Corona beer to halt production amid coronavirus outbreak

Corona beer has become a temporary victim of the coronavirus.

Bottles of Corona beer on a shelf in a store. Source: Igor Golovniov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Grupo Modelo, the brewer behind Corona, Modelo and other beers, said in a statement Thursday that it was suspending its beer production after the Mexican government ordered nonessential businesses to close in an attempt to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

The brewer, which is part of Anheuser-Busch InBev, said that should the federal government decide later that its product was essential, “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.”

Grupo Modelo’s Corona beer drew attention about a month ago after consumers mistakenly associated it with the fast-spreading virus, which by that point had already begun its global march.

In one survey, 38% of surveyed American beer drinkers said they would not buy Corona beer “under any circumstances,” CBS News reported March 1.

However, Constellation Brands, which handles Grupo Modelo’s beer in the United States, said that the virus had not affected sales, according to CNN.

The suspension, which Grupo Modelo said would take effect Sunday, was announced just days after the Mexican government, which has been slow to respond to the pandemic, declared a health emergency and stiffened rules aimed at slowing the virus.

Mexico has at least 1,500 confirmed coronavirus cases and 50 deaths.