Starting this Thursday, five of six border states will reopen to nonessential land traffic. They are Baja California, Sonora, Coahuila, Nuevo León and Tamaulipas.
This was confirmed tonight to La Jornada by officials of the Ministry of Foreign Relations. The opening occurs because these entities are on a yellow epidemiological traffic light, the first two; and green the other three. While the restrictions on this type of crossings will be extended for another month in Chihuahua, which remains in orange.
Thus, the governments of Mexico and the United States begin to relax the restrictive measures for non-essential land traffic on their common border established since March 20, 2020, due to Covid-19 and that has lasted for more than a year.
The Foreign Ministry reported on social networks: “Mexico’s restrictions on non-essential land crossings from the United States will be maintained until 11:59 p.m. on May 21, 2021, in those states in the north of the country that are in orange and red ( Chihuahua), according to the epidemiological risk traffic light of @G GobiernoMX “.
When consulted in this regard, officials of the agency stated: “Regarding Mexico’s restrictions on non-essential land crossings from the United States, they are normalized in those states with a green and yellow epidemiological risk traffic light; and the restriction is maintained for the states that are in orange and red ”.
The agency in charge of Marcelo Ebrard Casaubón added on Twitter that the Mexican and US governments are in talks to relax restrictions on border crossings based on the spread rates of Covid-19 on both sides of the border.
The common border strip, with an extension of more than 3,000 kilometers, is the busiest on a global scale, official data from the Mexican government report that an average of one million people daily crosses the border in a documented way in both directions. The region generates a fifth of Mexico’s GDP.
The United States Department of Transportation reported in January 2020, before the pandemic and the restrictions, the following data in four of the busiest checkpoints: 2 million 300 thousand vehicles, 831 thousand pedestrians, and 8 thousand 600 crossed through San Isidro passenger buses; in Nogales 608 thousand cars, 285 thousand pedestrians and 18 thousand 500 buses; in El Paso almost one million 600 thousand cars, 553 thousand people on foot and 35 thousand 500 buses; and in Laredo, there were 898 thousand vehicles, 309 thousand pedestrians and 93 thousand passenger trucks.
While on the southern Mexican border – established just last month – the restrictions will be extended until the last minute of next May 21.
The US extends one more month restriction on land border crossing even after SRE announces restrictions lifted
The United States government reported that non-essential land passage on its border with Mexico will continue to be restricted for at least one more month with the aim of limiting the spread of Covid-19. With this, he contradicted what was confirmed last night by the Mexican Foreign Ministry, which asserted that the situation around these crossings is “normalizing” in border entities with an epidemiological traffic light in green or yellow (five of the six) as of this Thursday.
“The United States and Mexico have agreed to extend the Border Restriction Agreement once again, this time at least until May 21,” said Edgar Ramírez, attaché to the Department of Homeland Security at the US embassy in Mexico.
This announcement by the Joe Biden administration comes after the Mexican Foreign Ministry reported on social media last night that the bilateral restrictions on non-essential land crossings – established since March 20, 2020 – would be maintained only for border entities reported in the epidemiological traffic light in orange or red.
Based on this, last night officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE) confirmed to La Jornada that as of Thursday, April 22, five of six border states will reopen to non-essential land traffic from the neighboring country to our territory: Baja California and Sonora. (with a yellow traffic light) and Coahuila, Nuevo León and Tamaulipas (in green).
This morning, the attache from the Department of Homeland Security said: “In a further effort to limit the spread of the coronavirus, the United States government will continue to restrict non-essential travel that crosses our shared border.”
He stressed that Mexican and US citizens should avoid border crossings unless the purpose is considered essential.
“We must insist: (in) a global pandemic it is not the time to go shopping, for a walk or to visit family on the other side of the border. And please. Migrating irregularly in these times of pandemic and deadly heat is the worst decision! Stay home and stay safe, ”he emphasized.
Last night, through its official Twitter account, the SRE asserted: “Mexico’s restrictions on non-essential land crossings from the United States will remain in force until 11:59 p.m. on May 21, 2021 in those northern states of the country that are in orange and red, according to the epidemiological risk traffic light of @G GobiernoMX “.
Source: jornada.com.mx, adnsureste.info