Weekly Report 47

GENERAL SITUATION IN MEXICO Weekly Review # 47 March 24, 2021

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GENERAL SITUATION IN MEXICO

CONFIRMED CASES: 2,197,160

NEW CASES REPORTED: 1,388

DEATHS: 198,239

ACCUMULATED DEATHS PER DAY

SOURCE: https://www.gob.mx/salud/

DISTRIBUTION OF DEATHS PER STATE DUE TO THE PANDEMIC

Information updated on March 23, 2021 at 19:00 hrs local time.

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GENERAL SITUATION IN MEXICO

INCREASE OF CONFIRMED CASES SINCE THE FIRST REPORT MAP WITH THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE INCIDENCE RATE OF ACCUMULATED CASES OF COVID-19 BY ENTITY OF RESIDENCE.

National rate 1703.59

0 to 500 (1 states)

1,5001 to 2,000 (5 states)

501 to 1,000 (5 states)

>2,000 (8 states)

1,001 to 1,500 (13 states)

Elaborated by Prodensa with information from the Health Ministry of Mexico

PANDEMIC’S SITUATION IN THE WORLD • As of March 22, 2021, globally there have been reported confirmed 122,992,844 cases (455,964 new cases) of COVID-19 and 2,711,071 deaths (7,291 new deaths*). Lethal rate: 2.2%.

• In the last 14 days, the number of new cases accounts for 5% (6,280,024) of the total of accumulated cases. *https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/situation-reports/20200323-sitrep-63-covid-19.pdf?sfvrsn=d97cb6dd_2

SOURCE: https://www.gob.mx/salud/

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GENERAL SITUATION IN MEXICO

TOWARDS THE “NEW NORMAL” INCIDENTS OF CONTAGIONS IN THE POPULATION

BY REGION AS OF MARCH 22

DEATH INCIDENTS IN POPULATION

BY REGION AS OF MARCH 22

SOURCE: https://www.gob.mx/salud/

GENERAL SITUATION IN MEXICO

TOWARDS THE “NEW NORMAL”

The traffic light will be as follows:

SOURCE: https://www.gob.mx/salud/

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KEY POINTS OF PRESIDENT ANDRES MANUEL LOPEZ OBRADOR’S Morning Press Conference March 17 – 23, 2021 COVID-19 President Lopez Obrador mentioned that the US government will send 2.7 million doses of the Astra Zeneca vaccine to Mexico and thanked President Joe Biden for the agreement between the two countries.

He commented that the most challenging thing is to have vaccines; however, even vaccines are already being packaged in Mexico. More doses are expected to arrive in Mexico next week.

President Lopez Obrador reiterated that there will be enough vaccines and that more doses will be applied.

The packaging of CanSino vaccines in Mexico will provide 1 million 500 thousand vaccines per week, of which the President stressed that it requires the application of a single dose per person. Regarding the packaging of Astra Zeneca in Mexico, it has been confirmed that the vaccines will begin to be distributed in April.

President Lopez Obrador commented that all people in the country, whether Mexican by birth, naturalized, or migrants, will be vaccinated.

Educational personnel of entities that are on a green traffic light will be vaccinated so that they can return to classes.

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxEgOKuI-n-WOJaNcisHvSg

ELECTRICAL LAW The President declared that the Government will send “additional evidence” to the Federal Judicial Council (CJF) on the complaint that the Government filed against a judge who granted provisional suspensions against the Electricity Law’s reform.

The President affirmed that he received the notification that two companies received protection against the electrical reform. He accused a popular or middle-class family, or a grocery store pays more than some big companies pay. He explained that if the Electricity Law is declared unconstitutional, he will present a constitutional reform initiative to leave the constitution as it was in the period of President Lopez Mateos.

GENERAL SITUATION IN MEXICO

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KEY POINTS OF PRESIDENT ANDRES MANUEL LOPEZ OBRADOR’S Morning Press Conference March 17 – 23, 2021

JUDICIARY REFORM President Lopez Obrador has been questioned about the judiciary reform presented to the Senate, which has been linked to the impugnation of the Electrical Law from one judge. He pointed out that the reform presented has the objective of improving the judicial system’s functioning and fighting corruption.

NATIONAL SECURITY Questioned about the declaration that drug trafficking controls a third of the territory, the President commented that coordination and communication with the US government are positive and respectful in dealing with these issues.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT The President said that economic growth is being sought throughout the republic. However, the southeast is being prioritized, with projects such as the Mayan train, the Isthmus of Tehuantepec’s development plan, and the Government seeks to rehabilitate the railroad track from Palenque to Coatzacoalcos. Additionally, Coatzacoalcos and Salina Cruz ports are being modernized. He added that there will be incentives for companies that invest in this region, such as reducing the VAT payment in half together with the IRS. With this set of actions and welfare programs, it is expected to create jobs and support the most vulnerable sectors.

