In the spotlight: coronavirus outbreak at the US-Mexico border
An ambulance transports a Covid-19 patient to the central hospital of Ciudad Juarez, October 27, 2020 AP / Christian Chavez
Text by: Christophe Paget Follow
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This "
record surge in coronavirus cases worries officials of the border cities of El Paso, Texas, and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico
", an area of three million inhabitants reports the
Rome Sentinel
.
The cause ?
According to health officials, it is "
family reunions, the fact that several generations live under the same roof, and that young people go out to shop or take care of their business
."
The virus, notes the
Rome Sentinel
, "
shows how the two cities are intertwined economically, geographically and culturally, and with many locals who are used to crossing the border to shop or see family
."
El Paso Times
gives the figures: 1,128 new cases reported this Thursday, October 29 in El Paso, and two additional deaths, which makes a total of 585 deaths due to Covid-19 in the city.
There are almost twice as many on the other side of the border, in Juarez: 1,143 dead, and nearly 13,000 people infected, notes
El Paso Times
, which announces that a huge test site was opened yesterday. American, and specifies that "
no appointment is necessary, and the test is free for residents, whether or not they show symptoms of Covid-19
".
90,000
dead in Mexico
As in the United States, the entire country is of course affected by the disease: “
Mexico has reached 90,000
deaths from Covid-19
;
and the 906,000
people infected,
”headlines
El Universal
, and more than 2.3 million people are considered suspected cases, Jesus Alomia told a press conference yesterday.
The director general of epidemiology said that it is the department of Chihuahua in the north that is experiencing the strongest outbreak.
The newspaper
El Heraldo de Chihuahua
echoes the words of Leticia Ruiz Gonzalez, of the Secretariat of Health, who "
calls for an effort from all to carry out effective prevention
", asking for example that in each family or work center there is a "contact
person
" for the organization in the face of Covid-19.
Another cause for concern,
Excelsior
notes
: the celebration of the Virgin of Guadalupe on December 12, which presents an "
extremely high risk of contagion
".
During yesterday's press conference Hugo Lopez-Gatell, the Under-Secretary for Health, estimated that “
bringing millions of pilgrims from different parts of the country to the Basilica of Guadalupe could reverse the success of 20 federations in the country which at the moment are in a downward phase
”.
Milenio
reports that according to Hugo Lopez-Gatell "
the authorities of the Catholic Church have decided to control the entrances to the square of the building and hold the celebration virtually
", adding that the government can give "
special permits
to hold religious rituals using various means of communication
”.
In Philadelphia, a disrupted campaign
According to the
Washington Post
, protests and violence in Philadelphia after police killed a black man on Monday are disrupting the presidential campaign.
The murder of Walter Wallace Jr. has "
ignited tensions over issues of race, violence and law enforcement, which are all political challenges for Joe Biden and President Trump,
" the
Washington Post
explains
, "
in a key state that Donald Trump won four years ago, but in which, according to the polls, the Democratic candidate is just behind him
”.
Politico
notes that Donald Trump, after Monday's violence, "
returned to his fear-instilling rhetoric, strongly emphasizing 'law and order'
to win over the suburban voters who abandoned him.
" .
For Joe Biden, it's more complicated: according to the
Washington Post,
he needs suburban voters, but also "
a consistent vote of African Americans who live in the city, where voters are more liberal
."
And, reports the
Washington Post
, "
when the former vice president
", who also condemned in strong terms the murder of Walter Wallace Jr., "
put the emphasis on the violent protesters, it upset some who say that he should focus less on looting and more on racial justice
”.
In Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro ready to dialogue with the winner
"
Maduro repeats that he is ready to dialogue with the winner of the presidential election in the United States, whoever he is
", headlines
El Universal
.
The Venezuelan president received the foreign press yesterday, and recalled that “
since the coming to power of Chavismo, contact has been maintained“
in the midst of the worst conflicts
”with former presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump,
”
El Nacional
reports
.
During this press conference, Nicolas Maduro also spoke about the Amuay refinery, the largest in Venezuela, located in the northwest.
According to him she suffered "
a terrorist attack
", reports
Ultimas Noticias
, close to the government, an attack "
with a powerful weapon, of which we are in the process of determining the nature
", indicated the president, without specifying the extent of the damage. suffered.
El Nacional,
for his part, is interested in the fact that the president "
has recognized that in Venezuela there is only oil for 20 days
" and that he is working for there to be thirty.
In any case, this attack "
would have been recognized as a possible leak of hydrofluoric gas
", according to opposition deputy Luis Stefanelli, who spoke yesterday in the National Assembly.
More broadly according to opposition leader Juan Guaido, "
what destroyed Amuay and the refineries in this country was corruption and looting by the dictatorship, which also contributed to human rights violations
."
Two reactions to read there also in
El Nacional
.
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