The COVID-19 traffic light scenario in the states of Mexico still looks complicated, with only Chiapas and Chihuahua among the nation’s states operating without restrictions on social and business activities. Therefore, the federal Ministry of Health continues to urge the population to reduce the risk of infection by complying with the sanitary measures with which Mexico’s residents are all too familiar.
About 63 percent of Mexico’s adult population has received a vaccination against COVID-19, but the pandemic situation has still worsened considerably, with only one of the nation’s 32 states having no restrictions on social and business activities as recommended under the nation’s pandemic traffic light monitoring system.
As Mexico enters the third wave of the pandemic amid a global resurgence of COVID-19, the federal government of Mexico has revised the criteria it uses to update its traffic light monitoring system to alert residents to the epidemiological risks of COVID-19 and provide guidance on restrictions in each of the country’s states.
During the pandemic, Mexico’s federal government has used a four-tiered biweekly traffic light monitoring system to alert residents to the epidemiological risks of COVID-19 and provide guidance on restrictions on certain activities in each of the country’s states. The federal government is currently evaluating the factors for measuring the epidemiological traffic light system, first implemented in June 2020, and, accordingly, the government has not issued the federal-level report for the period of July 19, 2021, through August 1, 2021.
In June 2020, the government of Mexico instituted a four-tiered traffic light epidemiological monitoring system to track the COVID-19 pandemic and align COVID-19–related mandates and restrictions with the health risks present in each of Mexico’s 32 states.
The COVID-19 pandemic has continued to abate in Mexico, and as conditions have improved, the federal government has gradually eased COVID-19–related restrictions and lifted them entirely in 19 of the nation’s 32 states in accordance with the biweekly four-tiered traffic light epidemiological monitoring system.
Mexico’s federal government has lifted all restrictions on business and social activities used to contain the spread of COVID-19 in 19 of Mexico’s 32 states—the highest number of states without such restrictions since the government implemented its four-tiered traffic light pandemic monitoring system one year ago this month.
Mexico’s federal government is continuing to reopen more of the country as the pandemic appears to be waning, with half of the 32 states designated in green traffic light status—the status under which all business and social activity restrictions are lifted, according to the nation’s four-tiered COVID-19 monitoring system.
On May 24, 2021, the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare (Secretaría del Trabajo y Previsión Social) (STPS) published guidance under the recently amended Mexican Labor Law in the Official Gazette of the Federation clarifying the outsourcing registration requirements for individuals and entities that provide subcontracting services. The amendment generally prohibits employers from subcontracting or outsourcing personnel, but includes carve-outs and exceptions under limited circumstances. The following provides a basic overview of the STPS outsourcing registration guidance.
For the sixth consecutive two-week COVID-19 reporting period, none of Mexico’s 32 states are in red traffic light status, the most stringent of the nation’s four-tiered monitoring system designed to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.
On April 23, 2021, an amendment to the Mexican Labor Law was published in the Official Gazette of the Federation. Below are the key points about the amendment and how they will affect employers that outsource or subcontract work.
After weeks of improving pandemic conditions in Mexico—since March 2021, none of Mexico’s 32 states has been classified in red status, the strictest tier of the federal government’s four-tiered COVID-19 traffic light monitoring system—there has been a slight regression in the epidemiological trend.
The degree of pandemic risk in Mexico has been steadily improving nationwide, and since March 1, 2021, none of the 32 states has been required to halt all nonessential activities under the strictest tier—called the “red traffic light”—of the federal government’s four-tiered COVID-19 traffic light monitoring system.
Mexico’s federal government continues to relax restrictions on business and social activities in accordance with the four-tiered national traffic light monitoring system as COVID-19 pandemic conditions continue to improve in Mexico’s states.
Pandemic conditions in Mexico are continuing to improve, prompting the federal government and local governments to ease restrictions on business and social activities in accordance with the four-tiered traffic light monitoring system, which is updated every other week.
The COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico appears to be abating after spiking in January and February 2021. The notable improvement in epidemiological conditions has prompted the federal government and local governments to gradually ease restrictive orders in accordance with the four-tiered traffic light monitoring system, which is updated every other week.
After several consecutive weeks with many states at the strictest two tiers—red and orange—of Mexico’s four-tiered traffic light system for monitoring the COVID-19 pandemic, no state has regressed in its traffic light color.
