Thursday sets a record for new Covid-19 cases, deaths; trend ‘clearly upward’

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May 8, 2020

Coronavirus cases in Mexico as of Thursday evening. milenio

Mexico recorded its biggest single-day increase to both its coronavirus case tally and death toll on Thursday, lifting the former to almost 30,000 and the latter to just under 3,000.

The federal Health Ministry reported 1,982 new confirmed Covid-19 cases, taking the total number of accumulated cases since the disease was first detected at the end of February to 29,616. It also reported 257 additional fatalities, lifting the death toll to 2,961.

Mexico’s coronavirus fatality rate is now in double figures for the first time at 10 per 1,000 confirmed cases.

A total of 10,392 additional confirmed cases were added to Mexico’s tally in the first week of May, 37% more than in the final seven days of April. Health authorities reported 1,102 coronavirus-related deaths in the first week of this month, 39% more than the 790 fatalities recorded in the last week of April.

Health Ministry Director of Epidemiology José Luis Alomía said Thursday night that Mexico’s epidemic curve continues to maintain a “clear upward trend,” contradicting Deputy Health Minister Hugo López-Gatell’s assertion on Tuesday that the curve is flattening.

The coronavirus death toll was approaching 3,000 as of Thursday evening. milenio

Alomía told reporters at the nightly coronavirus press briefing that 7,802 of the almost 30,000 confirmed cases are considered to be active. He also said that there are 18,812 suspected Covid-19 cases across the country and that 117,211 people have now been tested for the disease.

Mexico City has the highest number of accumulated and active coronavirus cases, with 8,129 of the former and 2,051 of the latter. México state ranks second in both categories, with 5,077 accumulated cases and 1,203 active ones, according to Health Ministry data.

Eight states have more than 200 active cases: Veracruz (329); Tabasco (329); Baja California (309); Yucatán (296); Morelos (293); Puebla (264); Sinaloa (259); and Nuevo León (229). Active cases have surged in Nuevo León this month, increasing by 144% from 94 on May 1.

At the municipal level, Iztapalapa in Mexico City continues to lead the country for active cases, with 503. Gustavo A. Madero, Mexico City, is second followed by Centro (Villahermosa), Tabasco; Culiacán, Sinaloa; and Nezahualcóyotl, México state.

Mexico City has also recorded the highest number of coronavirus-related deaths, with 696 fatalities as of Thursday, according to Health Ministry figures.

However, The New York Times reported on Friday that the federal government is not reporting hundreds or possibly thousands of Covid-19 deaths in the capital. It said that Mexico City officials have counted more than three times the number of fatalities than the federal government has publicly acknowledged.

Active cases of Covid-19 in Mexico. milenio

The Times reported that Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum began to suspect that federal data was flawed a month ago but has not spoken out publicly because she doesn’t want to embarrass President López Obrador, her close political ally.

Two former federal health ministers, José Narro Robles and José Ángel Córdova Villalobos, publicly expressed doubt this week about the government’s coronavirus statistics and modeling, with the latter asserting that the figures are “almost irrelevant.”

According to official figures, Baja California has the second highest death toll in Mexico, with 344 fatalities.

Six other states have recorded more than 100 coronavirus-related deaths: México state (275); Sinaloa (197); Tabasco (188); Quintana Roo (168); Puebla (124); and Chihuahua (117).

At the municipal level, Tijuana, Baja California, has the highest death toll, with 243 fatalities, followed by Culiacán, Sinaloa (139); Gustavo A. Madero, Mexico City (135); Benito Juárez (Cancún), Quintana Roo (131); and Iztapalapa, Mexico City (110).

Among the almost 3,000 people confirmed to have lost their lives to Covid-19, 503 did not have an identified existing health problem that made them more vulnerable to the disease nor were they aged over 65.

Five foreigners have died of Covid-19 in Mexico, according to Health Ministry data – one person from each of Cuba, Greece, Canada, Chile and El Salvador.

Source: Milenio (sp)

AMLO says renewable energy sources provide nothing; figures show otherwise

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MND Staff

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May 7, 2020

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wind farm — Renewable energy is out, Pemex is in.

They generate almost half of Mexico’s power at much lower prices than the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) but private energy companies have still incurred the wrath of President López Obrador.

The president on Wednesday claimed that private companies, including those that generate clean, renewable energy from sources such as wind and solar, have provided “nothing” to the national electricity system.

