Mexico News Today May 20, 2020

WEDNESDAY, MAY 20, 2020

Mexico City announces gradual reopening Most coronavirus mitigation restrictions are expected to remain in place in Mexico City until June 15, Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum said, but some industries will be permitted to resume operations at the beginning of June. FULL STORY People are getting out more in 27 states as virus cases hit record More people have been leaving their homes more regularly even as the coronavirus continues to worsen: the number of new cases Tuesday was the highest ever. FULL STORY RELATED: Maintain safe distance measures, minister urges after 57 days of isolation. FULL STORY Share this email and introduce friends to Mexico News Daily Forward

Covid-19 medical workers ‘virtual kidnapping’ victims Nurses who had traveled to Mexico City from elsewhere in the country to join the fight against the coronavirus outbreak were victims of a failed extortion attempt. FULL STORY US extends border travel restrictions to June 22 The United States has announced that border restrictions between the U.S., Canada and Mexico will continue for an additional 30 days until June 22. Only essential travel is permitted. FULL STORY Jobless join the homeless in food lineup in Mexico City The economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic was on stark display in central Mexico City on Tuesday night: almost 500 people lined up for food prepared by a lay association of the Catholic church. FULL STORY Mexico City registry lists 4,500 deaths in which Covid-19 was possible cause The virus was listed as the confirmed, suspected or possible cause of death on 4,577 death certificates issued between March 18 and May 12, a figure more than four times higher than the official one. FULL STORY Human tissue, medical waste dumped in woods, depot Federal authorities announced they had found large quantities of human tissue and other medical waste dumped in woods outside Mexico City and leaky hospital bags crammed into a warehouse in Puebla. FULL STORY CDMX market vendors eligible for credits Mexico City will offer 25,000-peso loans (approximately US $1,072) to some 100,000 itinerant market vendors who have had to close their stalls due to the coronavirus. FULL STORY Hotels reopening on hold Days after the Los Cabos Hotel Association announced it was preparing for a partial opening in the popular southern Baja resort on June 1, the organization changed its mind and pushed back the date indefinitely. FULL STORY Quintana Roo rejects June 1 reopening by hotels The government has quashed the hopes of optimistic hotels that expected to reopen on June 1. 'We're still not ready,' said the governor. FULL STORY For 24-hour birria hotspot it was first closure in 11 years It seems that only a pandemic can stop Don Chuy and company from stewing the traditional birria from their native Jalisco at their Mexico City restaurant. FULL STORY Ba on alcohol sales lifted Authorities in Nayarit, Sinaloa and some southern Veracruz municipalities have ended the dry laws that halted alcohol sales and led to the proliferation of bootleg liquor that has caused over 100 hospitalizations and deaths. FULL STORY Homicide numbers decline slightly to 2,950 in April The numbers decreased 1.66% but remain at alarmingly high levels despite the coronavirus pandemic. FULL STORY Proposal to allow agency to measure everyone’s wealth meets resistance A proposal from Mexico’s ruling party to allow national statistics agency personnel to enter people’s homes and measure their wealth has been met with widespread and firm resistance. FULL STORY Nobel prize winner urges use of renewable energy Just as Mexico moves to give higher priority to electricity produced with petroleum, a Mexican Nobel Prize winner has called for fossil fuel energy generation to be phased out. FULL STORY Health service to offer cell phone updates, calls To limit the risk of Covid-19 infection, the State Workers Social Security Institute has adopted a new system to communicate with the family members of coronavirus patients. FULL STORY Can Mexico expect killer hornets? No, says scientist The hornets that have been sighted in the western United States and Canada will not make their way to Mexico, according to a biologist at the National Autonomous University. FULL STORY 1,100 crew members stranded on cruise ship in PV Despite no reported cases of the coronavirus among them, no country wants to allow them to leave the ship to return home to their families. FULL STORY Short on cash? Taking over a toll plaza can be lucrative Hijacking toll plazas has become an important source of income for many people in Mexico. Last year alone the country saw losses of revenue totaling 3 billion pesos. FULL STORY Protocols readied for reopening of restaurants Restaurants in Mexico City are preparing for “the new normal” and the strict sanitary guidelines — the mandatory use of masks and a reduced number of diners — that reopening safely will require. FULL STORY THE MND POLL THE STORY: Has the National Guard failed? AMLO decrees continued policing by military FULL STORY THE QUESTION: How would you rate the federal government's security strategy? VOTE HERE LAST POLL: How likely is it that there is no longer collusion between authorities and organized crime? 75% said not a chance. VIEW FULL RESULTS

