CFE chief vows to end ‘simulation and fraud’ by renewable energy firms

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May 25, 2020

The CFE's Bartlett charges fraud in the renewable energy sector.

The director of the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) has vowed to put an end to “simulation and fraud” committed by renewable energy firms at the expense of the state-owned company.

In an interview with the newspaper La Jornada, Manuel Bartlett said the CFE has filed complaints against renewable energy firms with the Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE), an ostensibly autonomous federal body.

He said that renewable firms have an unfair advantage because they don’t pay the CFE for using its transmission lines to transport the energy they generate nor do they pay the state-owned company for the backup power they use.

Not paying for transmission or backup power allows the private firms to save billions of pesos, Bartlett said.

The CFE chief also charged that renewable firms have acted fraudulently by passing off other private companies as their business partners rather than their customers.

Bartlett said that large companies like corporate conglomerate Grupo Salinas, convenience store chain OXXO, big-box store Walmart, cinema chain Cinépolis, manufacturer Kimberly Clark and others pay very low electricity rates because they are passed off as partners of firms such as Iberdrola, Enel Energía and American Light and Power.

Their “simulated” partnerships allow the client firms to receive electricity without paying for transmission costs, he said.

Bartlett told La Jornada that he hopes that the CRE resolves the issues soon and corrects “illegal, irrational and unfair” decisions it took in favor of private firms during the six-year term of the government led by former president Enrique Peña Nieto.

The decisions taken by the CRE during the term of the previous government allowed private, mainly foreign companies to make huge profits at the expense of the CFE, he said.

Bartlett asserted that the federal government is “not against clean energy” and that “what’s established by the [2014] energy reform will be respected” but stressed that “what we’re not going to allow is for this large social vocation company, the CFE, to continue to be used to bolster private companies.”

“That would … go against the national interest,” he said.

'Bartlett is lying,' accuses industry organization Concamin. — ‘Bartlett is lying,’ accuses industry organization Concamin.

“The large companies of Mexico, those with the most capital, are cheating in order to pay a lot less for the electricity their businesses consume while at the CFE we’re struggling, counting every centavo so that the impoverished people of Mexico pay as little as possible,” Bartlett said.

“It’s not a [fair] electricity market, it’s theft, heaven on earth for the [renewable energy] investors that have illegally seized [the business of] large consumers,” he said.

Bartlett accused Peña Nieto of attempting to kill off the CFE and leave the energy market in the hands of private foreign companies.

Both President López Obrador and the CFE chief, an 84-year-old former federal cabinet minister and ex-governor of Puebla, say they are committed to “rescuing” the state-owned firm while keeping power costs down.

Bartlett charged that private companies were allowed to establish wind and solar projects “wherever they wanted” and without proper planning. As a result, their energy generation capacity is frequently interrupted, he said.

“Every time that a cloud goes by or the wind doesn’t blow, they don’t generate energy,” Bartlett said, explaining that at such times renewable companies tap into CFE-generated base load power to maintain supply.

“It’s called backup and they don’t pay for it either. That’s why the energy they generate is cheaper; it proves the falseness of [the claim] they’ve disseminated: that our power is more expensive and that our infrastructure is obsolete,” he said.

“Now that we want to put an end to this plunder and fraud … they’re accusing us of being inefficient and of wanting to put an end to clean energy. … Whoever comes to do business here has to pay for transmission costs, distribution costs and backup. We have no reason to continue subsidizing them,” Bartlett said.

He made similar remarks in an interview with the news agency Reuters on Friday, asking: “Do you think it’s fair for the CFE to subsidize these companies that don’t produce power all day?”

In response, the Confederation of Industrial Chambers (Concamin) denied that private energy companies are getting a free ride.

“The private companies that operate in the electricity market do pay the CFE to use the transmission lines to transport the energy they produce to their clients. The payment is made monthly according to the regulated rate set by the Energy Regulatory Commission,” Concamin said in a statement.

“Therefore, Bartlett is lying when he suggests that private companies are not paying to use the CFE transmission lines,” the business group said.

With regard to his subsidy claim, Concamin asserted that “renewable energy is not subsidized in Mexico.”

