A bicycle manufacturer attempted hide over 350 employees at a Mexico City factory during an inspection to verify that the company had halted production during the coronavirus emergency, city officials said.
Mexico City Labor Minister Soledad Aragón Martínez said the workers were discovered when managers at Bicicletas Benotto refused to open certain doors in the factory during an inspection on Friday.
“Our inspectors noticed that there were hidden workers. And the [Benotto] staff attending them didn’t want to open some doors. Our inspectors are authorized to supervise the entire work area,” she said.
The inspectors called for assistance from the city’s Administrative Verification Institute (Invea) to require Benotto to open up.
“When Invea arrived, they threatened to shut the factory down because it’s not an essential activity, and that’s when they were forced to open the doors and there were over 350 employees hidden there,” said Aragón.
She added that the Labor Ministry is reviewing the nature of the fines the company will face for violating labor laws. Her department has carried out 13 workspace inspections, in which three businesses were forcibly closed: a call center, a store and the Benotto factory.
Benotto, founded in Italy in 1931, has been manufacturing bicycles in Mexico since 1953.
The young crocodile, center right, that has eluded firefighters in Michoacán.
Residents of a southern neighborhood in Morelia, Michoacán, are living in fear of a meter-long crocodile that has evaded capture since April.
The reptile was first noticed on April 27, when authorities were alerted to its presence in an irrigation ditch. Firefighters searched the area, but were unable to find the animal.
The crocodile made another appearance on Monday morning. Firefighters once again went to the scene and were able to locate it, but they failed to capture it due to a lack of equipment.
They searched the area after it got away, but were unsuccessful in relocating it.
Experts say the animal is most likely a former pet that was released into the irrigation ditch after its owners realized it was going to grow into a real crocodile.
Tequila has proved a popular drink during the coronavirus lockdown.
Mexico’s national drink has seen a surge in sales during the coronavirus pandemic, market research firms report, one of the few bright spots for the Mexican economy as it heads into what will likely be a deep recession.
Nielsen reports tequila sales were up 60% over last year in the four weeks leading up to April 25, and 42% higher in the first quarter of 2020 compared to the same period in 2019, according to trade date company Panjiva, a unit of S&P Global Market Intelligence.
Unlike the beer industry, which has been shuttered in Mexico after having been deemed a nonessential business, the tequila industry was successful in having the spirit classified as an agricultural product and distilleries have continued to operate.
“Tequila is Mexico’s most important brand and one of the most emblematic industries in our country, supporting 70,000 jobs,” said Rodolfo González, president of the National Tequila Industry Chamber. In 2019, Mexico produced 351.7 million liters with an approximate value of US $1.8 billion, of which 80% was destined for export to the United States, Canada and the European Union.
Tequila has seen a steady rise in popularity in the United States as Americans have learned to embrace the agave-based liquor as a sophisticated spirit to savor, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday. Sales grew 36% between 2015 and 2019, according to the IWSR, a London-based firm that tracks global trends in the alcohol industry.
Tequila’s rise to prominence in the U.S. began in the late 80s when John Paul Dejoria, the founder of Paul Mitchell beauty products, began marketing the Patrón brand as a luxury product.
Later, celebrities like George Clooney, Sean Combs and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson helped market the beverage by launching their own brands.
Johnson had planned a red carpet launch party to debut his brand, Teremana, but due to the coronavirus pandemic the launch took place instead on social media. Johnson is the third most followed person in the world on Instagram.
“The perception is that tequila is a healthier choice, that it has a lower glycemic index and gives you less of a hangover,” New York tequila aficionado Crystal Slattery told the Times. “Having a tequila at night has become almost an absolute,” added dentist Joe Zagami whose love affair with the beverage began with a recent trip to Mexico.
The margarita placed seventh this year on Drinks International’s list of the world’s bestselling classic cocktails.
With coronavirus restrictions expected to ease in June, hoteliers in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, are seeking to have the popular tourist destination certified as Covid-safe by the Ministry of Health.
The certification may help revive 2020 tourism numbers by increasing visitors’ confidence in sanitary measures that hotels and businesses are undertaking.