His claim, however, is far from the truth. Private energy companies generate 46% of the nation’s electricity, according to the Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE), and they do so at a cost up to 85% less than the CFE.

Although renewable projects are capable of generating energy that is both cheaper and cleaner than that generated by the commission, the National Energy Control Center (Cenace), a supposedly independent federal entity, has taken the decision to limit temporarily the amount of electricity existing wind and solar projects can supply to the national grid.

The center also published measures last week that suspend national grid trials for new renewable projects, a move that will delay the start of at least 28 wind and solar farms. The generation of electricity at old, inefficient CFE plants will instead be ramped up “to improve the reliability of the electricity system” during the coronavirus crisis, Cenace said.

López Obrador claimed that the Cenace measures represent a “fair deal” for the CFE because when it buys energy from private companies, it incurs a loss.

But the state-run company will incur an even bigger loss by generating greater quantities of electricity itself. According to the CRE, the average cost of generating a megawatt hour (MWh) of electricity at CFE plants is US $141.21.

In contrast, the CFE has one agreement to buy electricity from private companies for $20.57 per MWh – 85% less than its own generation cost – and two others in which it pays $33.40 and $47.70.

Inder Rivera, manager of clean energy at the World Resources Institute in Mexico, said that being able to purchase power from private companies is actually a blessing for the CFE, not a curse as López Obrador suggests.

Víctor Ramírez, spokesman for the Mexico Climate and Energy Platform, a renewable energy advocacy group, agrees that there is an inherent contradiction in the president’s discourse.

“He says that this measure [ramping up production at CFE plants] is to maintain or lower rates but … the more CFE-generated energy is used, the more energy will cost,” he said.

Therefore, Ramírez added, the government will either have to further subsidize rates to maintain them as they are, or take the unpopular decision to increase them.

For his part, the director of the Mexican Wind Energy Association said that the suspension of trials that allowed wind farms and solar parks to provide electricity for the national grid poses a threat to investment in renewable projects.

Julio Valle claimed that the coronavirus crisis is being used as an excuse to deliberately stall the commencement of new renewable energy projects that are ready or almost ready to inject environmentally-friendly power into the grid. Seventeen such projects were scheduled to come on line this year while another 11 were slated to begin operating in 2021.

However, the Cenace decision will cause delays to all 28 projects because they cannot begin supplying energy to the national grid if they have not completed the compulsory trials to ensure that their systems are compatible with those of the CFE.

“After finishing construction, it is necessary to verify that the generation system is compatible with the [CFE] system, that it operates in the conditions that the electrical system demands,” said Ramírez.

“What they are doing is blocking these tests prior to entry into operation, and therefore all these plants cannot go into operation,” he said.

Located in Yucatán, Campeche, Tamaulipas and Chihuahua, among other states, the 28 wind and solar projects will have a generation capacity of more than 4 gigawatts, or 4 billion watts, and represent investment of US $5-$6 billion. Investors will now be forced to wait longer than expected to begin recouping their outlays.

Ana Lilia Moreno, a senior researcher at public policy think tank México Evalúa, charged that the Cenace measures locking renewable projects out of the national grid, at least temporarily, are in violation of competition regulations.

“It is a clear confrontation with the private sector to put a brake on them, even on investments that have already been completed. The Federal Competition Commission would have to review the competition conditions that are being violated with this agreement,” she said.

Greenpeace México said in a statement that the Cenace measures represent “an obstacle and a threat to an already insufficient climate policy” and to the attainment of Mexico’s commitments to reduce greenhouse emissions in accordance with the Paris Agreement.

The environmental organization said that the measures stop the operation of new renewable projects “without technical or legal justification.”

“Renewable energy, far from putting the national electricity system at risk, can build a more resilient, fair and accessible system. In a country where more than 30% of households suffer from some form of energy poverty, it is clear that the electricity system based on centralized fossil-fuel projects has not been effective in creating [equitable] access,” Greenpeace said.

“In addition to contributing to the achievement of Mexico’s climate goals, renewable energy combats energy poverty, creates jobs, and promotes savings and efficiency in the consumption of energy.”

But the president has other goals and saving Pemex is one of them. The company has fuel it cannot sell elsewhere and the CFE is a willing buyer.