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxEgOKuI-n-WOJaNcisHvSg

ROBERTA JACOBSON’S VISIT TO MEXICO The relationship with the United States is very good, and the meeting held on March 23rd with Roberta Jacobson was about the immigration issue. It has been proposed with President Biden that the migration issue should be addressed by giving importance to the development of Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, so that job opportunities and better living conditions are given to the inhabitants of southern Mexico and Central America to reduce migration rates.

GENERAL SITUATION IN MEXICO

VACCINATION PROGRESS

As of March 22, 2021, 79,962 doses were applied with a cumulative of 5.7 million doses.

851, 833 health workers have been vaccinated. 70% of the health workers have the complete scheme (2nd dose).

Vaccines received by laboratory: Pfizer BioNtech: 3,890,250 Astra Zeneca: 870,000 SinoVac: 3,000,000 Sputnik V: 400,000 Cansino: 940,470 Currently, 9 million 100,720 vaccines have been received in Mexico.

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GENERAL SITUATION IN MEXICO

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MEASURES TAKEN

BY STATES IN MEXICO

BAJA CALIFORNIA For the week of March 22nd – 29th, Baja California is considered a medium risk or yellow traffic light. Massive events, recreational centers, nightclubs, and bars continue to be suspended, while bars, activities in closed doors and pools, continue to have the same capacity limits. As of March 23rd, State Government officials of Baja California reported that there are currently 228 active Covid-19 cases in the State, continuing a decrease in all municipalities. Hospital occupancy is at a new low with a 6.88% average in both public and private hospitals, with 874 hospital beds available and 230 available respirators. With the vaccination campaign continuing, as of March 23rd, it was reported that 145,379 adults over 60 years old had been vaccinated in the State.

This week, the vaccination campaign will continue in Tijuana, Mexicali, and Ensenada.

SONORA For the second week in a row, the State of Sonora is one of only three states in Mexico to be considered low risk or green traffic light according to the Federal Government´s measures.

Although the majority of the municipalities are considered as low risk, some municipalities, including Hermosillo, Cajeme, Caborca, Guaymas, Empalme, and Navojoa, decided to implement measures as being medium risk or yellow traffic light, as these municipalities saw a small increase in COVID-19 cases, from 17% to 29%, and a hospital occupancy ranging from 11% to 17%. Given the expected tourist traffic for spring break, the State of Sonora will request a negative test certificate for Covid-19 before entering the State and to show a hotel confirmation reservation.

COAHUILA Roberto Bernal Gomez, Secretary of State Health, defined that 109,260 doses have reached the entity, mainly at the Saltillo and Torreon airports, to later be distributed to each of the 8 Health Jurisdictions. In Coahuila, more than 79,000 vaccines against COVID-19 have been applied to older adults. The types of vaccines that have arrived in the entity are AstraZeneca, Pfizer, and Sinovac.

GENERAL SITUATION IN MEXICO

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MEASURES TAKEN

BY STATES IN MEXICO

TAMAULIPAS The private sector of Tamaulipas requested the application of vaccines against COVID-19 in Mexico’s border area with the United States. It is considered a priority sector in terms of the economy and people’s passage between both nations. Julio Almanza Armas, VP of the National Confederation of Chambers of Commerce of the Mexican Republic (Concanaco / Servytur) Tamaulipas Chapter, explained that this topic should be discussed during the follow-up of the vaccine-migration agreement reached between Biden and AMLO. NUEVO LEON Although the vaccination of older adults began in Nuevo Leon on February 17, the state is within the established range to carry out the application of the second dose. According to state officials, there is a range of between 21 and 42 days for the person who has already been vaccinated to receive the second vaccination. Vaccines from the Pfizer, AstraZeneca, and Sinovac laboratories have been applied in the entity, and the three have a two-dose schedule.

AGUASCALIENTES The Ministry of Tourism (SECTUR) will reinforce sanitary protocols in the main tourist sites of the state during Easter Week to preserve the health of visitors. The head of SECTUR announced this, Marco Aurelio Hernandez Perez. He pointed out that this season is expected to see an increase in the arrival of tourists in the state, which, he said, is positive for the industry sector, which has been one of the most affected by the pandemic. On the other hand, he mentioned that although there will be no closures, as Governor Orozco Sandoval commented, sanitary measures must be reinforced to avoid COVID-19 contagions. Thus communication is being maintained with business people so that they strengthen their protocols. Hernandez Perez pointed out that in the “magical towns” of Aguascalientes. In coordination with the State and Federal Governments, the National Guard, and the Mexican Army, more than 5 thousand doses will be applied in 4 strategic vaccination points. A call is made to only senior citizens whose first surname begins with the letter “A” to avoid crowds so that order prevails and that attendees receive the biological vaccine. The day will take place from 08:00 to 17:00 hours or until the available vaccines run out.

