Stoplight map confirms Guanajuato, Morelos at maximum risk as cases mount

January 2, 2021

Both rapid testing in Mexico City and vaccinations resumed Saturday.

The federal Heath Ministry updated the coronavirus stoplight map Friday but the only changes were the official addition of Guanajuato and Morelos to the states designated as maximum-risk red.

Both states went red last week, joining Mexico City, México state and Baja California.

Three states — Sinaloa, Tamaulipas and Veracruz — remain medium-risk yellow, while Campeche and Chiapas remain low-risk green. The other 27 states continue to be designated high risk on the updated map.

Another 11,091 cases of Covid-19 were registered Friday, bringing the total to 1.43 million. The death toll increased by 700 to 126,507.

States with the highest number of cases are Mexico City, México state, Guanajuato, Nuevo León, Jalisco, Sonora, Coahuila, Puebla, Tabasco and Veracruz. Nearly two-thirds of all cases are located in those entities.

Coronavirus cases and deaths in Mexico as reported by day. milenio

In other Covid news:

• The vaccination program was reinitiated Saturday after taking a break for New Year’s Day. Spokesman for the armed forces, which are in charge of distributing and administrating the coronavirus vaccine, had said the program wouldn’t resume again until Monday. But vaccination centers were up and running today in Mexico City, though with one significant change.

The disorganization apparent earlier in the week has been resolved by issuing vaccination candidates with QR codes. Wait times had been reduced to 30 minutes, the newspaper Reforma reported.

• Rapid test kiosks in Mexico City were closed for the holiday Friday but reopened Saturday — to some long lineups.

Residents began lining up at 5:00 a.m. for free tests that began at 9:00 and finished at 5 in the afternoon.

At some locations, there weren’t enough test kits to satisfy the demand.

• The government’s coronavirus point man was criticized on social media after he was photographed New Year’s Eve on an airplane bound for the beach destination of Huatulco, Oaxaca.

Deputy Health Minister Hugo López-Gatell, who has sent mixed messages about the use of face masks but has repeatedly urged Mexicans to “stay at home” to avoid spreading the coronavirus, was presumably heading out for a New Year’s vacation.

Despite regulations requiring passengers to wear face masks while aboard aircraft, the minister was maskless.

The new stoplight map adds Guanajuato and Morelos to the states at maximum risk.