“Mr. Bartlett should know” that plants that produce base load power receive an additional payment that “recognizes their capacity to produce all day” whereas renewable energy plants are only paid for the power they generate, the business group said.

Concamin also highlighted that it’s not just renewable energy companies that generate power intermittently, pointing out that the CFE has hydroelectric plants that depend on rain as much as wind and solar-powered plants depend on gust, gales and sunshine.

“Will Mr. Bartlett apply the backup payment to his intermittent hydroelectric plants? We don’t think so,” it said.

Will privately owned-plants that produce base load power be allowed to collect the backup power payment? asked Concamin before again responding “We don’t think so.”

Tensions between the federal government and the renewable energy sector have intensified this month after the National Energy Control Center published an agreement in late April that suspended national grid trials for new clean energy projects.

The federal Energy Ministry subsequently published a new energy policy in mid-May that imposes restrictive measures for the renewable energy sector that could effectively prevent its expansion in Mexico and consolidate control of electrical power in the CFE.

The government also has its eyes on renegotiating contracts with three companies that operate wind farms in Oaxaca, according to a report by the newspaper El Universal.

Anonymous energy sector sources told El Universal that the government wants to set new conditions for the purchase of energy by the CFE from the Oaxaca wind projects operated by Spain’s Iberdrola, Acciona and Grupo Cobra.

The companies signed contracts with the government for 20 years in 2010, meaning that they are only at the halfway point of their lifespan. In those 10 years, the CFE has paid the companies just over 19.7 billion pesos (US $872.5 million at today’s exchange rate).

Asked about its knowledge of the plan to modify the contracts, the Mexican Association of Wind Energy (AMDEE) acknowledged that “it’s something that could happen.”

However, the association said that if the CFE were to breach its obligations under the contracts, the companies could sue the government for lost income.

The government cannot unilaterally modify or terminate contracts, the AMDEE said, charging that the Finance Ministry might have to involve itself in the matter in order for a resolution to be reached.

The association noted that federal authorities have said that will not seek to alter previously-signed contracts but added that they have not always kept their word.

The CFE last year filed requests for arbitration in international courts as part of efforts to annul clauses in seven gas pipeline contracts before reaching an agreement with three private companies that López Obrador said would save Mexico US $4.5 billion.

Source: La Jornada (sp), Expansión (sp), El Universal (sp)

From salsas and smoothies to margaritas and muffins: it’s mango time

By

Janet Blaser

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May 25, 2020

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This Mango Icebox Cake is a traditional Filipino dish but works perfectly in Mexico.

Woo-hoo, it’s mango season!

What’s not to love? Especially in Mexico, where they’re plentiful, cheap (or free) and delicious. Plus it’s kind of fun to gloat to friends and family north of the border about the eight pounds of fresh mangos you just bought for 50 pesos.

And they’re healthy, too: mangos are low in calories, high in fiber and antioxidants, and have generous amounts of vitamins A and C.

Do experiment with as many different varieties as you come upon. Each is unique in terms of texture, sweetness, general flavor and juiciness, and different parts of Mexico grow different types. Around Acapulco, you find a strain of the original mangos that came to Mexico from India via Spanish galleons in the 1700s.

In Veracruz, the most widely grown is the Manila, which arrived through England in the 1800s (again, by way of India) and remains one of the most popular varieties today.

It's mango season in Mexico. — It’s mango season in Mexico.

Here on the west coast, one of my favorites is the Kent mango: highly perfumed and very sweet, it’s rounded, partially red and quite pretty. The flesh is juicy with none of the characteristic stringiness of some other types.

Also common are Ataulfos, which are a bit tart and have a flat shape with a “beak” at one end. These have a more fibrous texture that makes them good for dehydrating as well as eating.

I once went on a mango-picking excursion to a huge abandoned orchard north of Mazatlán that had hundreds of trees and many different varieties. There I discovered banana mangos – so-called because yes, they’re shaped like bananas! – which I’ve never seen anywhere else. They were delicious, but admittedly a little strange.