Source: Reforma (sp), EV Wind (en)

Coronavirus deaths bring out disreputable funeral service operators

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Cody Copeland

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May 7, 2020

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A funeral home worker disinfects a hearse.

Elevated numbers of deaths from the coronavirus and restrictions on wakes and burials in some parts of the country have led to the rise of an illicit funeral market that is overcharging and swindling families, warns the head of the National Funeral Directors’ Association.

Roberto García warned that some funeral homes wait outside hospitals and make families unrealistic promises, overcharge them and do not comply with health safety measures.

Many states enacted differing regulations on processing the remains of victims of Covid-19 in early April, despite the federal Health Ministry’s assurance that the bodies cannot transmit the virus.

One service that some funeral directors purport to offer is a 24-hour wake, which has been prohibited in some states.

“They interview the family and say, ‘Yes, I can give you 24-hour wake service with everything included and without a limit on the number of people in the room,’” said García, who emphasized that the reports are true and primarily come from the northern and eastern boroughs of Mexico City.

Once they have the body in the hearse, they can hold it hostage in order to continue charging families exorbitant amounts for services that may never be provided.

The newspaper Reforma surveyed several funeral homes in the eastern part of the city and found that the average transportation of a cadaver from a hospital to a legitimate funeral home costs anywhere from 8,000-12,000 pesos (US $333-500).

However, there have been reports of some homes charging as much as 25,000 pesos for transportation and making false claims that they have connections with authorities who facilitate the services they offer.

The main problems that will likely result from contracting such services include fake death certificates, exorbitant fees, charges at every stage in the administrative process and even the demand for a tip for the hearse operators.

Source: Reforma (sp)

Scientists find evidence of fires built in Yucatán cave 10,000 years ago

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MND Staff

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May 7, 2020

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Researcher Octavio del Río at the site of the largest of the fires. inagh

The first settlers of the Yucatán Peninsula built bonfires 10,000 years ago in a cave now flooded with water, studies have confirmed.

Charcoal samples from 14 prehistoric bonfires removed from the Ancestors Chamber of the Aktun Ha cenote, or natural sinkhole, in Tulum, Quintana Roo, in 2017 and 2018 were analyzed by scientists from the National Autonomous University (UNAM).

They used a range of different methods including controlled heating experiments, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and carbon dating.

The scientists determined that the bonfires were lit between 10,250 and 10,750 years ago. Corresponding to the early Holcene period – the current geological epoch which began more than 11,000 years ago after the last glacial period – the charcoal remnants of the fires are the oldest ever discovered in a Yucatán Peninsula cenote.

The scientists determined that the fires reached temperatures as high as 600 C. They ruled out any possibility that water swept the charcoal remains into the cenote cave from elsewhere.

Octavio del Río measures one of the sites of the fires. Krzysztof Starnawski

Hunter-gatherers who lived on the Yucatán Peninsula more than 10 millennia ago may have used the Ancestors Chamber as a temporary shelter or for ritual purposes. The bonfires were likely used for both warmth and cooking.

Divers have also found stone artifacts in the cave that appear to have been used as tools such as hammers and scrapers.

Luis Alberto Martos López, one of the authors of an article about the charcoal sample analysis that was published by the journal Geoarchaeology in late April, said that the findings are helping him and his fellow scientists to “reconstruct” the history of fire in the Americas. That history, he added, is of “great importance for the study of evolution and human migration.”

Martos explained that the cave where the charcoal remnants were found was accessed in prehistoric times by a narrow five-meter-long tunnel whose entrance was hidden by a mound of rocks. Early settlers would have had to crawl through it to reach the cave, Martos said.

Measuring about 20 square meters with a height of five to six meters, the cave not only offered shelter for the first yucatecos but also fresh water as there was a natural well at its rear. Before it was flooded with water, it was well ventilated, allowing the bonfire smoke to escape.

The Aktun Ha cenote is now partially open to the public as a tourist attraction and swimming hole but there is no access to the Ancestors Chamber.

Aktun Ha is colloquially known as the “Car Wash” cenote because prior to being designated a heritage site, local taxi drivers commonly took advantage of its location next to the Tulum-Cobá highway to get water to wash their cars.

It is located about nine kilometers from the town of Tulum on community-owned land.

Mexico News Daily

Senator criticizes daughter’s decision to hold Baja beach party

By

Susy Buchanan

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May 7, 2020

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It's a girl: the helicopter that delivered the announcement of the unborn baby's gender.

