Although confirmed coronavirus cases have topped 208,000, the federal government’s latest color-coded “stoplight” risk map indicates that 18 states have moved from maximum risk to high risk and are able to ease coronavirus restrictions.
Colima, Hidalgo and Nuevo León, however, will move out of orange and back to the red, maximum risk level, as coronavirus conditions worsened. And Baja California, Guerrero, the state of México, Morelos, Nayarit, Oaxaca, Puebla, Sinaloa, Sonora, Tabasco and Tlaxcala remain at maximum risk.
In the 18 orange states, gyms, spas sporting clubs, churches and swimming pools are permitted to operate at 50% of their capacity, as are hotels, restaurants and cafés. Theaters, museums and cultural attractions may reopen at 25% capacity.
Markets and supermarkets can operate at 70% capacity, but may only allow one person per family inside the store. Barbershops and beauty salons may reopen but by appointment only.
Aguascalientes, Baja California Sur, Campeche, Coahuila, Chiapas, Chihuahua, Mexico City, Durango, Guanajuato, Jalisco, Michoacán, Querétaro, Quintana Roo, San Luis Potosí, Tamaulipas, Veracruz, Yucatán and Zacatecas have all been designated orange states.
The government considers four factors when determining the risk level and corresponding stoplight color for each state: case number trends (whether new infections are increasing, decreasing or stable), hospital admission trends for coronavirus patients, hospital occupancy levels and positivity rates (the percentage of people tested who are confirmed to have Covid-19).
Health officials say that hospital occupancy carries a weight of 50%, case numbers and hospital admission trends 20% each and the number of new cases 10% in their decision-making on how the coronavirus is progressing in each state.
The Ministry of Health reported Friday evening that another 5,441 cases had been added to the tally, which now totals 208,392. An additional 719 deaths were reported, bringing that total to 25,779.
The number of active cases was 25,786.
Source: Milenio (sp), El Universal (sp)
CORRECTION: The map that appeared with the previous version of this story was incorrect. We regret the error.
