Sonora health officials seek tougher border restrictions with Arizona over COVID-19 spread
Written by Sunlight Radio America on July 4, 2020
TUCSON — The top health official leading coronavirus response efforts in the Mexican state of Sonora will petition the federal government in Mexico City to implement stricter controls at the state’s shared border with Arizona over concerns about the uncontrolled spread of COVID-19.
Both states are struggling to combat outbreaks of the virus and have become regional epicenters in their countries for the number of infections reported in the past few weeks.
Arizona has one of the highest infection rates in the United States and has continued to break daily records in the number of confirmed positive cases and hospitalizations. The state’s Department of Health Services had reported 84,092 COVID-19 cases and 1,720 deaths as of Wednesday night.
Across the border, Sonora has also seen infection rates soar and has among the highest number of cases in Mexico, despite having one of the smallest populations.
The state reported 8,976 confirmed positive cases and 909 deaths as of Wednesday night. But testing, and access to testing, is much more limited. Hospitals in the state’s major cities are at full capacity and facing doctor shortages, according to local health officials.
Source: AZ Central