for one of his employees in spite of a prohibition against such festivities. FULL STORY Tourists arrested for not wearing masks in San Miguel Two visitors to the city were arrested and fined by authorities after refusing requests to wear a protective mask in public. FULL STORY Demand puts pressure on oxygen supplies in Tabasco Medical oxygen is proving scarce, presenting a daunting challenge for family and friends of coronavirus patients who need breathing assistance while being cared for at home. FULL STORY ‘Counselor, you have no pants on;’ lawyer caught in his underwear in conference Virtual meetings via Zoom or other platforms have become de rigueur in the era of the coronavirus pandemic, but social distancing need not come at the cost of social decorum as a lawyer who attended a virtual meeting in his underwear found out. FULL STORY Drive-in Mass: Catholics go to church in Morelos The Catholic Church celebrated its first in-person Mass in four months in Morelos on Sunday by using a novel approach — inviting parishioners to a listen from their cars as if attending a drive-in theater. FULL STORY State protects ex-Pemex boss; life could be in danger Former Pemex CEO Emilio Lozoya, extradited to Mexico by Spain last week to face corruption charges, must be protected because he is cooperating with authorities and his life could be in danger, President López Obrador said. FULL STORY Military takes over customs The military will assume control of Mexico’s customs offices and ports, President López Obrador announced as efforts to eliminate corruption continue at ports of entry. FULL STORY 23 bodies found in hidden grave on farm in Jalisco The Jalisco Attorney General’s Office reported that 23 bodies and four bags of remains were discovered in a clandestine grave in  El Salto. FULL STORY Archaeologist says damage to Texcoco site irreversible Damage to a pre-Hispanic aqueduct at an archaeological site in Texcoco, México state, is irreparable, says a director at the National Institute of Anthropology and History. FULL STORY Veteran trade negotiator believes he can fix issues at World Trade Organization Mexico’s pick to run the organization says he can fix its broken dispute resolution mechanism within 100 days, use it to ease U.S.-China trade tensions and keep Washington from quitting the global trade body. FULL STORY 3-meter oarfish appears on Baja California Sur beach An oarfish, a deepwater eel-like fish not generally seen in Mexican waters, has made another surprise appearance, turning up Friday in Pichilingue Bay in La Paz. FULL STORY Curious black bear surprises park visitors in Nuevo León A trio of women walking in the Chipinque Ecological Park got some unwanted attention when a black bear got too close for comfort and gave the visitors a thorough inspection. FULL STORY THE MND POLL THE STORY: Recovering lost miners’ bodies estimated to take 4 years, cost 1.75bn pesos FULL STORY THE QUESTION: Is the project to recover Coahuila miners' bodies a wise use of public funds? VOTE HERE LAST POLL: Should local police be given responsibility to investigate crime? 54% said it should. VIEW FULL RESULTS

MEXICO LIFE The rain brings out a culinary delight in Mexican forests The rainy season is upon us and if you live anywhere near a forest in Mexico, writes Leigh Thelmadatter, you may have the chance to try some local delicacies — wild mushrooms. FULL STORY San Miguel artist puts her ‘quarantine cocktails’ into a book Artist Jane Dill’s fun new book, Quarantine Cocktails: 50 Cocktails in 50 Days of Quarantine in San Miguel de Allende, is exactly what the title says it is, writes Janet Blaser in The Tropical Table. FULL STORY OPINION ‘After a 20-year relationship, I’m giving up on Mexico’ Property invasions, cartel impunity, criminal banks and incompetence at the top have quashed all hopes for Mexico for this expat. FULL STORY Newsletter options Some readers prefer to stay up to date with the three-times-weekly summary of Mexico news provided by Mexico News Today. For others, however, it's too infrequent. The alternative is The Whole Enchilada: it gives readers links to the same stories as Mexico News Today but they arrive in your inbox daily rather than three times a week. If a daily news fix is what you want, check out The Whole Enchilada here.