Due to increased population mobility and the seasonal winter climate, the COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico has worsened, prompting many states to issue hygiene measures to reduce the rate of infection and hospital occupancy rates. According to the federal government’s four-tiered traffic light monitoring system, 13 states are in red traffic light status (the status with the most stringent work and mobility restrictions), which is the highest number of states in this status since early August 2020. In addition, for the first time since late September 2020, no state is in green traffic light status, which is the only status without restrictions.
On November 12, 2020, the Federal Executive filed before the Chamber of Deputies of the Congress of the Union the “Initiative of the Federal Executive that reforms, adds and derogates various provisions of the Federal Labor Law, Social Security Law, Law of Employees Housing Fund Institute, Federal Tax Code, Income Tax Law and Value Added Tax Law.” To date, this proposed amendment is still under discussion and review. Notwithstanding the proposed federal legislation, at the local level additional schemes to regulate outsourcing have been developed.
As of January 18, 2021, the number of positive COVID-19 cases recorded in Mexico since the pandemic began had risen to nearly 1.65 million, up from 1.45 million two weeks earlier. Some areas of Mexico have higher infection rates and hospitalizations than others, in part due to population density and access to medicine and care. As a result, 10 states are now designated in the color red—indicative of the highest risk level of pandemic spread according to Mexico’s traffic light COVID-19 alert system—up from 5 states for the previous alert period.
Cases of COVID-19 are continuing to rise in Mexico, with more than 1.45 million positive cases as of January 4, 2021, according to the Ministry of Health, and hospital occupancy rates still climbing. The worsening spread of COVID-19 has prompted the federal government to impose greater restrictions on activities in more states throughout the country according to the nation’s four-tiered “traffic light” pandemic monitoring system.
On December 16, 2020, the Mexican National Commission on Minimum Wages (Comisión Nacional de los Salarios Mínimos or CONASAMI) approved, by majority vote, a general increase to the daily minimum wage, including an increase to the minimum daily wage in the Free Zone of the North Border (Zona Libre de la Frontera Norte or ZLFN)—an area that comprises cities along or near the U.S. border. Also, on December 23, 2020, CONASAMI published the corresponding decree in the Official Gazette of the Federation.
Confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 in Mexico increased to more than 1.3 million as of December 18, 2020, according to Mexico’s Ministry of Health, prompting the federal government to designate the majority of states at high risk of spread of the virus according to the nation’s four-tiered “traffic light” pandemic monitoring system.
On December 9, 2020, Mexico’s Senate of the Republic approved amendments to Article 311 and added Chapter XII Bis of the Federal Labor Law (FLL), on teleworking. If President Andres Manuel López Obrador approves the bill, it will become effective the day after it is published in the Official Journal of the Federation (Diario Oficial de la Federación).
In an effort to control the spread of COVID-19, the Mexican federal government implemented a “traffic light” monitoring system in June 2020 to alert residents to the epidemiological risks in each of the country’s 32 states and provide guidance on restrictions on certain activities. The bimonthly monitoring system is aligned with health protocols to guide Mexico’s states through the country’s phased reopening plan. Below is a map for the period of November 23, 2020, to December 6, 2020, indicating the COVID-19 risk level in each of Mexico’s 32 states.
On November 12, 2020, during a recurring morning press conference, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador issued an amendment proposal to reform various laws with the aim of establishing a new regulation to the outsourcing scheme currently in effect in Mexico.
In an effort to control the spread of COVID-19, the Mexican federal government implemented a “traffic light” monitoring system in June 2020 to alert residents to the epidemiological risks in each of the country’s 32 states and provide guidance on restrictions on certain activities. The bimonthly monitoring system is aligned with health protocols to guide Mexico’s states through the country’s phased reopening plan. Below is a map for the period of November 23, 2020, to December 6, 2020, indicating the COVID-19 risk level in each of Mexico’s 32 states.
In June 2020, the federal government of Mexico established a “traffic light” monitoring system in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in order to place appropriate health and safety restrictions on certain activities and alert residents of the epidemiological risks in each of the country’s 32 states.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the need to ease lockdown restrictions, the federal government of Mexico established a bimonthly traffic-light monitoring system aligned with health protocols to guide Mexico’s states through the country’s reopening plan.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the need to ease lockdown restrictions, the federal government of Mexico established a bimonthly traffic-light monitoring system aligned with health protocols to guide Mexico’s states through the country's reopening plan.
