JUAREZ, Mexico – The mayor of Juarez made an urgent appeal to the Mexican government, requesting medical supplies and contemplating banning U. S. citizens from crossing the border.
As in El Paso, there are new instances of COVID-19 in Chihuahua state with the epicenter of Juarez, which killed another 1,100 people over the weekend, public fitness officials said.
The mayor of Juarez, Armando Cabada, is asking the Mexican government to temporarily prohibit non-essential trips to the border for U. S. citizens as COVID-19 erupts in the region.
The fact that U. S. citizens “cross indiscriminately on the border of Ciudad Juárez actively contribute to the spread of the virus,” Cabada said Friday in a letter to Roberto Velasco Alvarez, Director for North America of mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The United States has limited Mexican tourists across the land border since March 21, but U. S. citizens can still travel to Mexico.
More: After six months, The inhabitants of El Paso face a hearta pain due to border restrictions
Cabada also issued an “urgent call” for hospital health care over the weekend in a separate open letter addressed to Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
Juarez hospitals want beds, fans, oxygen tanks and medicines, as well as non-public protective devices for medical workers, Cabada said in the letter.
Cabada himself is hospitalized after positive for the virus at the moment.
An outdoor cell carp hospital will be set up at a hospital in Juarez, public fitness officials said.
There have been 364 new infections in chihuahua state in the last 24 hours, public aptitude said Sunday.
“Tell me where there’s no epidemic? Right now in Chihuahua we are in ‘red’ (public fitness alert level), an intense red. Wherever you put your finger on a map, there is an epidemic,” Dr. Arturo Valenzuela, director of fitness for the northern region of Chihuahua state, said Monday at a virtual press conference in reaction to an epidemic at a commercial maquiladora factory.
There have been more than 11,800 cases shown of the new coronavirus in Juarez since the onset of the pandemic, however, it is believed that the actual figures are much higher due to the limited number of tests.
Esly Jaquez, 19, used to go to El Paso with her laser visa or border crossing card, but she hasn’t crossed since U. S. government restrictions on the non-essential came into effect in March.
However, he said the final border in the Mexican aspect was not the answer, both aspects want to enlarge the pandemic, he said.
“Just as they have to take precautions, we have to take precautions,” he said, while waiting for the Plaza Victoria grocery shopping center in Juarez. “Very few people followed the rules. “
On Friday, Juarez implemented stricter state restrictions on “red light,” adding the obligation to wear a mask in public, restricting two adults consistent with the vehicle, banning the sale of alcohol on weekends, and curfewing at 10 p. m. 6 a. m.
The ban on the sale of alcohol, curfews and vehicle limits are intended to curb the spread of the virus by reducing the number of other people outdoors at night who are likely to attend rallies.
Juarez police reported minimal public activity and closed 106 parties on Saturday night and Sunday morning, authorities said. About 90 drivers were arrested and warned for violating the vehicle occupancy limit over the weekend.
More: Arrests on the Mexican border collapse as pandemic slows migration
The emergency call center in the city of Juarez won 442 court cases over parties and rallies, but 30 calls turned out to be real, the mayor added.
Osvaldo Lezama, 31, promoted his car wash on Monday morning in the parking lot of a Soriana store.
Lezama expressed fear of the virus and its effects on Juarez’s economy. He said he hopes the return to “red” restrictions will curb contagion.
“It’s bad for us, with paintings and diseases, ” he said, dressed in a surgical mask. “People don’t stick to the rules. They have meetings. They have parties.
You can contact Daniel Borunda at 915-546-6102; dborunda@elpasotimes. com; @BorundaDaniel on Twitter.
Lauren Villagran can be reached at lvillagran@elpasotimes. com.