Mexican protesters have shut a US southern border crossing amid fears that untested American travellers will spread coronavirus.
Residents in Sonora, south of the US state of Arizona, have promised to block traffic into Mexico for a second day after closing a checkpoint for hours on Wednesday.
They wore face masks and held signs telling Americans to “stay at home”.
Mexico has fewer than 500 confirmed Covid-19 cases and the US over 65,000.
The border is supposed to be closed to all except “essential” business, but protesters said there has been little enforcement and no testing by authorities.
The blockade was led by members of the group Sonorans for Health and Life, who called for medical testing to be done on anyone who crosses from the US into Mexico.
This sparsely populated red state quietly climbed to the top of America’s financial rankings
Most dramatic moments from Rep Mike Lawler’s fiery debate against Dem Cait Conley in battle for House control
San Jose girl, 8, dies after living in cockroach-infested home as mother, stepfather face charges
Former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt opens up about Trump, motherhood
Pentagon sends hundreds of Army troops to Latin America for training as drug-trafficking campaign expands
Trump announces advanced weapons testing ‘super range’ in Montana
MS NOW Falsely Reports Kash Patel Is in Russia – Gets Brutally Fact-Checked Directly by the FBI
Tension erupts during House midterm debate as Lawler fact-checks New York Democrat opponent on immigration
‘Serial Killer’ Concerns Grip Michigan’s Capital as Similarities Are Noted in 5 Recent Deaths
Copper theft suspect’s desperate escape caught on bodycam video before deputies discover what he left behind
Trump torches Democrats at Arizona rally, warns they will ‘destroy our country’ ahead of midterms
Will Trump’s contempt for Zelensky force Ukraine to choose between an election and survival?
FBI Says Saudi OpenAI Employee Bugged Company to Spy on Top Executives
Federal agents seize phone of Rep. Ilhan Omar in raid tied to immigration fraud probe
DOJ threatens emergency legal action against California over suspected noncitizen voters
Jose Luis Hernandez, a group member, told the Arizona Republic: “There are no health screenings by the federal government to deal with this pandemic. That’s why we’re here in Nogales. We’ve taken this action to call on the Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador to act now.”
The Mexican president has been criticised for his response to the pandemic, as has US President Donald Trump.
Mr Hernandez said the Wednesday demonstrations were a “first warning” to Mr Lopez Obrador, popularly known by his initials, Amlo.
The group has called for enforcement of the crossing ban on all US or Mexican citizens for tourism or medical reasons, including those who cross the border every day to attend school or work in the US.
Authorities must also conduct medical testing on Mexicans deported from the US, they said.
This sparsely populated red state quietly climbed to the top of America’s financial rankings
Most dramatic moments from Rep Mike Lawler’s fiery debate against Dem Cait Conley in battle for House control
San Jose girl, 8, dies after living in cockroach-infested home as mother, stepfather face charges
Former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt opens up about Trump, motherhood
Pentagon sends hundreds of Army troops to Latin America for training as drug-trafficking campaign expands
Trump announces advanced weapons testing ‘super range’ in Montana
MS NOW Falsely Reports Kash Patel Is in Russia – Gets Brutally Fact-Checked Directly by the FBI
Tension erupts during House midterm debate as Lawler fact-checks New York Democrat opponent on immigration
‘Serial Killer’ Concerns Grip Michigan’s Capital as Similarities Are Noted in 5 Recent Deaths
Copper theft suspect’s desperate escape caught on bodycam video before deputies discover what he left behind
Trump torches Democrats at Arizona rally, warns they will ‘destroy our country’ ahead of midterms
Will Trump’s contempt for Zelensky force Ukraine to choose between an election and survival?
FBI Says Saudi OpenAI Employee Bugged Company to Spy on Top Executives
Federal agents seize phone of Rep. Ilhan Omar in raid tied to immigration fraud probe
DOJ threatens emergency legal action against California over suspected noncitizen voters
The group have vowed to block the DeConcini checkpoint again after shutting it down on Wednesday afternoon.
President Trump has made cutting the number of people crossing the border from Mexico into the US a centrepiece of his administration. He blames border-crossers from the south for bringing economic and social problems into the US.
He announced last week that the frontier was to close due to coronavirus.
Story cited here.
