Coronavirus: Mexicans call for crackdown on Americans crossing border as US cases soar

President Trump made the US border with Mexico a focal point during his administration

Mexicans have blocked a US border crossing south of Arizona and called for their government to step up screening over fears Americans could spread coronavirus.

Protestors in Sonora, south of the US state of Arizona, used vehicles to blockade a Mexico-bound road for a second day on Wednesday.

Some wore face masks and held signs warning Americans to “stay at home”, as the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the United States overtook China on Thursday.

Mexico has less than 500 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, compared to more than 84,900 in the US.

Jose Luis Hernandez, a member of the Sonorans for Health and Life who led the blockade, told the Arizona Republic that the protest was a warning to Mexican president Mr Lopez Obrador.

Mr Hernandez said: “There are no health screenings by the federal government to deal with this pandemic.

“That’s why we’re here in Nogales. We’ve taken this action to call on the Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador to act now.”, he added.

The DeConcini crossing, which links the twin cities of Nogales, Arizona, and Nogales in the Mexican state of Sonora, is supposed to be closed to all except “essential” business under an agreement made between the US and Mexico last week.

But president Lopez Obrador and his American counterpart have been criticised for their approaches to the pandemic.

Known to many as Almo, Mr Lopez Obrador called for Mexicans to “keep living life as usual”. He has so far continued to shake hands and avoid social distancing in public.

With as little as four cases of the coronavirus in Sonora, compared to 400 in Arizona, the government’s inaction has seen some Mexicans take action.

Those blockading the border this week demanded a temporary ban on tourism and medical visitors to Mexico, the introduction of medical testing on Mexicans deported from the US, and permanent screening for the coronavirus on all border crossings.