TIJUANA, Baja California, Mexico (Border Report) — Grocery stores in Tijuana seem to be stocked with enough water, toilet paper, rice, pastas and other essentials, but if you’re looking for a Corona or Modelo beer, you probably won’t find it.

Mexican beer brands have become almost impossible to find in most markets and liquor stores in Tijuana. Many are reporting empty refrigerators and shelves.

The Mexican government declared cerveza and other alcohol products as non-essential during the COVID-19 crisis so breweries began shutting down as of April 3.

Mexico stops making Corona after brewer deemed non-essential in COVID-19 pandemic.

As time has gone by, inventory began depleting and stores like Liqui 2 near the border, have not been able to keep up with demand.

“There isn’t any,” said store clerk Jose de Jesus. “If you put in an order, you’ll never get it.”

There’s been some talk breweries would be allowed to resume operations in early May, but that has not been confirmed by the Mexican government.

The beer industry shut down is said to have put more than a half-million people out of work in Mexico.

“There’s no date to return, nor do we know if we’ll be able to get back to normal beer sales as we knew them,” said Gina Villalobos, president of Tijuana’s Chamber of Commerce:

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