Every country claims to grow the sweetest and best mango in the world, but India grows the most. It produces more than half the world’s mango crop, followed by China and then Mexico. The U.S.A. is the biggest importer (no surprise there).

Wise cooks know that mango season is short; it’s best to freeze chunks or purée for later use. Simply peel and pit the mangos, cut into chunks and freeze overnight on a cookie sheet. Then put in an airtight container or freezer bag. Purée can be frozen in containers or ice cube trays, then popped out and kept in freezer bags.

Meanwhile, use the abundance of fresh mangos to make salsas, smoothies, syrups, margaritas, muffins, cobblers and pies … the list is endless. Enjoy!

Mango & Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Using sweet mango instead of tomato changes this classic sandwich into a tropical treat. Use an aged, softer cheese and grill the mango slices first if you like.

Ciabatta or soft sourdough bread
1 ripe mango
Gruyere or Gouda cheese
¼ cup fresh basil leaves
2 Tbsp. butter
Optional: hot sauce or salsa

Peel, pit and slice mango into thin slices. Assemble sandwich by layering cheese and mango slices between slices of bread; adding salsa if desired. Melt butter in skillet over medium heat; place sandwich in pan and cook, pressing down or laying a heavy plate or bowl on top to compress the sandwich. Cook for 2-3 minutes, till brown; lift sandwich with spatula, add more butter, and when melted, cook the other side the same way.

Mango Icebox Cake

A traditional Filipino cake that works perfectly for the Mexican palate!

2 cups heavy cream
One 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
½ tsp. vanilla extract
1½ cups graham cracker crumbs (“Maria” cookies work great!)
4-5 ripe mangos, diced

Combine the cream, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla in a large bowl. Beat with a hand mixer until double in volume, about 4 minutes. In an 8-inch square baking dish, layer cream mixture, cookie crumbs and mango to make 3-4 layers, ending with mango. Chill at least 8 hours or overnight before serving.

Spicy Mango Steak Sauce

This works equally well with grilled chicken or even a veggie-rice bowl.

2 Tbsp. canola or vegetable oil
1 small red onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 very ripe mangos, peeled, pitted and chopped
½ cup mango nectar
2 Tbsp. ancho chile powder
¼ cup prepared horseradish
2 Tbsp. honey
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp. maple syrup
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add mangos, mango nectar, ancho powder and cook, stirring occasionally, until mangos are very soft and mixture has thickened, about 15 minutes. Transfer to food processor or blender. Add horseradish, honey, mustard, maple syrup and Worcestershire; season with salt and pepper, blend until smooth. Scrape sauce into bowl and let cool to room temperature. – Bobby Flay

Mango Butter

Be sure to use the best quality honey you can find, preferably from a local producer. Commercial honey is often diluted with corn syrup and other sweeteners.

½ cup honey
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup finely chopped ripe mango

In a small bowl, beat honey, butter and mango until evenly mixed, by hand or with a mixer, being careful not to overmix. Transfer to a ramekin, smooth off the top, and serve with warm breakfast breads or toasted sourdough. If you like, spread the butter on a long sheet of plastic wrap and roll up into a cylinder. Refrigerate or freeze and cut off disks of the butter as needed.

Mango with Ginger-Mint Syrup

1 cup water
½ cup sugar
1 (2-inch) piece fresh ginger, thinly sliced
¼ cup packed fresh mint leaves
2 ripe mangos, peeled, pitted and thinly sliced
Vanilla ice cream, yogurt or Greek yogurt

Bring water and sugar to a boil in a saucepan and cook until sugar is melted, stirring occasionally. Add ginger and cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat, stir in the mint and steep for 5 minutes. Place mango pieces in a bowl and strain syrup mixture over them’ cover and chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes. Serve over vanilla ice cream or yogurt. – Bobby Flay

Janet Blaser of Mazatlán, Sinaloa, has been a writer, editor and storyteller her entire life and feels fortunate to write about great food, amazing places, fascinating people and unique events. Her work has appeared in numerous travel and expat publications as well as newspapers and magazines. Her first book, Why We Left: An Anthology of American Women Expats, is available on Amazon. Contact Janet or read her blog at whyweleftamerica.com.

