The Senate Eliminates Daylight Saving Time in Mexico Infobae.com
go to original October 27, 2022

In a marathon session, the Plenary of the Senate of the Republic approved the draft decree by which the Law on Time Zones in the United Mexican States is enacted, which definitively eliminates daylight saving time, and which will be sent to the Executive Branch for publication in the Official Gazette of the Federation.

Daylight saving time was first implemented in Mexico in 1996, with the justification that it would generate economic and energy savings, as well as the reduction of fossil resources to generate electricity.

Thus, next Sunday, October 30, Mexicans will make the last change to the clock, when at two o'clock in the morning they will put back one hour to return to winter time, and after that there will be no need to make any change in 2023 or in the following years.

Gustavo Madero, Senator of the Plural Group, added that in Mexico there are four time zones due to the extension of the national territory, which covers four different meridians.

With 59 votes in favor, 25 against and 12 abstentions, the senators endorsed the proposal of the Chamber of Deputies, as they considered that abolishing daylight saving time represents the protection of the right to health.

Thus, the Law of the Time System, published on December 29, 2001 in the Official Gazette of the Federation and the Decree establishing the Seasonal Schedule to be applied in our country, published on March 1, 2002 in the DOF, as well as its subsequent amendments, will be repealed.

The document establishes the timetable for the whole country based on the different time zones recognized in the national territory, in accordance with the agreements reached at the International Meridian Conference in 1884, which determined the zero meridian.

It proposes a seasonal timetable only for the states and municipalities included in the border zone, in accordance with the zone to which they belong and based on the provisions of the Law.

It also includes the power for local congresses to present an initiative before the Congress of the Union to choose their own schedule, after consulting the population.

PAN Senator Xóchitl Gálvez pointed out that there is no scientific evidence that proves that the time change causes health problems. "The ruling to eliminate daylight saving time has no deep technical support and is once again complying with a request from the president."

The federal administration of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) claims that Mexico's children, as well as the population in general, are affected by the adjustment of the biological clock to adapt to a new time every six months. These statements are supported by UNAM researchers who observed changes in the quality of sleep, which trigger different conditions such as insomnia, daytime lethargy, anxiety or even depression.

On its own, the report mentions that the alteration of the biological clock is related to multiple psychoemotional and social biological disorders; for example, at the nervous system level, drowsiness, irritability, difficulty in attention, concentration and memory may occur.

It should also be noted that the Ministry of Health (SSa) reported the repercussions of the time change on the population's health, and that several studies suggest an association between daylight saving time and an increase in the occurrence of heart attacks, especially in the first week after its implementation.

See the original at NoticiasPV

Related: Why We Should Abolish Daylight Saving Time (Michigan Medicine)

Related: Mexico Scraps Daylight Savings Time Except Along Border (Associated Press)

This article was translated from Spanish using AI technologies. Errors may exist due to this process.