Corona Has Stopped Brewing Beer

Corona is once again making headlines, and we're not talking about the virus. Well, we kind of are. Per AFP, Grupo Modelo—the Mexican brewer that owns Corona beer, as well as the Modelo and Pacifico brands—on Thursday suspended production at its 11 breweries in Mexico through the end of the month to keep in line with that government's mandate that only essential businesses remain open. "We are in the process of lowering production at our plants to the bare minimum," a company statement reads. Reuters notes that while agriculture and food production are generally deemed essential services in Mexico, making beer apparently doesn't qualify. Grupo Modelo, however, seems somewhat hopeful that people won't have to put all of their limes into deep storage just yet.

"If the federal government considers it appropriate to issue some clarification confirming beer as an agro-industrial product, at Grupo Modelo we are ready to execute a plan with more than 75% of our staff working from home and at the same time guaranteeing the supply of beer," the statement reads. Although Corona has become the butt of jokes and internet memes due to its name being so closely associated with the virus, it doesn't seem to have hurt sales: Ad Age reports that Constellation Brands, owner of Grupo Modelo, has seen sales up 39% for much of the recent week; the Corona brand, meanwhile, is up 50%. Mexico has reported just over 1,500 confirmed cases of the coronavirus as of Friday morning, with about 50 deaths. (More coronavirus stories.)