On its 50th anniversary, Cancún has little to celebrate

By

Susy Buchanan

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May 25, 2020

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There is nothing more to see at Coco Bongo than police and a few birds.

It was to be a blowout celebration of Cancún’s 50th anniversary as a tourist destination, but as the coronavirus spread throughout the world and made its way to Mexico, the party has been postponed.

More than 25 major events had been scheduled to begin on Cancún’s birthday April 20, but in mid-March the celebrations were officially rescheduled for an undetermined date, possibly later this summer.

For now, tourism is non-existent, hotel occupancy stands at just 2% and the resulting losses thus far are estimated to be US $1 billion.

Of the city’s 36,000 hotel rooms only 700 are occupied, but by essential personnel and not tourists.

Nightspots such as The Hard Rock Café and Coco Bongo, where in times past 10,000 people would congregate each night, are empty and sealed off by yellow security tape.

Cancún’s world-famous beaches with their turquoise water and white sands are empty, their access blocked by police officers.

Traffic on Kukulkán Boulevard in the city’s hotel zone is virtually non-existent. A drive during high season that could take an hour and a half can now be managed in just 15 minutes.

The only restaurant open in the hotel zone is El King, a Chinese food establishment that now serves employees of the Chedraui supermarket across the street.

“Everything we are experiencing is very dramatic,” says an El King employee. “When there is a hurricane, the closure lasts only 15 days, but now it has been two months and it seems that it will not improve. Taxi drivers and store employees are our consolation. Otherwise, we would no longer have a job.”

Mayor Mara Lezama says that as air travel and hotel reservations have ground to a halt, losses in revenue are staggering. Even with a gradual reopening, which the tourist destination hopes can begin between June 8 and 10, it will take time for visitors to return and a challenge for the city to ease restrictions while still doing its best to safeguard public health.

Ever hopeful, hoteliers and restaurateurs are already preparing for the return of tourism. The two largest Mexican travel agencies, Best Day and Price Travel, began marketing vacation packages with discounts of more than 70% in Cancún and the Riviera Maya.

Tourism-related businesses are encouraged to register with the Ministry of Tourism to obtain health certificates and receive training on best practices to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

Quintana Roo, the state where Cancún is located, currently has 1,609 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and has recorded 291 deaths.

Source: Riviera Maya News (en), Milenio (sp)

58% approve AMLO’s performance, 65% his handling of coronavirus file

By

MND Staff

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May 25, 2020

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From solid approval at 30% to solid disapproval at 14%, the latest survey of the president's performance.el universal

There are more than two Mexicans who approve of Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s performance as president for every one who doesn’t, a new poll shows.

Conducted by the polling company Buendía y Laredo between May 15 and 21 for the newspaper El Universal, the poll found that 58% of 1,000 Mexican adults approved or strongly approved of López Obrador’s performance.

In contrast, 27% of those polled strongly or somewhat disapproved of his performance. Another 12% said that they neither approved nor disapproved of the way AMLO, as the president is commonly known, is performing his duties.

The poll yielded an even better result for the president in terms of his management of the coronavirus crisis, with 65% of respondents saying that he has done a very good or good job in confronting the pandemic.

However, the percentage of people who viewed AMLO’s response to the pandemic in a favorable light is eight points lower than a month ago.

Still, it is almost two and a half times higher than the 27% of respondents who said that the president’s management of the Covid-19 crisis has been very bad or bad.

Among those who took a favorable view of López Obrador’s management of the crisis, the preventative measures implemented by the federal government to stop the spread of Covid-19, such as the suspension of all nonessential economic activities, were the most popular aspect of his response, with 17% of respondents saying he has done a good job in the area.

Sixteen percent said that the president has done a good job promoting social distancing measures, 13% said that he has performed well in controlling the situation, 11% applauded his provision of financial support to people affected by the coronavirus-induced economic downturn, 8% praised his efforts to keep people informed about the crisis and 7% commended him for following the advice of experts.