The daughter of a Baja California senator ignored coronavirus measures to throw a beach party this week.

Ivanna Novelo Müller, daughter of Morena party Senator Gerardo Novelo Osuna, is expecting a baby in October and decided to throw an elaborate gender reveal party in one of the hardest-hit states in Mexico.

Novelo, her husband and around 40 guests, including friends, business owners and young children, gathered on the shore in front of her family’s Estero Beach Hotel in Ensenada. The parents-to-be posed excitedly in front of large white letters spelling out BABY, as friends, many not wearing face masks, hugged and snapped photos of the couple.

At one point during the two-hour event, a helicopter flew over and released pink powder into the sea and sent pink confetti fluttering down upon the assembled crowd, indicating Novelo is expecting a girl.

Video of the event went viral on social media, and criticism was rampant. Novelo removed the video from her social media accounts almost immediately, but it had already been widely circulated.

Senator Novelo, who was not in attendance, has been a vocal advocate for stay-at-home orders, and in a two-page statement criticized his daughter’s decision to host a party in the middle of a pandemic.

“In the face of health crises, you should always act prudently and in this case, that was not so,” he wrote in the statement posted to Twitter.

“Individually, I can only offer an apology to citizens, because although my daughter and her partner are old enough to make their own decisions, this time they made the wrong decision,” Novelo Osuna said Wednesday. “It seems to me that a celebration of that magnitude should not have taken place at this time.”

Ivanna’s brother Gerardo Novelo Müller, who does not appear to share his father’s disapproval, was clearly irritated by criticism of his sister.

“It was something that did not last even two hours, it was fewer than 35 people, the confetti is biodegradable, the powder that was thrown from the helicopter is also. Mini-private event, private property,” he insisted.

“You are more likely to be infected by going to an Oxxo or a supermarket. I also have no doubt that your own houses will become more infected,” he wrote, finishing the post with “Don’t be jealous.”

As of May 7, Baja California had 2,097 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and had seen 326 deaths.

Source: Reforma (sp), Infobae (sp)

Coronavirus curfew, more hospital beds for Playa del Carmen

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Cody Copeland

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May 7, 2020

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More beds announced for Playa del Carmen hospital.

Fearing the devastating economic effects of a resurgence in coronavirus cases in one of Quintana Roo’s most popular tourist destinations, authorities in Playa del Carmen have ordered a nightly curfew.

The municipality of Solidaridad, where Playa del Carmen is located, announced that the curfew will go into effect Thursday at 7:00 p.m. and will run until 5:00 a.m. nightly until further notice.

“We’re going through the most difficult moments of the pandemic. … Now is the time to double down on the collective effort to slow the transmission curve and save lives. Today, more than ever, we ask for your understanding,” said municipal Public Security Minister Jorge Robles.

The Solidaridad government announced other preventative measures on social media, including a 50% reduction in public transit services and several road closures. Only two people at a time will be allowed to ride in a private vehicle, and only cars with Quintana Roo license plates will be allowed on the roads.

Essential businesses that sell food and supplies will be allowed to operate during the curfew as long as they respect the preventative measures and current prohibitions on alcohol sales. Only pharmacies will be allowed to operate 24 hours a day, though customers will have to order products through a window.

The Quintana Roo government has also stepped up its efforts to fight the pandemic.

Governor Carlos Joaquín announced that the Playa del Carmen General Hospital will be equipped with 100 extra beds for the exclusive treatment of patients with Covid-19 and is outfitting a neighboring building with 190 more.

His government is taking similar actions in Cancún as well, adding 238 beds using mobile installations.

“A resurgence in cases would be terrible for us, because it would add another month of emergency measures, and nobody wants that,” said Joaquín.

Sources: Infobae (sp), La Revista (sp)

42% of Covid-19 patients in Nayarit are IMSS personnel: governor

By

MND Staff

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May 7, 2020

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'People are increasingly walking around the streets doing nonessential activities:' Echeverría

The governor of Nayarit has accused the Social Security Institute (IMSS) of failing to protect health workers adequately, pointing out that 42% of people ill with Covid-19 in the Pacific coast state are IMSS medical personnel.

“The way in which the heroic IMSS personnel are exposed in our state is not fair,” Antonio Echevarría said in a video message posted to social media on Wednesday.

