Mexico City About to Enter the New Normal

The Mexico Valley, one of the country’s most populated regions including Mexico City and several State of Mexico municipalities, accounts for more than 40 percent of all the country’s COVID-19 cases, according to Hugo López-Gatell, Deputy Minister of Health. This information, albeit worrisome, has not prevented Mexico City from attempting to push life to its new normality. Today, Claudia Sheinbaum, the city’s Head of Government, announced that Mexico City is planning to begin its ambitious reopening plan. About 350,000 workers will return to factories, public transportation will reopen, restrictions on vehicle traffic will be lifted and some small businesses will open their doors to the public. The goal? To prevent a further collapse in consumption and keep the economy afloat. “It will be a week of orderly transition and preparation. If we stay within acceptable levels of contagion and hospital occupancy, we can move to the orange light next week,” Sheibaum said.

Mom and pop shops, which are indispensable to Mexico City’s economy, will be open for business on Thursday June 18, although with limitations that depend on the type of service offered. Bars, hairdressers, spas, cantinas, gyms and discotheques do not fall into this category. If the situation evolves favorably, on Monday June 22, shops located in the historical city center, as well as markets and neighborhood shops, will be able to start business as usual.  The reopening of shopping centers and department stores is planned for Thursday June 25, although they will only be able to do so at 30 percent of their capacity.

In addition to controlling public access, shopping centers and department stores will have to comply with a series of rules to operate legally. Among them are social-distancing measures, the use of masks and gloves for both workers and customers, clear access indications to avoid large gatherings and the use of natural ventilation inside spaces. In addition, all companies with more than 30 workers will have to carry out weekly COVID-19 tests to 5 percent of their employees. “The city is in red but there are indicators that say we are heading towards a different process,” said Claudia Sheinbaum, who also said that for Mexico City to enter fully into the new normality, hospital occupancy must be under 65 percent. This will be possible thanks to the installation of 308 new general beds and 20 beds with artificial respirators at the temporary hospital located in the Citibanamex Center.