DEL RIO, Texas – With COVID-19 cases confirmed on both sides of the southern border, some city leaders in both the U.S. and Mexico have decided to join forces to slow the spread.
“We’ve been in communication with a port director on both sides to monitor traffic and outbound traffic,” Del Rio Mayor Bruno Lozano said about the Cuidad Acuna, the city in Mexico across from his city.
How City of Del Rio is responding to COVID-19
There are two international land border crossings in Del Rio, including the Del Rio International Bridge and the Amistad Dam International Bridge.
The Amistad Dam International Bridge is temporarily closed, and the Del Rio International Bridge has been limited to essential travel because of the ongoing pandemic.
Agustin Angeles, with the Consulate of Mexico in Del Rio, said in March, they began communicating with Del Rio and Cuidad Acuna officials about the coronavirus pandemic.
“On March 13 was the first time the emergency team from the city of Del Rio reached out to us asking for a meeting with health authorities in (Cuidad) Acuna,” Angeles said.
Angeles said they hosted a meeting at the consulate and spoke about several issues between the two border cities.
“First matter on the agenda was pretty simple, was to prevent propagation of false information of COVID-(19) positive cases crossing the border,” Angeles said.
Angeles said they distributed information on social media platforms.
Currently, there are 14 confirmed coronavirus cases in Ciudad Acuna and 13 confirmed cases in Val Verde County.
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