The municipality will provide furniture and coordinate the organization in each of these points, supporting the compliance of the preventive measures against contagions.

GENERAL SITUATION IN MEXICO

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MEASURES TAKEN

BY STATES IN MEXICO

GUANAJUATO In Guanajuato, 126,604 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed, 664 are under investigation, while 135,654 cases have been ruled out. As for community transmission. Also, 112,416 cases of the disease have already been recovered. There are 10,296 deaths in the entity. This Sunday, it was confirmed that Guanajuato’s last batch of vaccines was completed after three days of the vaccination process, being the elderly of the cities of Guanajuato capital, Apaseo el Alto and San Miguel de Allende the beneficiaries of the biological from the Pfizer laboratory. According to the Guanajuato Ministry of Health (SSG), another 10,725 doses were destined for health personnel, of which 5,152 were first doses, and 5,573 were applied to those who needed the second dose.

Likewise, the Ministry of Health, Daniel Diaz Martinez, informed that the application of these biologicals was carried out in 34 vaccination points distributed in the three municipalities with the support of personnel from the Health Jurisdictions of Celaya, Guanajuato, and San Miguel de Allende. In the case of San Miguel de Allende, most of the beneficiaries were the inhabitants of the municipality’s communities. A total of 191,422 vaccines have been administered so far throughout the state, both for seniors and health personnel.

JALISCO Jalisco’s Ministry of Health reported that as of March 22, 229,776 people had contracted COVID-19, while 11,063 deaths have been registered in the state. On this day, the SSJ counted 358 cases of COVID-19 and only one death from this cause. The agency also detailed that vaccination against the pandemic strain was completed in 13 municipalities in the regions of Los Altos and La Cienega, exhausting the 54 thousand doses for older adults. Due to the high demand for the COVID vaccine in Guadalajara, the local government announced that the doses scheduled for two days will be applied this Sunday. Tokens were distributed in the nine vaccination points of Guadalajara for the application of the doses scheduled for tomorrow, Monday, which were prepared by the Ministry of Welfare and will have a folio to ensure that the vaccine is applied only to those whose turn it is.”

For this reason, it will not be necessary to wait in line, as those who have received a card today will be able to go tomorrow to receive their dose with a scheduled appointment. In this way, the first 50 thousand doses that were sent to Guadalajara by the federal government will be covered, and the pending vaccines will arrive in the middle of next week”, detailed the authorities. They asked citizens not to go to vaccination posts and be alert for the new date for the next stage.

GENERAL SITUATION IN MEXICO

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MEASURES TAKEN

BY STATES IN MEXICO

QUERETARO With data until March 22, Queretaro’s Ministry of Health reported 60,262 cases and 4,69 deaths.

There are 321 hospitalized patients, of which 122 are seriously ill; therefore, hospital occupancy is 34% in beds with ventilator and 31% in general beds. Also, there are 940 patients in isolation and home management, and 20 in the Medical Isolation Unit. A total of 54,912 patients were discharged. This week of March 22 to 26, a vaccination day will be held in the municipality of Corregidora, whose call has been planned in stages, informed today the Ministry of Welfare of the Federal Government. Through a press release, it was announced that it is contemplated to attend specific neighborhoods and communities in each of these stages. Rocio Peniche Vera, delegate of the Ministry of Welfare, explained that there will be four vaccination centers for this process.

She also pointed out that this vaccination day is expected to attend to the more than 21 thousand senior citizens that, according to INEGI, live in this distinction. The state delegate of Programs for Development stressed that the National Vaccination Plan contains very well-defined axes in terms of attention to priority population groups. Hence, she insisted on calling for the civility of the people who, for the moment, have not been summoned, since it is essential to bring an order to ensure the vaccine to all adults over 60 years, as provided in this Stage 2 of the National Plan.

In this sense, he urged the population of the largest municipalities to be aware of the situation and continue considering the sanitary measures since the emergency has not ended and the contagions continue to be worrying figures for the public health of the entity and the country.

STATE OF MEXICO As in Mexico City, the State of Mexico will continue in orange color of the epidemiological traffic light.

CDMX The Head of Government confirmed that, as of March 24, the National Vaccination Program will continue in Tlalpan and Coyoacan. The objective is to apply 251,375 doses to adults over 60 years old. For Coyoacan, 137,310 doses of Pfizer vaccines will be administered.