“Today I will seek out the general director of the Mexican Social Security Institute, Zoé Robledo, to share my concern with him about … IMSS personnel whose health and lives are exposed because of poor institutional practices,” he said.

The governor said that the “internal protocols” at IMSS health care facilities have to be improved to ensure that health workers are not exposed to the risk of infection.

Medical personnel across Mexico have protested to demand more supplies of personal protective equipment in order to respond to the coronavirus pandemic, although the frequency of protests has decreased since the federal government began bringing supplies into the country from China.

Echevarría also took aim at Nayarit residents who have not followed the instruction to stay in their homes if they are not carrying out essential activities.

“With the 15 new cases yesterday we reached 166 in total and we had the most lethal day [yet] with four regrettable deaths … caused by Covid-19. The trend … is clearly on the rise and it coincides with the obvious relaxation of the rules and measures of social isolation. People are increasingly walking around the streets doing nonessential activities. This conduct is unacceptable,” he said.

“It’s my responsibility to warn you that if we continue … en masse [with] the stubborn challenge to death seen since April 30, in a few more days the capacity of hospitals [to respond] will collapse and funeral services won’t have any storage capacity. … The incredulity of some and the negligence of others is exposing the rest of the population,” Echevarría said.

The governor urged state police and municipal authorities to ensure that coronavirus containment measures are followed. Those violating orders to stay at home without a valid reason can be fined or even jailed for 72 hours.

Echevarría said that authorities of all levels of government must assume their responsibility to enforce social distancing rules “without simulation.”

“Let it be clear; I will personally bring lawsuits against … any government representative … whose negligence or simple incompetence costs lives in this [health] emergency,” he said.

“This problem is real and very serious but we will do what is necessary without fear of the costs in [terms of] popularity or politics; I prefer to be judged as having exaggerated in the mobility restriction measures in order to save lives than to carry the terrible legacy of death on my conscience,” Echevarría said.

Twenty Covid-19 patients have died to date in Nayarit, which has the ninth lowest coronavirus death toll among the states.

Source: Reforma (sp), Milenio (sp)

12 ‘dangerous’ inmates tunnel out of Zacatecas prison

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Susy Buchanan

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May 7, 2020

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The Zacatecas prison from which 12 prisoners escaped.

Twelve inmates described as “highly dangerous” tunnelled their way to freedom from the Cieneguillas prison in Zacatecas in the middle of the afternoon on Wednesday.

The inmates, members of the Zetas and the Northeast Cartel, were serving sentences ranging from eight to 57 years for drug charges, robbery, kidnapping, firearms offenses and murder.

Prison authorities say they had likely spent the past five or six months digging the 50-meter tunnel, an endeavor that may have been easier to hide due to ongoing construction in that area of the prison.

The tunnel emerged just outside the prison fence, where the inmates piled into three waiting cars and sped off as a guard in one of the towers fired at them.

In 2009, 53 prisoners escaped Cieneguillas with the help of a convoy of cartel hitmen who entered the prison disguised as law enforcement.

The medium-security prison has also seen deadly riots in recent months. On December 31, 2019, 16 inmates were killed in a riot and on January 2 of this year an inmate was beaten to death with a metal door during a subsequent riot, after which 165 inmates were transferred to another prison for safety reasons and the prison’s director was fired.

The New York Times called it “one of the worst outbreaks of violence in the country’s troubled penal system for years.”

A full-scale search for the escaped inmates was underway Thursday morning. Helicopters were sweeping the area, bus stations were being watched and roadblocks had been set up on nearby highways. State police made one arrest when the prisoners swapped getaway cars farther down the road.

One police officer has been detained pending further investigation into his possible role in the escape. Prison guards are also being interrogated, prison authorities announced in a virtual press conference held hours after the escape.

Source: Reforma (sp)

Looking for beer in Oaxaca? Women’s brewery continues producing

By

Cody Copeland

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May 7, 2020

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As mainstream beer makers begin to see their inventories dry up, a women’s artisanal brewing cooperative in Oaxaca has found a foothold in the local economy and has plans to expand.

Capucha beer has become an alternative to the plethora of brands brewed by Mexico’s two major beer makers, Grupo Modelo and Heineken, both of which halted production at the beginning of the quarantine period.

“Our beer tastes like freedom and rebellion,” said Nightshade, a member of the Women’s Beer Making Cooperative, which brews Capucha, Spanish for hood.