“We want Puerto Vallarta to be a safe Covid destination, and we have launched a Covid-safe campaign,” said Álvaro Garciarce Monraz, president of the Puerto Vallarta Hotel Association. The campaign will include hygiene protocols at points of entry, whether the arrivals be by air, land or sea, and a committee is currently being formed so that tourism providers can better coordinate with government authorities.
Currently, only five hotels in Puerto Vallarta remain partially open, but more are expected to open in stages with the hope that by December tourism numbers will start to recover.
Other destinations across Mexico are also developing coronavirus protocols and seeking Covid-safe certifications, including Cancún and Los Cabos.
The Riviera Maya Hotel Association (AHRM) is seeking certification from U.K.-based company Cristal International Standards which provides POSI-Check, an auditing system for the hospitality industry with strict protocols on hand-washing, swimming pool decontamination, infection control assessment and management of staff and guests in the event of an outbreak.
AHRM president Conrad Bergwerf stated that his association is adopting these protocols because “on the day hotels reopen their doors, clients will be much more sensitive to issues related to hygiene, cleanliness, disinfection and, in general, to security. For this reason, it will be essential to have security and hygiene programs and protocols to properly serve customers and build trust among our visitors.”
As of May 11, Mexico had 36,327 confirmed cases of the coronavirus.
For the first time in 20 days, the Health Ministry has reported a reduction in the number of active coronavirus cases in Mexico.
Director of Epidemiology José Luis Alomía said on Monday night that there were 8,288 active cases across the country, 169 fewer than the number reported on Sunday.
The number of active cases – people who tested positive for Covid-19 after developing symptoms in the past 14 days – had increased every day since April 21, when there were 3,185.
Fifteen of Mexico’s 31 states and Mexico City reported fewer active cases on Monday compared to the day before. Among the states where the size of the active epidemic declined are México state, which has recorded the second highest number of total cases in the country, and Baja California, which ranks third for cases and second for coronavirus-related deaths.
Deputy Health Minister Hugo López-Gatell presented graphs showing that new case numbers are on the wane in Villahermosa, Tabasco; Cancún, Quintana Roo; Culiacán, Sinaloa; and Tijuana, Baja California.
Active Covid-19 cases in Mexico as of Monday. milenio
Among the states where the coronavirus epidemic is still on the rise are Veracruz, Morelos, Guerrero and Oaxaca.
López-Gatell said that modeling shows that the peak of the outbreak in Guadalajara, Jalisco – Mexico’s second largest city – could still be more than a month away. “The peak could be June 13,” he said.
The decline in active cases came as Mexico recorded its lowest number of new confirmed cases in six days. The Health Ministry reported 1,305 additional cases on Monday, taking the total number of accumulated confirmed cases to 36,327.
Alomía said that there are also 20,991 suspected coronavirus cases across the country and that 135,116 people have now been tested.
Mexico City has now recorded almost 10,000 confirmed cases of Covid-19 since the disease was first detected in Mexico at the end of February. México state has recorded the second highest number of cases, with 6,155, followed by Baja California, with 2,448, and Tabasco, with 1,758.
The Health Ministry also reported 108 additional coronavirus-related fatalities on Monday – the lowest daily number since May 3 – lifting Mexico’s death toll to 3,573.
Covid deaths as of Monday. milenio
Of those who have lost their life to Covid-19, 69% were men and 31% were women. The three most prevalent existing health problems among those who have died are hypertension, diabetes and obesity.
Among the more than 3,500 people who have passed away after testing positive for Covid-19, 111 were health workers – 66 doctors, 16 nurses, three dentists and 26 others. A total of 8,544 health workers have tested positive for Covid-19, a figure that represents 23.5% of all cases detected in Mexico.
Mexico City has recorded the highest number of coronavirus-related deaths, with 819, followed by Baja California and México state, where 419 and 343 people, respectively, have lost their lives. Based on confirmed cases and deaths, Mexico’s fatality rate is 9.8 per 1,000 cases.