Among those who were critical of López Obrador’s coronavirus response, 20% said that he failed to take the pandemic seriously, 17% said that he didn’t implement mitigation measures soon enough, 13% were critical of the lack of financial support for affected people, 11% expressed anger that the government restrictions caused a loss of jobs and 10% said that the president has not provided correct information to the public.

Referring to federal government officials more broadly, only 20% of respondents believe that they always tell the truth about the coronavirus situation, 20% said they never tell the truth and 56% said that they are truthful some of the time.

Almost half of respondents – 47% – said they believed Mexico is currently going through the worst phase of the pandemic, 39% said the worst is still to come and only 11% thought the worst has already passed.

Six in 10 of those polled said that AMLO has taken very good or good decisions with regard to reopening the economy, although support for his work in the area declined 17% compared to a month ago.

Although authorities have given the green light for more economic activities to resume June 1, 64% of poll respondents said that staying at home to reduce new coronavirus infections should be prioritized at this time over reopening the economy.

The poll found a clear majority in favor of the continuation of coronavirus mitigation measures even though almost one in two respondents – 48% – said that their personal economic situation had deteriorated compared to six months ago. In contrast, only 3% said that it had improved.

About one in five respondents said that they are equally as bad off now as six months ago, while 27% said that they are equally as well off.

Asked to offer an opinion about how long it will take for the economy to recover from the sharp downtown caused by the coronavirus crisis, 37% said less than a year; 39% estimated between one and two years; 9% predicted between two and three years; 3% suggested more than three years; and 3% concluded that it would never recover.

Analysts and financial institutions are forecasting a deep recession for the Mexican economy in 2020, and millions of Mexicans are predicted to be pushed into poverty as a result.

Source: El Universal (sp)

New virus outbreaks may follow lifting of restrictions: deputy minister

By

MND Staff

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May 25, 2020

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The peak of the epidemic curves won't be seen in some cities until June, July or August, says López-Gatell.

There are no guarantees that new outbreaks of Covid-19 won’t occur once restrictions on the economy and people’s movement are lifted, Deputy Health Minister Hugo López-Gatell said on Saturday.

“It’s not guaranteed in Mexico nor anywhere else that there won’t be new outbreaks at the time of reopening,” he told reporters at the Saturday night coronavirus press briefing.

“We will have experiences of new outbreaks, that must be made clear. But it’s impossible … for a state of immobility to be maintained for a very long time,” López-Gatell said.

The national social distancing initiative, which officially commenced on March 23, will conclude this Saturday after which it will be up to state governments to determine which restrictions are lifted and which remain in place.

As state authorities ease restrictions, they will be required to constantly monitor the behavior of the epidemic at a local level, López-Gatell said. If large new outbreaks are detected, new restrictions must be placed on people’s movement in the areas where they are found, he added.

López-Gatell called on Mexicans to brace themselves for a long epidemic, pointing out that the peak for some parts of the country might not occur until much later in the year.

“[The peak of] the epidemic curves won’t be seen in some cities until June, July or August and in others, [such as] Guadalajara and Monterrey, it will be in September. It’s anticipated that the epidemic will extend until October when the flu season begins. It’s not guaranteed but it’s probable that with the arrival [of influenza] Covid cases will make a comeback,” he said.

The deputy minister said that scenario would provide a “significant challenge” because hospitals would be required to treat influenza and coronavirus patients at the same time.

He also said that a serological survey will commence in July or August to estimate what percentage of the population has had Covid-19 and consequently developed antibodies against the disease that will potentially make them immune.

“With respect to immunity, I would say there is hope but the scientific evidence is not very consistent. There is hope … that there could be a protective immune response [in people who have had Covid-19] but there is still a lack of evidence in the world to confirm it.”

Mexico has recorded 68,620 confirmed cases of Covid-19 as of Saturday, a figure that equates to about 0.05% of the population, or roughly one case for every 2,000 people.

However, federal health authorities have estimated that the real size of the pandemic is eight to nine times larger than that indicated by the official case numbers.

Source: El Universal (sp)

Tulum mansion allegedly built in national park, protected area

By

Susy Buchanan

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May 25, 2020

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Although the area in and around Tulum National Park (PNT) has been an area protected by presidential decree since 1981 and construction is prohibited, a mega-mansion has been built next to the park’s walls in the last six months.

