- Corona beer has suspended the production over the COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico due to health emergencies until 30th April.
Corona beer’s Mexican brewer said it has suspended beer production over the COVID-19 pandemic due to health emergencies in the region. Grupo Modelo — whose brands also include Pacifico and Modelo — said the move was consistent with the order from the Mexican government to suspend all non-essential activities until April 30 to stop the spread of coronavirus.
“We are in the process of getting production down to the bare minimum at our plants,” the company said in a statement, adding that the suspension will be completed in the next few days.
The government of Mexico has said only big industries like agri-business can continue to operate.
Grupo Modelo said it was able to operate with 75 percent of its workers operating remotely to ensure the supply of beer if accepted by the government.
Another big beer maker in Mexico, Heineken — which produces the Tecate and Dos Equis brands — may also halt activities on Friday, the Reforma newspaper said, although the company did not confirm the story.
On Wednesday, Nuevo Leon’s northern state, where Heineken’s Mexican operations are based, said it would suspend beer production and distribution, which resulted in panic buying.
Corona beer has been the punchline of jokes and memes since the onset of the virus epidemic, and an online report said sales in the US dropped by around 40 percent after the outbreak.
However, Constellation Brands, which owns the Corona label, refuted the claim in late February and said sales have stayed high in the United States, even though the virus has spread globally.
More than 1,500 confirmed coronavirus cases and 50 deaths have been reported in Mexico so far.
Coronavirus has hit the world economy really badly and it has affected almost every industry.
In India, Beverage manufacturer Coca-Cola said it temporarily halted production at its manufacturing facilities following the government’s shutdown to prevent COVID-19 from spreading.
Nestle India also said all activities are scaled down or suspended in some places. The organization said that continuing operations in factories and distribution centers where operations were suspended is in negotiation with authorities.
In view of the shutdown triggered by the coronavirus outbreak, Pepsico’s bottling company Varun Beverages has also halted production at its production facilities.