Only 34% of general care beds set aside for coronavirus patients are currently in use while 27% of those with ventilators are occupied, according to Health Ministry data presented on Monday night.
However, hospitals in Mexico City are under much greater pressure, with 73% of general care beds and 64% of critical care beds currently occupied.
Justices of the Supreme Court, right, ruled against a law that extended the term of Governor Bonilla, left.
The Supreme Court (SCJN) has scuttled the plans of Baja California Governor Jaime Bonilla to remain in office for five years instead of two.
The court on Monday invalidated a reform ratified by the Baja California Congress last July that extended Bonilla’s term by three years. The so-called “Bonilla law” was endorsed by more than 80% of people who participated in a vote on it last October.
However, the SCJN justices voted unanimously to nullify the reform, meaning that the Morena party governor must leave office on October 31, 2021. Bonilla was elected for a two-year term in elections last year and can not stand for re-election.
The purpose of the shortened term – past Baja California governors remained in office for six years – was to align the state’s election for governor with the federal mid-term elections.
Supreme Court Chief Justice Arturo Zaldívar said that the whole process to extend Bonilla’s term violated the Mexican constitution. The actions of Baja California lawmakers constituted “grand” constitutional fraud, he said.
Zaldívar said that lawmakers in the Morena-controlled Congress executed a scheme that sought to “make a mockery” of the will of the people of Baja California, who elected their governor for a period of two years not five.
They used “the tools of democracy to violate democracy, unequivocally corrupting the democratic principle,” he said.
Opposition parties celebrated the Supreme Court’s decision while even the national leader of Morena expressed support for it. A senior Baja California official said that the state government will abide by it.
Institutional Revolutionary Party national president Alejandro Moreno described the ruling as “historic” and said that it put a “full stop” to an “abusive” quest for power, while National Action Party national president Marko Cortés said that “constitutional order” had “triumphed over dirty play.”
Morena national president Alfonso Ramírez Cuéllar offered his support for the court’s decision in a Twitter post.
“I welcome the SCJN ruling with respect to the term of Jaime Bonilla. An illegal reform with which the will of the people of Baja California was violated could not be permitted. This decision affirms respect for legal order,” he said.
Lorenzo Córdova, president of the National Electoral Institute, also tweeted about the ruling, stating that it “preserves democracy and the separation of powers” and upholds the legal framework that “gives certainty and legality to our electoral system.”
Baja California government secretary Amador Rodríguez Lozano said that the court’s decision carries the full “force of the law” and will be respected.
“[The SCJN] is the highest court [in Mexico] and that means that we have to comply with” its ruling, he said.
On a recent visit to my youngest son and his wife, I had a simple dinner at their home that I haven’t been able to forget.
As I said, it was simple: a chard and potato-filled omelette and a baby greens salad dressed with a fresh lemon vinaigrette. Pretty basic, no?
But the omelette … the omelette! Fluffy, flavorful and pretty, it was unlike anything I’d ever had. Truth be told, I didn’t want to finish eating it and lingered over each bite, hoping against hope that there was more than what was on my plate. (There wasn’t. Sigh.)
At the end of the meal we all sat back, content and satisfied. I asked Nina how she’d made this stupendously delicious dinner. What made the omelette so cottony-light, so tender in the mouth, so unforgettable? An accomplished cook and forager, she smiled and plucked a cookbook off a nearby shelf. Here, she said.
Our omelettes had looked exactly like the picture in Plenty, the vibrant vegetable cookbook by London’s Yotam Ottolenghi that she’d handed me. Filled with the springtime flavors of chard and fresh herbs, now – before the summer heat really hits – is the time to make this.
Substitute baby spinach leaves for the chard if you want, and mix-and-match the herbs as you like. I encourage you to take the little bit of extra time necessary to follow the steps to the T; you’ll be glad – so glad! – you did.
Chard & Saffron Omelette
Keep an eye on the potatoes; you want them soft but not falling apart.