This despite complaints lodged with government agencies, including the environmental protection agency Profepa, dating back to November 2019 when construction first began, park director Fernando Orozco Ojeda said.

Orozco reported that a few weeks ago when park rangers returned to the area, they realized that the mansion had been completed and found it guarded by armed security forces. The PNT has been closed since April due to the coronavirus.

“We recently returned to the area, which is difficult to access and — oh, surprise! The house is finished,” he said.

The 692-hectare park protects the ecology of the area, as well as important Mayan ruins such as El Castillo, a temple once used as a lighthouse which dates back to the sixth century.

According to Orozco, the owner of the residence, identified as Rogeiro Dos Santos, claims to have “all the permits in order,” which would constitute another illegality as no municipal agency has the authority to issue such permits in an area that is not only protected but belongs to the federal government.

The home is also said to violate a December 15, 2007 ruling that confers the administration of 184,409 square meters of the federal maritime-terrestrial zone, adjacent to the PNT, to the Natural Protected Areas Commission (Conanp).

Further, the mansion allegedly violates the provisions of a December 7, 2016 decree which recognizes the area as part of the mega reserve of the Mexican Caribbean Natural Protected Area (ANP), a zone not suitable for urban development.

Over the past five years 27 complaints about illegal construction within the park have been filed, yet between 1990 and 2007 the Quintana Roo government issued 14 property titles without the legal authority to do so.

Margarito Molina Rendón of the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) in Quintana Roo is preparing to visit the mansion to conduct a physical inspection of the property.

The beachfront mansion is located next to the park’s ancient limestone wall which surrounds important archaeological ruins, and part of the inspection will be to determine if its construction has damaged the park’s pre-Hispanic edifices.

Molina’s office will also be reviewing the permit process, and he admits that there is a lot to unravel.

“We are working in a coordinated manner with park authorities to enforce the presidential decrees and reestablish order,” Molina says.

Source: El Universal (sp), Quinta Fuerza (sp)

Statue of Christ seen as additional virus protection in Soconusco, Veracruz

By

Cody Copeland

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May 25, 2020

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The mayor of Soconusco, Veracruz, has some unorthodox methods for dealing with the coronavirus pandemic in his town.

Rolando Sinforoso Rosas’ latest effort in the fight against the pandemic was the installation of a nine-tonne statue of Christ the Redeemer in the town’s main square on Friday, a move that he claims will strengthen the faith of his constituents and protect them from the coronavirus.

Sinforoso said the over 12-meter-tall replica of the famous Cristo Redentor statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, will give the region character and help people recover the faith in Jesus Christ that he declares they have lost.

But the statue isn’t the only unconventional tactic the mayor has come up with to face the pandemic. In early May he caused a stir when he issued a decree prohibiting deaths from Covid-19 in the municipality, located in the southeast of the state.

“I believe that Soconusco — if we’ve already outlawed Covid-19 deaths — along with putting God first, nothing is going to happen,” he said in an interview with local media that his administration streamed live from its official Facebook page on Friday.

He added that the official inauguration of the statue will be held on Friday this week and emphasized that authorities will implement sanitation measures to mitigate coronavirus transmission, despite the statue’s alleged protective abilities.

Sinforoso also expressed the magnanimity of the erection of the Jesus statue, saying that “this isn’t just a Christ for Soconusco, but for the whole region.”

Despite criticism on social media and national news outlets, the Citizens’ Movement party politician defended his endeavor to prohibit deaths from Covid-19. He has claimed victory, announcing that not one person had died from the disease in Soconusco.

In his most recent statement to his constituency, Sinforoso requested that anyone who is going to die of Covid-19 do so outside the municipality.

Source: La Silla Rota (sp)

Citizens’ network providing free meals now operating in six states

By

Susy Buchanan

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May 25, 2020

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Cocinamos volunteers distribute food. — Cocinamos volunteers distribute food to families of hospitalized coronavirus patients.

A network of volunteers who prepare meals for the needy that began in Mexico City in March has now spread to Puebla, Jalisco, Aguascalientes, Nuevo León and the state of Mexico.