MEXICO LIFE Helping hands: expats open their hearts to support food bank Betsy McNair saw people going through the dumpster every day hoping to find food or something to sell, writes Janet Blaser. So she decided to do something about it. FULL STORY OPINION No longer a fan of Woody Allen, but still rooting for AMLO The president's vision of a typical household is basically Norman Rockwell a la mexicana, and he doesn’t seem willing to let go of it for anything, writes Sarah DeVries. FULL STORY

Mexico News Today May 18, 2020

MONDAY, MAY 18, 2020

Amid uncertainty and doubt, an economic reopening begins in fits and starts Some parts of Mexico and certain industries began emerging from the coronavirus lockdown on Monday but there is no certainty that the partial reopening of the economy won’t trigger new outbreaks of Covid-19. FULL STORY Spread of Covid-19 has stabilized in Valley of México: deputy minister The spread of the virus has stabilized in the metropolitan area of Mexico City, Hugo López-Gatell said as the total of cases in the country neared 50,000. FULL STORY RELATED: Covid-19 case numbers continue rising. FULL STORY Share this email and introduce friends to Mexico News Daily Forward

Forces arrest 4 armed men handing out care packages Security forces in Veracruz arrested four presumed Jalisco cartel members who were handing out packages of supplies to needy citizens on Saturday while openly carrying weapons. FULL STORY Thieves dress up as health personnel to rob seniors Some thieves in Hermosillo, Sonora, have taken to disguising themselves as heath workers in order to deceive senior citizens and steal their jewelry. FULL STORY Surgeon laments conditions under which doctors work A Zacatecas neurosurgeon has denounced the “unbelievable conditions” under which IMSS doctors must work, asserting that the protective equipment they are given is not up to standard. FULL STORY Pemex workers hit by virus Pemex and the Federal Electricity Commission have been particularly hard hit by the coronavirus with 1,245 confirmed cases between the two. FULL STORY 6 doctors for 78 Covid-19 patients in Tlatelolco Twenty doctors have been infected with Covid-19 at one Mexico City hospital, leaving just six physicians to care for 78 coronavirus patients. FULL STORY Aeromar offers unlimited flights for one price The domestic airline is offering unlimited flight packages in order to boost sales and motivate clients to travel after the Covid-19 outbreak just about shut down the airline industry. FULL STORY THE MND POLL THE STORY: Has the National Guard failed? AMLO decrees continued policing by military FULL STORY THE QUESTION: How would you rate the federal government's security strategy? VOTE HERE LAST POLL: How likely is it that there is no longer collusion between authorities and organized crime? 75% said not a chance. VIEW FULL RESULTS New electricity market regulations violate rule of law: private sector Several business groups have called for the immediate revocation of the federal government’s new energy policy, charging that it violates the rule of law and will scare off investors. FULL STORY Private producers sidelined; government increases control of electricity market The government has fast-tracked its efforts to put restrictions on private energy producers in an apparent bid to take back control of the electricity market. FULL STORY Drought dries up at least half of reserve’s water sources Lack of rainfall in southeastern Mexico has depleted at least half of the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve’s bodies of water, seriously affecting the region’s indigenous communities and wildlife. FULL STORY High prices for oranges overshadowed by virus fears The Valencia orange harvest in Tamaulipas is seeing a boon as prices have soared to a record-setting 5,500 pesos per tonne. FULL STORY As many as 9 hurricanes forecast in Atlantic, 10 in Pacific this season The National Water Commission predicts between 30 and 37 storms in 2020, with the most intense activity occurring in September and October. FULL STORY Doctors in Tamaulipas donate their services A group of doctors in Reynosa has dedicated its services free of charge to senior citizens in the area who cannot obtain treatment for various medical conditions due to the health system’s focus on Covid-19. FULL STORY Photographers donate their work to support  hospital Over 100 renowned Mexican photographers have organized an online sale of select photos to raise funds for one of Mexico City’s hardest hit hospitals during the coronavirus pandemic. FULL STORY

MEXICO LIFE In a country with no tigers, the tiger dance survives, particularly in Guerrero Mexico has “tiger” rituals in the form of dance and they have two things in common: the image of a fierce wildcat  and a purely pre-Hispanic origin, writes Leigh Thelmadatter. FULL STORY The iconic poblano pepper can be stuffed like any bell pepper Their shape and mild flavor make poblanos perfect for stuffing, as in Chiles en Nogada, a complex dish traditionally served around Mexican Independence Day. The only trick bit, writes Janet Blaser, is roasting and peeling the waxy skin. FULL STORY OPINION The south’s natural environment flourishes amid coronavirus lockdown Since lockdown was imposed over a month ago, some extraordinary features of Mexico’s south have been revealing themselves once again, writes Jack Gooderidge. FULL STORY