½ lb. small new potatoes, peeled and diced small
1 cup water
¾ lb. Swiss chard (stalks & leaves), cut into fine threads
Put potatoes, water and saffron, if using, in a large pot and bring to a boil. Simmer 4 minutes, then add chard and some salt and pepper. Cook, covered, for about 6-10 minutes or till potatoes are soft but still a little firm. Drain, gently stir in lemon juice and garlic and set aside.
Whisk together eggs, milk, herbs and some salt and pepper. Pour about 1 tsp. oil into a hot 9-inch, non-stick frying pan, then use ¼ of the egg mixture to make a thin round omelette. Cook, without flipping, just a few minutes, till set but not hard. Transfer to paper towel to cool. Make 3 more in the same way.
Preheat oven to 325 F. Spread crema or crème fraiche over half of each omelette. Taste chard mixture, adjust seasonings if necessary, then spread generously over the crema. Fold each omelette in half, then fold again to make a fan shape. (Let chard filling show at the open side for a prettier presentation.) Arrange omelettes on a lightly oiled baking sheet or ovenproof dish. Bake for 5-8 minutes or until hot. Serve at once. Makes 4.
You can use any spaghetti for this chard and pasta dish.
Bucatini with Swiss Chard & Garlicky Breadcrumbs
The garlicky breadcrumbs can be made a day ahead. Store airtight at room temperature and try not to eat them all! Bucatini is a thick spaghetti with a hole in the center; you can use any spaghetti, though.
5 Tbsp. olive oil, divided, plus more for drizzling
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
⅓ cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
Salt and pepper
12 oz. bucatini or spaghetti
5 oil-packed anchovy fillets, finely chopped OR 1 small salmon filet
1 serrano chile, thinly sliced
1 bunch Swiss chard, ribs and stems removed, leaves coarsely torn (about 5 cups)
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 cup coarsely chopped fresh mint leaves
2 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
Finely grated Parmesan or Pecorino (for serving)
Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Cook garlic, stirring, until golden and crisp, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl with a slotted spoon. Add panko to same skillet and cook in the same oil, stirring often, until golden, about 5 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl with the garlic and mix gently.
Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water. Drain, reserving 1½ cups of the water.
Meanwhile, heat 3 Tbsp. oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook anchovies, mashing with a wooden spoon, about 4 minutes. (If using salmon, sauté 3-5 minutes till cooked through and then chop into chunks or flakes.) Add chile and chard; cook, stirring, until chard is slightly wilted, about a minute.
Add butter, pasta and ½ cup pasta water to chard mixture and cook, tossing often with tongs and adding more pasta water if sauce looks dry, until sauce emulsifies and coats pasta. Remove from heat. Stir in mint, lemon zest and lemon juice. Divide pasta among bowls. Drizzle with olive oil; top with garlicky breadcrumbs, Parmesan or Pecorino and serve immediately. –bonapetit.com
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.
Agency predicts millions more will join ranks of the poor, such as these laborers looking for work.
The coronavirus-induced economic crisis could push an additional 10.7 million people into poverty, according to the federal government’s social development agency.
The National Council for the Evaluation of Social Development Policy (Coneval) said that between 6.1 million and 10.7 million people could be left in situations of poverty as a result of income loss due to the sharp economic downturn caused by Covid-19 and the measures put in place to contain the disease.
The total number of people in poverty could therefore increase by between 10% and 18% over the 60 million reported by Coneval in 2019.
The percentage of working people in situations of poverty could increase to as high as 45.8%, Coneval said, an 8.5% increase over the current level.
People living in large urban areas are likely to be more affected by the economic downturn than those in rural areas and towns, the council said, although it noted that agricultural day laborers are also vulnerable. Coneval also said that women could be more prone than men to the adverse economic effects of the pandemic.
With a deep recession seen as inevitable, the agency said that the government needs to broaden and strengthen its capacity to help people in situations of poverty. The operation of social programs should be improved to ensure that they reach the people who require them, Coneval said.
It noted that even before the pandemic, job insecurity was widespread in Mexico and the economy was stagnant. The council also noted that many people have difficulties accessing essentials such as food and water, health care, education, social security and housing.
