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.
At Least 4 Christian Farmers Gunned Down in Their Fields by Motorcycle Mounted Islamists in Nigeria
Breaking: WHCD Gunman Manifesto, Social Accounts Found – He Targeted Trump, Was a ‘No Kings’ Rally Attendee
White House Correspondents’ Dinner suspect checked into Hilton hotel one day before the shooting: sources
Son warns suspected killer may ‘get away with murder’ after conviction tossed in mom’s execution-style slaying
CNN Journo Called Trump ‘a Guy Who Wants Us Dead’ Minutes Before Correspondents’ Dinner Shooting
Trump faces unprecedented third assassination attempt
Flashback: When a Magnificent Cathedral Was Torched by an African Illegal Who Murdered a Priest He Lived With
Mass shooting near Indiana University injures 9, no arrests made yet
Trump’s DC beautification push wins rare Dem praise as president snaps landmarks back to life
White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting sharpens focus on Trump’s ballroom construction proposal
Navy Sends Robots to Take Out Iranian Mines in Strait of Hormuz: Several Successful Detonations Already Reported
WHCD Shooter Was California Teacher Once Praised as ‘Teacher of the Month’
Becerra gains momentum in California governor’s race after Swalwell shake-up
House lawmakers to watch as GOP leadership tries to pass FISA extension
California DOGE leader slams Newsom, Bonta over state’s massive fraud issues: “Every day is opposite day”
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.