“The capucha is the hood that covers us, … that functions as an element of … feminist activism,” Nightshade reminisced with fellow coop member Chita. “It was part of our identity and it identifies us at the same time.”

Production started out small, just enough for family reunions or small parties with friends. But as time went on, the coop partnered with another microbrewery called La Juquileña to increase their production to 200 liters per year.

Brown ale produced by Capucha in Oaxaca.

“We had a homestyle production [at first]. We made some and when we had enough we’d throw a party. We’ve done three up to now. Beginning this year, now that La Juquileña opened its doors to us to increase production, we’re … beginning to seek out more clients,” said Chita.

The increased production allowed the coop to branch out from house parties to local bars and restaurants in Oaxaca city’s historic center.

The makers of Capucha and La Juquileña are among a growing trend of female brewers in Oaxaca. Nayeli Aquino, who works for La Juquileña, estimates that as much as 40% of artisanal beer production in the state is made by women.

“We wanted to make our own beverages beyond the commercial industry of the big duopolies that, in the end, don’t have beer as good as ours,” said Chita.

Upon halting production, those companies had enough stock to supply the country with suds through the month of April, but since the federal government extended the quarantine period through the month of May, stocks are drying up.

The situation is most dire for small store owners, many of whom depend on beer sales for nearly half their revenues.

“Corona quit distributing three weeks ago. I closed my business two weeks ago, since my stock ran out,” said Lucy, the owner of a small beer distribution center in Oaxaca city.

But small brewers stepping into the space Mexico’s big beer makers left in the domestic market shouldn’t be the only thing worrying them, said Karla Siquerios, director general of the industry group Cerveceros de México. They should be worried about their clients abroad as well.

“Mexico is No. 1 in beer exports at the global level,” she said. “Now that we’re not producing there are many commitments that must be fulfilled. We could go from an export powerhouse to an importer. … The impact of the lack of production, export and distribution is evident [and] affects the economy.”

She added that other countries with Covid-19 outbreaks have considered beer an essential product and have not halted production due to the importance of the value chain to their economies.

Source: La Silla Rota (sp)

Breweries remain shuttered: ‘health minister won’t listen to reason’

By

Susy Buchanan

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May 7, 2020

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As Mexico thirsts for beer and stocks in many states have all but dried up, the economic impact of the closure of breweries due to the coronavirus pandemic mounts.

Negotiations to reactivate the beer industry “are at a standstill,” admits the president of the National Agricultural Council (CNA), Bosco de la Vega Valladolid, who estimates that nearly 5 billion pesos, US $207.1 million, in federal taxes have gone uncollected and export losses each month hover around 400 million pesos, or US $16.5 million.

Despite predictions earlier this week from Ricardo Sheffield Padilla, head of the consumer protection agency Profeco, that beer production in Mexico may start up again in mid-May, the decision lies with the Ministry of Health’s Hugo López-Gatell, who de la Vega says “won’t listen to reason” as far as beer is concerned.

Communication between the Health Ministry and the beer industry has broken down, despite an attempt by Agriculture Minister Víctor Villalobos Arámbula to serve as an intermediary between the beer industry and the Ministry of Health.

“The last answer we had was no,” de la Vega told the newspaper Milenio. “This is a violation of the law! The law allows agribusinesses to operate as essential if they are priority industries, and breweries are a priority industry.”

De la Vega estimates that around 25% of all crops grown in Mexico go to support the beer industry which employees, directly and indirectly, around 600,000 people. Beer is also the lifeblood for 800,000 corner stores where beer makes up 80% of total sales, the CNA leader argues.

“This is bad news for producers, for industrialists, for consumers and for the government,” says de la Vega. “I just returned from Sinaloa and beer is already selling on the black market for double the price.”

In Hermosillo, Sonora, thousands of people began lining up at dawn Wednesday, waiting for hours in 45 C heat for the chance to purchase one overpriced 24-pack of beer each at 54 stores that still had stock. And Mexico’s beer shortage doesn’t look like it will let up anytime soon.

De la Vega says that the damage to the industry will be lasting. Stocks of barley are beginning to spoil, and even if the green light is given later this month to reopen, it will take time to ramp up production as the fermentation process alone takes between 30 and 60 days.

“The breweries are going to have to start from scratch,” he lamented.

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