Cocinamos México (We Cook Mexico) began when founder Abelardo Marcondes took a bike ride through the capital city’s historic center and noted the number of homeless people on the city’s streets.

When the coronavirus pandemic hit, Marcondes, who runs Luxury Lab, a marketing and networking platform for those involved in the luxury sector, decided action was needed to help those in need and Cocinamos México was born.

The project recruits volunteers, mostly families, to cook and package 10 individual meals using their own supplies or those provided in a kit of donated ingredients.

Each meal includes protein, vegetables, fruit, water or a juice box and a dessert. The meals are packaged in biodegradable containers that the family decorates with jokes, drawings or messages of hope, such as: “Everything will be fine”, “This will end soon” and “Made with love.”

Volunteers prepare food to hand out to the needy.

Once the meals are ready, they are picked up and distributed at churches. Last week the Mexico City initiative managed to feed more than 700 people in one day, including medical personnel.

The Cocinamos México objective is simple: “To raise awareness among the population that if it is in our hands to be able to help someone else, it must be done.”

Those who are not in a position to cook can also help out by donating ingredients and supplies, volunteer to help with meal distribution or simply help spread the word through social media.

Luisa Hoyos, one of 120 volunteers with Cocinamos Toluca, cooks 15 to 20 meals a day with help from her entire family, even enlisting her 3-year-old to help decorate the to-go boxes. When the newspaper Milenio visited her home, the family was making chicken in green sauce, red rice with vegetables, and black beans.

In its first week, Cocinamos Toluca provided 300 meals for the unemployed, homeless, immigrants and others suffering from the economic crisis provoked by the coronavirus. The initiative will run until July at least, but the thought is that it should continue on a permanent basis even after the coronairus crisis has passed.

“I feel that as a human being, one has to give what one has, what one receives,” Hoyos explained. “I feel that I am obliged that if I always have a plate of food, I should at least give a little and do my bit.”

Source: Glits (sp), Chilango (sp), Milenio (sp), El Sol de Toluca (sp)

Being Guerrero’s coronavirus epicenter doesn’t stop big parties in Acapulco

By

Cody Copeland

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May 25, 2020

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One of the fiestas in Acapulco on the weekend.

Authorities in Acapulco, Guerrero, broke up at least three large events in the city over the weekend, obliging over 700 people to return to their homes to continue to mitigate the spread of Covid-19.

The ISSSTE and IMSS social security hospitals in the city are both reaching close to 90% capacity, prompting Mayor Adela Román Ocampo to announce that the facilities were on the verge of collapse on Friday.

Federal Epidemiology Director José Luis Alomía announced on Saturday that Guerrero has now surpassed Mexico City as the entity with the highest hospital occupancy rates in the country.

He warned that the state will see its highest number of infections in the week to come, with Acapulco as its epicenter. His calculations estimate that May 30 will be the most critical day of the pandemic in the resort city.

Over half of the cases in the state — 619 of 1,175 — are in Acapulco, as have been at least 31% of the deaths, with 53 of the 170 who have died of Covid-19 in the state so far. Such numbers have led authorities to order the digging of 300 new graves in the city’s El Palmar cemetery to handle the influx of burials.

The dismal stats didn’t stop at least three large parties, which were broken up by municipal authorities on Saturday night and early Sunday morning.

They sent over 400 people home from a quince años party, thrown to celebrate a young girl’s entrance into womanhood at the age of 15, while another 200 were forced to leave a wedding. Officials broke up at least one other large party that night as well.

The municipal government also announced that it has had to force the closure of bars that have refused to suspend service during the pandemic.

State Health Minister Carlos de la Peña Pintos said that the two primary hospitals in Acapulco treating Covid-19 patients were at 89% and 85% capacity as the city braced itself for the worst of the virus.

The hospital dealing with the coronavirus in the state capital Chilpancingo is at 80.6% occupancy. The one in Taxco is at 37.7% and the hospital in Iguala is only at 25%. Average hospital occupancy statewide is at 70%.

