MEXICO CITY, March 13 (Reuters) – Mexico could consider measures at its northern border to slow coronavirus’ spread into its relatively unaffected territory, health officials said on Friday, with an eye to containing a U.S. outbreak that has infected more than 1,800 people.
Mexico has so far confirmed 16 cases of coronavirus with no deaths, a fraction of more than 1,800 cases in the United States, where 41 people have died.
Mexico’s deputy health minister Hugo Lopez-Gatell said contagion from the United States was a threat.
“Mexico wouldn’t bring the virus to the United States, rather the United States would bring it here,” he said at a news conference “The possible flow of coronavirus would come from the north to the south.”
“If it were technically necessary, we would consider mechanisms of restriction or stronger surveillance,” he said.
U.S. President Donald Trump, meanwhile, says coronavirus bolsters his argument for blocking northbound border crossings with a U.S.-Mexico wall.
DHS shutdown leaves local emergency responders on their own amid extreme weather, expert warns
NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani reverses course on homeless encampments after pausing clearings
3rd arrested in violent overnight home invasion, multiple illegal aliens accused of sexual assault, kidnapping
Family speaks of ‘profound pain’ after trans dad guns down ex-wife, son at high school hockey game
Democrats risk FEMA disaster funding collapse as DHS shutdown hits Day 5
City-run board cancels lease of Israel drone supplier sparking backlash toward Mamdani: ‘Ludicrous’
Nightmare Beach: 8 Severed Human Heads Found on Beach with Disturbing Pamphlets Nearby
Hugh Hefner’s Widow Scrambling to Recover 3,000 of Husband’s Private Photo Albums Possibly Containing Child Pornography
Here Are the Democratic Lawmakers Skipping Trump’s State of the Union to Hold A Rally in DC
CNN, After Bleeding Millions of Viewers, Rolls Out Documentary Targeting Patriotic Christians
Trump orders complete withdrawal of all troops from Syria within two months: report
US-Iran conflict: All sides brace for war as ‘nothing burger’ nuclear negotiations prove fruitless
Watch: Trump Posts Loving Tribute to Rush Limbaugh on Fifth Anniversary of His Death, Says ‘There Will Never Be Another Rush Limbaugh’
Missile defense race shifts to space as experts say real battle is in first minutes after launch
FBI Director Patel says investigators have found antifa funding sources
Trump has long called for a wall on the Mexican border as a way to block migrants from entering the United States, and wrote on Twitter that the barrier is now needed “more than ever” as coronavirus spreads.
“To this point, and because we have had a very strong border policy, we have had 40 deaths related to CoronaVirus. If we had weak or open borders, that number would be many times higher!” Trump tweeted on Friday.
Unlike several other Latin American countries, Mexico has yet to take measures such as closing schools or banning entry to people coming from places with high numbers of coronavirus cases.
However, the private Tecnologico de Monterrey university said on Thursday it would suspend academic and classes from next week until further notice, while Mexico’s National Autonomous University (UNAM) said it would tighten preventative measures to prevent the spread of the virus.
Story cited here.
