In response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the need to adjust restrictions according to epidemiological risk, 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 phased reopening plan. Below is a map for the period of October 12, 2020, to October 25, 2020, indicating the COVID-19 risk level in each of Mexico’s 32 states.

This chart presents the traffic light status of each state, and, as applicable, variations between federal and local traffic light statuses based on publications of the federal Ministry of Health and status reports provided by each state.

In this edition of the traffic light report, we can observe that 14 states are in yellow status, 17 states are in orange status, and 1 state—Campeche—is in green status.

Employers may also want to note that vulnerable employees who return to work during orange and yellow traffic light status to “non-covid areas” must comply with the “Criteria for vulnerable populations in the reopening of economic activities in the workplace” issued by the federal government. The following cases are excepted from this requirement:

• women who are breastfeeding may return once their period of maternity leave established by law has ended; and

• people with cancer will be able to return when their area’s traffic light status is green.

Iván Andrade Castelán is a law clerk in the Mexico City office of Ogletree Deakins.