Reopening: a Distant Horizon for Mexico, a Reality in Europe
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Reopening: a Distant Horizon for Mexico, a Reality in Europe

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Daniel González By Daniel González | Senior Writer - Tue, 04/28/2020 - 14:33

When Hugo López-Gattell, Mexico’s Deputy Minister of Health, announced on April 21 that Mexico would be entering Phase 3 of COVID-19, some European countries were already considering a gradual reopening of their economy. It will still take time for Mexico to reach the situation of Germany, Austria, Denmark, Czech Republic or Sweden, but these countries can become the references to follow when reopening the economy once the virus is controlled.

The first country to take a step towards reopening its economy was Austria. On April 14, Austrian authorities decided to restore normality, although at that time the country's COVID-19 numbers were very positive in comparison to other EU countries: 13,945 infected and 350 dead. These figures were achieved thanks to strict and early measures. For example, Austria decided to close its borders on March 10, while the population was already confined by March 16. At that time, only pharmacies and supermarkets remained open. Today, the country allows the opening of shops with less than 400m2, although requirements are strict. All citizens are required to wear masks outside their homes and inside the shops, only one customer is allowed per 20m2 and harsh disinfection measures have been implemented on the premises. The roadmap will continue this Friday in Austria with the opening of larger shops and if the situation continues to evolve favorably in the country, by the end of May restaurants, hotels and dry-cleaning shops are expected to reopen, also under strict security measures. “We reacted faster and more drastically than other countries, so we were able to avoid the worst. This rapid and restrictive reaction now gives us the chance to get out of this crisis more quickly,” Sebastian Kurz said in statements published by Reuters. Despite the good news, the Austrian government has demanded that people working from home continue to do so and will only be able to leave their homes in cases of extreme need. Sports are allowed on the streets, but only if done alone.

Germany, perhaps the greatest global success story in the management of COVID-19, also began its plan for a new normality last Monday. Just like Austria, masks will be compulsory both outside and inside shops. Furthermore, only those less than 800m2 in size will be allowed to open. However, masks are not required to be surgical; that is, fabric masks are allowed and even covering mouth and nose with a scarf or handkerchief will be enough. Also, masks will be mandatory on public transportation throughout the country.

Despite the good news, some of the Lander (the autonomous territories into which the country is divided) are demanding Chancellor Angela Merkel to be quicker in making decisions to revive the economy as soon as possible. Once again, the dichotomy of public health versus economy is shown. At the time of the decision, Germany had 154,175 cases of COVID-19 and 5,640 deaths. Furthermore, Germany started the crisis with only 28,000 ICU ventilator beds, which during the process have increased to 40,000.

On the negative side of the management of the COVID-19 crisis are Spain and Italy. Spain decided to return to the new normal last Sunday, allowing children to leave their homes one hour a day accompanied by one of their parents and respecting social distancing. The measure, widely respected by the citizens, has shown some loopholes that could make the confinement in the country harder again. In addition, Pedro Sánchez, the President of the Government, has announced that car factories can return to their normal work while respecting strict health and safety measures to prevent contagion.

A few days ago, Giuseppe Conte, Prime Minister of Italy, presented the road map that Italy will follow in order to abandon the compulsory confinement that the entire population of the country has experienced. This roadmap has three days marked on the calendar: May 4, May 18 and June 1. On May 4, Italy will allow family visits and will open some of the main parks in each city for sports, although the activity must be carried out in solitude and respecting the distance of 2m between people. Citizens with a body temperature above 37.5 degrees will be forbidden to go out and industrial and construction activity will be resumed. On May 18, if the situation continues to improve, museums, libraries and cultural centers will be reopened and professional sports teams will be allowed to return to training. Shops such as hair and beauty salons and restaurants and some hotels are scheduled to reopen on June 1. Conte’s idea is to safeguard two of the most important economic sectors in the country’s GDP, tourism and industry, for the beginning of the summer season.

Other EU countries are also considering a return to the new normality, albeit at a different pace. In Switzerland, hairdressers, dentists and DIY and garden shops have started to open their doors in stages, while France will discuss in Parliament today a 17 measure-plan aimed at reopening the economy after the confinement.

Mexico, as we said, is still far from the situation that the EU is experiencing. The country has still not carried out the necessary tests to make a real map of the expansion of COVID-19 and is one of the countries in the world with the laxer containment measures. The horizon of normality is still far away in the country, but the experience of other countries could help the Mexican authorities establish timetables and roadmaps with more time and less margin of error. For the time being, social distance measures have been extended until May 30, as have non-essential economic activities. In addition, restrictive mobility measures will be established depending on the volume of contagion in each municipality.

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