Mexico National Health Emergency

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Cozumel News Update March 31

Cozumel News Update Mexico Declares a National Health Emergency – COVID-19 Protocol When Entering your Home – Ultramar April Schedule – WhatsApp Phishing Scam – March 31 COVID-19 Statistics, and more!

Mexico National Health Emergency

This is a translation of the National Health Emergency declaration. I have added Bold lettering to the parts that I felt might be of interest or important since it is so lengthly. There was already Bold sections in the text.

Yesterday, March 30, the General Health Council issued an Agreement declaring a health emergency due to force majeure of the epidemic generated by the SARS-CoV2 virus (COVID-19) (“Agreement”), published in the afternoon edition of the Official Gazette of the Federation.

The Agreement will be in force from March 31 until April 30th, 2020 and establishes that the Ministry of Health will determine all necessary actions to address such health emergency.

It is important to clarify that the government is talking about a “National Health Emergency” and not a “National Health Contingency”. 

This is to be able to legally force all employers to pay the current salaries their employees in full during the timeframe of the emergency so declared; whereas had the latter contingency been declared; then, the employers would only have had to pay their employees the applicable official minimum wage in Mexico for the timeframe of said contingency. 

Keep informed on the COVID-19 related news in Cozumel, Mexico by joining The Cozumel Sun Facebook Group! I will forward VERIFIED information as it is confirmed.,

Cozumel News Update:

Mexico Declares a National Health EmergencyContinued:

Current law (the Mexican Labor Law, the -MLL-), provides that labor conditions may be “suspended” (that is the term used by the MLL) at a facility (meaning a specific location) or business (meaning to the entirety of the operations), among other situations (article 427): 

(a)  in instances of force majeure or acts of God not attributable to the employer (this is the subject Declaration) or

(b)  whenever the health authority calls for a suspension of work or duties.

For its part, the General Health Council published on its website the following emergency measures, applicable as of yesterday:

Stop All Non-Essential Activities

1. The suspension of non-essential activities in the public, private and social sectors until April 30, is ordered (1). Current onsite administrative, technical and / or operational activities being performed by the employees of Tourist – Residential Developments / Resorts, such as Terrasol, are not considered as essential. 

2. In the sectors determined as essential, no more than 50 people should be gathered, and basic measures of hygiene, prevention and healthy distance should always be applied.

Stay at Home Order

3. The entire population residing in Mexican territory is urged to comply with the co-responsibility home guard (voluntary limitation of mobility and remaining in the private home as long as possible).

4. The home guard is strictly applied to all persons over 60 years of age, pregnant women or persons suffering from chronic or autoimmune diseases (with a diagnosis of high blood pressure, diabetes, heart or lung disease, immunosuppression), regardless of whether their work activity is considered essential. 

5. After April 30, the Ministry of Health, in coordination with the Ministries of Labor and Economy, will issue guidelines for the gradual and regional resumption of activities in the country.

6. All censuses and surveys involving the mobilization of people and their physical interaction will be postponed until further notice.

7. All measures shall be implemented with strict adherence to and respect for human rights.

It is important to note that the above measures do not constitute a state of emergency (restriction or suspension of the exercise of rights and guarantees) or involve a curfew. And we have to wait for their publication in the Official Gazette of the Federation to determine their legal scope.

In addition, the General Health Council requested the federal government agencies and the three levels of government, within the sphere of their competence, to support the declaration of an emergency by means of the following measures:

1. The Ministry of the Interior:

maintain constant communication and liaison with the powers of the Union and the governments of the federal states, as well as the representatives of civil society and, together with the General Coordination of Social Communication and Spokesperson of the Presidency of the Republic, the media, to promote compliance with the measures described in the declaration of emergency. Likewise, the INM (Federal Immigration Agency) shall take the necessary health precautions at ports, airports and land entry points into the national territory to comply with the provisions of the declaration of health emergency.

2. To the Ministries of Finance and Public Credit, Economy, Labor, IMSS, Issste and INFONAVIT:

as appropriate, to operate the necessary measures to protect companies and workers during the validity of the declaration establishing permanent communication with their representations.

3. To the Ministries of Finance and Public Credit, Economy, Agriculture and Rural Development:

meet with the productive sectors that participate in the distribution of the basic food basket in order to carry out effective actions that guarantee supply to the entire population;

4. To the Ministries of Welfare, Labor and Social Welfare,

and those agencies that have powers in the matter, for the implementation of social support decisions agreed by the President of the Republic.

5. The Ministries of Security and Citizen Protection, National Defense, the Mexican Navy and the National Guard:

take measures to guarantee the security of individuals and society in accordance with their respective powers, as well as to protect and safeguard strategic installations and public communication networks, always ensuring due respect for human rights;

6. To the Ministries of Finance and Public Credit, Economy, Health, Public Service, IMSS, INSABI, Issste:

resolve the needs of human resources, equipment, medical devices and medicines that are necessary to ensure timely and sufficient care to those who require medical attention in terms of the Covid-19 pandemic;

7. The Ministry of Public Education, CONATYT and public and private education centers:

meet to coordinate their immediate contribution to the analysis and research tasks that will help to address the pandemic.

8. To the Ministry of Communications and Transport:

for the implementation of the provisions of this declaration regarding flights, entries and exits from airports and ports, in coordination with the Ministry of the Navy of Mexico. 

9. The Ministry of Public Function:

 will accompany the procurement processes necessary to address the temporary emergency; and 

10. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs:

will do what is necessary to protect Mexicans abroad, and will support the health sector, INSABI, IMSS and Issste to facilitate the supply and provision of medical supplies to meet the Covid-19. 

(1) The following are considered as essential activities:

a. Those that are directly necessary to attend to the health emergency, such as the work activities of the medical, paramedical, administrative and support branches in the entire health sector, both public and private. These include the pharmaceutical sector, both in production and distribution (pharmacies); the manufacture of inputs, medical equipment and technologies for health care, as well as those involved in the proper disposal of biohazardous and infectious waste (BHW), and the cleaning and sanitation of medical units at different levels of care.

b. Those involved in public safety and citizen protection; in the defense of national integrity and sovereignty; the procurement and delivery of justice, as well as legislative activity at the federal and state levels. 

c. Those sectors considered essential for the fundamental functioning of the economy: financial, tax collection, distribution and sale of energy, gas stations and gas, generation and distribution of drinking water, food and non-alcoholic beverage industry, food markets, supermarkets, self-service stores, grocery stores and sale of prepared foods; passenger and cargo transportation services; agricultural, fishing and livestock production, agro-industry, chemicals, cleaning products; hardware stores, courier services, guards in private security work; day care centers and children’s homes, nursing homes and homes for the elderly, shelters and care centers for women victims of violence and their children; telecommunications and the media, private emergency services, funeral and burial services, storage and cold chain services for essential inputs, logistics (airports, ports and railways), and activities whose suspension may have irreversible effects on their continuation.

d. The operation of government social programs.

e. The conservation and maintenance of critical infrastructure that ensures the production and distribution of indispensable services such as: drinking water, electric power, gas, oil, gasoline, turbine, basic sanitation, public transportation, first level hospital and medical infrastructure, among others that could be defined under this category.

Cozumel Municipality Discounts on all Transactions.

In conjunction with the National Health Emergency, the local government is doing its share to assist residents and businesses. There are discounts on virtually all Municipal transactions, (taxes, fees, licenses, permits, etc.), These discounts are massive, some up to 100% for the months April, May, and June.

Municipal President Joaquin D. explained that the Municipal Palace is also complying with the Stay at Home rule for employees and are operating with minimal staff.

He requested that during this month you only come to the Palace with transactions of an emergency nature. They will be setting up a system so that residents can soon make payments online.

CYBER ALERT!

PHILSHING SCAM ON WHATSAPP

This is a notice claiming to be from the Mexican Federal Government promising economic assistance due to the quarantine. This is a phishing scam to steal your data!

It is Recommended that you do not open and do not share. Install an antivirus program on your equipment. Close all open applications and reactivate them using verification steps. Last of all, change all your passwords.

No government or business is going to offer you benefits using WhatsApp or any other social media. DO NOT BE FOOLED!

Ultramar April Schedule

Passengers on the route Playa del Carmen – Cozumel:

We will run only on the following days in April: 2,4,6,8,10,12,14, 16,18,20,22,24,26,28, & 30.

Please refer to our publications in the social media for hours of operation.

Aurita´s Cozumel Corner

Please excuse any typos! It is 11:30 at night and I spent the better part of the day stocking up on food and supplies for our family of seven. We are preparing to dig in for the next 30 days.

I rode my wheelchair first to Coppell at the Chedraui place to do some banking, back home and then all the way to Sam´s Club and then to Mama Lucha, as the locals call the store next door.  

I arrived at Coppell at 11a.m. in time for the opening. It was encouraging, almost everyone I encountered had on a facemask. I was planning on going to the bank from there, but there was such an eerie feeling in that shopping mall, I went home and let my son Bartolo do the bank run.

I had no choice but to go out, I wanted to use my United States debit card to take advantage of the $23.40 exchange rate. We have a lot of mouths to feed and a month´s worth is quite expensive. Bartolo and I had on our masks and kept our distance as much as we could.

We spent hours at the two stores, it seemed like days. Both stores were packed. Unlike the Chedraui mall experience, most of the locals were casually shopping without masks and oblivious to obeying the distance.

It was astounding and frightening, there were entire families out and about, with children in tow. I sent my son and the goods home in a cab and I rode my wheelchair home in the scorching sun, praying that what I read about heat killing corona in true!

Hence, it has taken me hours to create the above report with my partially fried brain! There are a few other updates, but they will have to wait till tomorrow´s report.

Stay Home and Stay Safe Everyone, Blessings!

COVID-19 Crisis

Protocol when entering your home

Take your shoes off before entering the door

Clean the top and bottom of your shoes

Throw out all receipts

Go directly to a room where you can disrobe and place all your clothing in the washer

Do not touch anything

Shower and brush your teeth

Now you can greet the family!