As previously announced, the cement mills that make up Mexico’s National Cement Chamber will suspend operations due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The president of the Mexican Chamber of the Construction Industry (CMIC) for Querétaro state, Alvaro Ugalde Ríos, has noted that the shutdown would lead to the construction sector stopping with a week or two.

Therefore, the state president has reportedly called for the construction industry to be classed as an essential industry and for the cement industry to also be included in that classification.

"At the national level, it has not been clearly handled (...) I see construction essential because it's a quick way to give people resources through employment, we all know that it's one of the fastest ways to distribute economic income," said Mr Ríos.