From [HERE] Nearly all of Mexico’s central and northern states have been directed by the federal government to limit the number of people on-site for business and social activities to half their normal capacity in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19, according to the government’s latest pandemic tracking system update.

Limiting on-site activities to 50 percent of normal capacity is one of several measures the government recommends when states are designated at orange status under the nation’s four-tiered COVID-19 traffic light monitoring system, which was introduced in June 2020. The government uses the biweekly system—updated currently through the 111th week since its implementation—to alert residents to the epidemiological risks of COVID-19 and provide guidance on restrictions on certain activities in each of Mexico’s states. The federal Ministry of Health’s “Guidelines for Risk Estimation of the COVID-19 Traffic Light by Region” explains the procedures to be followed by local governments and the federal government to determine traffic light statuses.

Baja California Sur, the only state in northern Mexico that is not in orange status, is in yellow status. The government recommends that states in yellow status—a total of thirteen states in the current report—limit on-site business and social capacity to 75 percent of normal capacity, among other recommended measures to curb the spread of the pandemic.

Only four states—Campeche, Chiapas, Tlaxcala, and Veracruz—are in green status, down from twelve in the report for January 24–February 6, 2022. States may operate business and social activities without restrictions upon reaching green status. However, wearing face masks is recommended in closed public spaces and is mandatory on public transportation.

State governments may increase or decrease restrictions on certain activities. For example, in Aguascalientes, which is in orange status, the head of the state education ministry announced that in-person classes would resume on February 14, 2022, although remote learning options will continue to be provided for students whose parents decide to keep them at home. Aguascalientes was the only state in red status—the strictest status—in the previous report. No states are in red status in the current report.

Below is a map for the period of February 7–20, 2022, indicating the COVID-19 risk level in each of the states and the capital.