Mexico shuts border with Arizona over Fourth of July weekend

NEW YORK:The Mexican state of Sonora is temporarily shutting its border with neighbouring Arizona to prevent an influx of coronavirus infections over the Fourth of July holiday weekend.

Sonora Governor Claudia Pavlovich said the measure would prohibit nonessential travel so foreign visitors don’t place “a greater burden” on her virus-stricken state, a popular summer destination among American tourists.

Arizona is one of at least 40 US states dealing with a spike of coronavirus cases in recent weeks, along with California, Florida, North Carolina, Texas and others. The Grand Canyon State recorded nearly 5,000 new infections on Wednesday, a record high since the pandemic began.

Overall, more than 90,000 people have tested positive and about 1,800 have died across the state, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.

Sonora, meanwhile, is dealing with a surge of its own. The Mexican state has confirmed more than 9,300 cases and at least 950 deaths, an official government tally shows.

In a statement earlier this week, Pavlovich said her state would be on high alert to prevent tourists from going to Sonora’s beaches or mountains unless they’re crossing the border for essential health, work or commercial activities.

Special checkpoints were being set up at every Mexican port of entry along the Sonora border, including Agua Prieta, Nogales and San Luis Rio Colorado, local news station KYMA reported.

In Arizona, Governor Doug Ducey recently paused reopening plans and ordered bars, gyms, water parks and theaters to close again amid an alarming number of COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations.