Mexico to reopen construction, mining, auto manufacturing

Mexico’s top advisory body on the coronavirus pandemic said Tuesday it has issued guidelines that would allow for the re-opening of construction, mining, and car and truck manufacturing.

The General Health Council said that following a meeting it had decided to classify those industries as “essential activities” that are allowed to continue working during a lock-down aimed at fighting the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The council did not set a timeline for when the reopening would begin. But it said that by June 1, a ‘stoplight’ system should be in place to tell local populations what activities are allowed.

The council also said that restrictions on schools and businesses should be lifted in townships that have no cases of COVID-19 and whose neighboring townships also have no cases.

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador is set to announce a plan for the “gradual” resumption of economic activities Wednesday.

Mexico has been under pressure from U.S. officials to reopen auto plants, because without them, integrated supply chains would make it hard for plants in the U.S. and Canada to reopen.

Mexico currently has over 38,000 confirmed cornavirus cases — though officials acknowledged the real figure is many times higher — and almost 4,000 deaths.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.