President López Obrador has said that his administration will put the nation’s poor first during the coronavirus pandemic, announcing cuts last month in order to increase spending on social programs. The government is also offering 3 million loans to poor and middle-class Mexicans to help them through the economic crisis.
But López Obrador has faced criticism for not providing more support for the private sector, which employ millions of Mexicans across the country.
Authorities have uncovered the remains of at least 25 people in a clandestine grave in the municipality of El Salto, Jalisco.
After police were dispatched to the property on the basis of an anonymous tip they discovered human bones. They subsequently found the remains of at least 25 people and five plastic bags containing more remains.
The bodies were taken to labs at the Jalisco Institute of Forensic Sciences (IJCF) for analysis. The Jalisco Attorney General’s Office (FGE) said that the investigations will be ongoing for the next few days as they continue to gather evidence.
It said in a press release that the investigation has not been and will not be impeded by the sanitation measures initiated in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
El Salto is located within the metropolitan area of Guadalajara.
Meanwhile, the citizens’ search collective Jalisco Families United for Our Disappeared (Fundej) organized several protests in the state on Saturday to demand that state authorities continue searching for missing people during the pandemic.
In order to observe physical distancing measures, groups of no more than 15 people protested outside the governor’s mansion and other government buildings to make their voices heard.
“We want to keep searching. We aren’t afraid of dying because we’re already dead in life and I for one don’t want to die without knowing where my son is,” said Fundej spokesperson Guadalupe Aguilar.
Demonstrating on the day before Mother’s Day, Aguilar said that “we have nothing to celebrate, we don’t have children and there’s no celebration. … Where are they? Where are our children?”
But Fundej members aren’t the only mothers of missing people who haven’t let the coronavirus hold them back from searching for their children. Considering their pursuit an essential activity, the Sabuesos Guerreras (Warrior Sleuths) of Culiacán, Sinaloa, continue to look for their children who have joined the ranks of the thousands missing in Mexico despite the pandemic.
Mothers of missing children in Coahuila marked the May 10 holiday by protesting against authorities that they allege have failed to carry out thorough investigations into the disappearance of their sons and daughters, while a group of women in Sonora held a vigil for their absent offspring.
In Torreón, Coahuila, members of a group made up of mothers of missing people gathered at the so-called “tree of hope” in the Alameda Zaragoza park on Sunday to protest against the ineffectiveness of searches carried out by state and federal authorities.
They declared that Mother’s Day is not a day of celebration for thousands of Mexican moms who don’t know where their sons and daughters are.
“Our hearts are the same as the day they were taken,” María Elena Salazar told the newspaper El Universal.
She said there was no way they could celebrate when they can’t give their children a hug or receive the love and affection their sons and daughters once showed them.
About 250 kilometers to the east in the state capital Saltillo, mothers, grandmothers and aunts of missing people took to the streets to participate in the ninth National March for Dignity and Justice for mothers searching for their disappeared sons and daughters.
They demanded that both state and federal authorities speed up their investigations into the disappearance of their loved ones. The women accused the Federal Attorney General’s Office and the National Search Commission of failing to update most family members about the progress made in searches for missing people, claiming that officials only meet with a select few people and organizations.
Marches and protests were also held in other states including Chihuahua, Sinaloa, Veracruz and Mexico City, where more than 50 women defied the stay-at-home recommendation to walk from the Mother’s Monument to the Angel of Independence on Reforma Avenue to draw attention to their cause. Other protests took place on Saturday in Jalisco.
In Hermosillo, Sonora, a group of mothers held a vigil on Saturday night for their missing children. The women gathered outside the State Human Rights Commission, where they lit candles, put up photos of their missing loved ones, joined hands and prayed.
“They were taken alive, we want them back alive,” the women said, a refrain that rose to national prominence after the abduction of 43 teaching students in Iguala, Guerrero, in 2014.
They too said they was no cause for celebration when the whereabouts of their sons and daughters remained unknown.
“Son, I will look for you until I find you,” said Cecy Flores, leader of the Sonora Madres Buscadoras group. Her son, Marco Antonio, has been missing since May 2019.
“We’re not demanding justice, we just want our children back,” Flores said.
