Work-confinement cycles to reduce the transmission of COVID-19: evidence and recommendations in the context of Mexico

This paper proposes structural interventions to organize the working population which could be implemented to avoid a new wave of Covid-19 cases without halting economic acti - vity We summarize the evidence regarding cyclic schedules of work days followed by days in lockdown We discuss the possible application of cycles of four days of work followed by three in lockdown for the Mexican context We also discuss two complimentary interventions for these cycles: continuing to work from home for the sectors for which this is possible and staggered work shifts This discussion takes into account the high informality context and the scarcity of resources to absorb productivity losses in middle and small companies We consider the need to implement financial help for people and companies to mitigate lost earnings both in the formal and in the informal work sectors