Source: El Universal (sp)

Saturday breaks record with 3,329 new Covid-19 cases for a total of 68,620

By

MND Staff

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May 25, 2020

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Covid-19 cases as of Sunday evening. milenio

More than 6,000 new Covid-19 cases were added to Mexico’s tally over the weekend while the coronavirus death toll passed 7,000 with 405 fatalities reported on Saturday and Sunday.

The federal Health Ministry reported a record 3,329 additional cases on Saturday and 2,764 on Sunday, increasing the total number of cases since the start of the coronavirus pandemic to 68,620.

It reported 190 Covid-19 fatalities on Saturday and 215 on Sunday, lifting the death toll to 7,394.

Director of Epidemiology José Luis Alomía said Sunday that an additional 595 deaths are suspected to have been caused by the disease but have not yet been confirmed.

In addition to the more than 68,000 confirmed cases, there are 28,931 suspected cases across the country, Alomía said. More than 219,000 people have now been tested for Covid-19 of whom 121,613 – 55% – tested negative.

Daily totals of coronavirus cases and deaths as of Sunday. milenio

About one in five of the total number of confirmed cases – 14,247 – are considered active, meaning that those infected first developed Covid-19 symptoms in the past 14 days.

Almost 70% of people who have tested positive for Covid-19 in Mexico since the start of the pandemic have now recovered, about 20% currently have the disease and 10.8% died.

Mexico City, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, has now recorded 19,682 cases since Covid-19 was first detected here almost three months ago. More than 11,000 people have tested positive in neighboring México state while Baja California ranks third for accumulated cases with 4,218.

Mexico City also leads the country for active cases, with 3,819 as of Sunday. México state has the second largest active outbreak, with almost 1,500 known cases, followed by Tabasco, Baja California, Veracruz and Puebla, all of which have more than 500 active cases.

Only four states – Colima, Zacatecas, Baja California Sur and Durango – have fewer than 100 active active cases.

Mexico City also has the highest coronavirus death toll in the country, with 1,963 confirmed fatalities as of Sunday, according to official statistics. México state has recorded 846 coronavirus-related deaths while Baja California has the third highest death toll, with 696 fatalities.

Two-thirds of the Covid-19 deaths in Baja California occurred in Tijuana, which has recorded more fatalities than any other municipality in the country.

National data presented by the Health Ministry at Sunday night’s coronavirus press briefing showed that 38% of general care beds set aside for patients with serious Covid-19 symptoms are currently occupied while 35% of those with ventilators are in use.

At 79%, Guerrero has the highest occupancy rate for general care beds followed by Mexico City (71%) and México state (58%).

Mexico City has the highest occupancy rate for beds with ventilators, with 67% currently in use. México state and Baja California follow, with more than 60% of critical care beds currently occupied in both states.

Hospitals in coronavirus hot spots, such as Mexico City and Acapulco, are facing increasing demand for their services as the pace of growth of the pandemic quickens and could soon come under even greater pressure with even higher numbers of new coronavirus cases predicted.

The Health Ministry reported more than 2,000 additional cases on each of the past 11 days and daily case numbers passed 3,000 for the first time on Saturday.

Researchers at the National Institute of Public Health (INSP) and the National Council of Science and Technology predict that 76,992 people will have tested positive for Covid-19 by Tuesday, meaning that an additional 8,372 cases would have to be reported today and tomorrow.

Based on the number of Covid-19 tests whose results are not yet known and the positivity rate in recent days, the prediction – if it turns out to be accurate – will mean that more than 4,000 new cases will be reported on a single day for the first time.

Juan Eugenio Hernández Ávila, an INSP epidemiological expert, said the researchers’ predictions have not been 100% accurate but have provided a good approximation of how the pandemic will develop in the short term.

Even though coronavirus case numbers are continuing to rise rapidly, the national social distancing initiative will officially conclude this Saturday and decisions will be made on a state by state basis about which coronavirus restrictions can be lifted and which will remain in place.

Many states will begin easing restrictions on June 1 as part of efforts to reactivate their beleaguered economies and alleviate the financial pain the coronavirus pandemic has afflicted on millions of Mexicans.

Source: Milenio (sp), El Universal (sp)