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GENERAL SITUATION IN MEXICO

MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY

THE PRIVATE SECTOR AND FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AGREE TO CAP PROFIT-SHARING PAYMENTS TO 3 MONTHS The dialogue between the federal government and the private sector concluded last Friday, 19th-after three months- with the agreement to cap the Workers’ Profit Sharing (PTU) at three months’ salary. For that purpose, it will be proposed to modify article 127 of the Federal Labor Law by adding section VIII. With such agreement, the discussion of the reform initiative on subcontracting sent by the Federal Executive to the Chamber of Deputies on November 12, 2020, and which is intended to be approved before the end of the current period of sessions, will be able to move forward.

According to the proposal presented by the Secretary of Labor and Social Welfare (STPS), Luisa Maria Alcalde

Lujan, to the business representatives, “it seeks to benefit all paid workers, and that companies hire them directly without using the figure of subcontracting of personnel.”

Thus, the amendment to Article 127 Section VIII of the LFT would establish that “the amount of profit sharing will have a maximum limit of three months of the worker’s salary or the average of the profit-sharing received in the last three years; the amount that is more favorable to the worker will be applied.”

The analysis presented by the agency indicates that with the proposal, workers will receive an average of 57 days of salary, which is 2.59 times more than what they currently receive.

GENERAL SITUATION IN MEXICO

MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY

LEGAL CERTAINTY IN MEXICO, ESSENTIAL FOR INVESTMENT: AMCHAM If Mexico wants to continue to be a “reliable, attractive and safe partner for investment” for the United States, it needs to offer “security, respect for legality in all its forms and legal certainty,” said the U.S. businessmen who are members of the American Chambers (AmCham) Mexico.

Upon being sworn in as president of the American Chamber Mexico for the period 2021-2022, Vladimiro de la Mora defined five priorities to consolidate the bilateral relationship: economic recovery, bilateral trade, security, confidence, and certainty for investments; as well as the energy integration of North America.

In the presence of Tatiana Clouthier, head of the Ministry of Economy, the representative of the more than 1,000 companies grouped in AmCham Mexico agreed that the recovery of the U.S. economy “will be an important trigger for ours, as it represents 80% of our exports”, for which United States, Mexico, and Canada Agreement (USMCA) will help to consolidate growth.

U.S. companies operating in Mexico represent 21% of the national GDP, 20% of Mexico’s private investment, and generate 2.5 million direct formal jobs and six million indirect jobs.

The Secretary of Economy, Tatiana Clouthier Carrillo, affirmed that economic reactivation will be leveraged by the United States, Mexico, and Canada Agreement (USMCA). However, she asked to work bilaterally to attack corruption in customs and facilitate trade.

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GENERAL SITUATION IN MEXICO

GOOD NEWS A PLAN FOR A GRADUAL RETURN TO FACE-TO-FACE CLASSES IS BEING DEVELOPED

Health Secretary Jorge Alcocer reported that in coordination with the Secretariat of Public Education (SEP) and the scientific advisory group, a strategy is being prepared to reactivate presential classes.

One year after the suspension of face-to-face school activities due to the coronavirus pandemic, Alcocer assured that according to international evidence, schools are not amplifiers of the pandemic; however, this does not mean that they are safe.

Specifically, in Campeche, the state government presented a plan for the phased and mixed reactivation of presential education services. The state government will reactivate them at the basic level in communities where the current distance education model’s operation is difficult; that is, areas without internet connectivity and in communities with less than 1,000 inhabitants.

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GENERAL SITUATION IN MEXICO

RECOMMENDATIONS HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF AND OTHERS WHEN YOU’VE BEEN FULLY VACCINATED

EHS

COVID-19 vaccines are effective at protecting you from getting sick. Based on what we know about COVID-19 vaccines, people who have been fully vaccinated can start to do some things they had stopped doing because of the pandemic.

We’re still learning how vaccines will affect the spread of COVID-19. After you’ve been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, you should keep taking precautions in public places like wearing a mask, staying 6 feet apart from others, and avoiding crowds and poorly ventilated spaces until we know more.

DAVID ANTUNEZ Environmental, Health, and Safety Director.

LABOR

HYBRID WORK Over the last year, our country’s different economic sectors have been, as far as the epidemic alert level allows, reactivating activities. Today, the number of open segments of the economy is getting closer and closer to totality. However, work from offices, particularly from desks, has mainly remained in remote mode. As the upturn allows all offices to open, companies can adopt new forms of hybrid work, combining face-toface and remote, both with the support of technology and by setting up new working arrangements. To learn more about best practices in hybrid work, please contact us.

ALVARO GARCIA HR, Vice President

BASIC PROTECTIVE MEASURES AGAINST COVID-19

1 2 3 4 5 Wash your hands frequently with soap and water for 20 seconds.

When coughing or sneezing, cover your nose and mouth with a disposable tissue or use the inside corner of your arm.

Avoid shaking hands and kissing.

Keep your workspace clean and don't share personal items and utensils.

If you show symptoms of a cold or flu, go to a doctor. Do not self-medicate and inform your supervisor and Human Resources department.

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