Yucatan’s ban on alcohol sales extended through Independence Day

There will be no alcohol served at the Grito de Independencia in Yucatán.

The statewide ley seca will last until Sept. 17, Yucatan’s state authorities announced Tuesday, taking the ban on alcohol sales through one of Mexico’s most important holidays.

The ban is meant to tamp down on any antics — parties and violent acts in particular — during the pandemic. The current measure, which began in July, was set to expire Saturday.

The controversial laws have come and gone to different degrees since April 10, when the first ley seca lasted 52 days. That was followed by a law allowing only home-delivery of alcohol, in limited quantities. The measure brought encouraged clandestine sales of beer, wine and liquor, as well as bootleg alcohol with often deadly results.

During a brief reprieve of the laws, Gov. Mauricio Vila Dosal had warned that an alcohol ban would return if it appeared members of the public were not abiding by social-distancing protocols.

Rules on vehicular travel and public transportation are also about to be announced, said Vila.

Nearly 1,500 lives have been lost in Yucatan since the coronavirus pandemic reached the state in March. Daily infections surged in mid- and late-July, but have declined slightly more recently.

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