Sonora Implements Restrictions As State, Country See COVID-19 Cases Rise
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Coronavirus cases have been steadily increasing in neighboring Sonora, Mexico, for more than a month now. Nationwide, numbers also are beginning to tick up.
With cases trending upward in Sonora since mid-May, state officials are putting new restrictions in place in four municipalities now considered high risk on the state’s coronavirus scale.
Bars, restaurants, movie theaters, casinos and other businesses will be allowed to stay open with safety protocols and new limits on capacity and hours. Large gatherings like concerts and festivals are being suspended.
Hear Kendal Blust's Interview With Host Lauren Gilger On The Show
And State Health Secretary Enrique Clausen is pleading with Sonorans to keep wearing face masks, social distancing and avoiding crowds.
"If you don't want to be part of the contagion, don't take you face mask off for any reason, ventilate your house, don't go to crowded places and maintain at least a meter and half of distance. And I repeat: don't take off you mask for any reason," he said Tuesday night after the new restrictions were implemented.
Federal officials are putting out a similar message after cases increased nationwide for the second consecutive week.
Deputy Health Minister Hugo Lopez-Gatell said Tuesday that it’s too soon to say there is a third wave in Mexico, but officials will be monitoring regional outbreaks.
Among states with the biggest increases in cases are popular tourist destinations like Quintana Roo, Yucatan and Baja California Sur.
A serious outbreak in the country could hamper efforts to end travel restrictions at the U.S.-Mexico border, in place now for nearly 16 months. U.S. officials have said public health data will guide decision making about the restrictions.
For more on the new restrictions, The Show spoke with KJZZ's Kendal Blust, who is based in Hermosillo, Sonora.
