Non-essential travel restricted at US-Mexico border to control coronavirus spread

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A view of the border wall between Mexico and the United States, in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua state, Mexico on January 19, 2018. The Mexican government reaffirmed on January 18, 2018 that they will not pay for US President Donald Trump's controversial (Getty Images)

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SAN DIEGO - Mexico and the U.S. announced plans Friday to sharply limit travel over their busy shared border as they try to control the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

President Donald Trump and Mexican Foreign Secretary Marcelo Ebrard said the two governments agreed to prohibit recreational and tourist travel, similar to the restrictions put in place earlier this week along the U.S. and Canadian border.

Trump said the actions with the country’s North American partners “will save countless lives.”

There would be no ban on people traveling for work or other essential activities and there would be no halt to commercial traffic, Ebrard said.

It wasn’t immediately clear when the restrictions would take effect.

“Everyone else is not expected to have any difficulties,” he added. “We’re not talking about closing it.”

The U.S., Mexico and Canada have also worked out a new agreement to immediately return some people trying to illegally cross the borders, officials said.

By excluding commercial traffic from the ban, the two governments substantially softened the economic effects. Fewer Americans are also heading south because of a statewide stay-at-home order in California and a State Department warning advising Americans not to travel abroad.

Still, the restrictions are a major development along the world’s most heavily crossed border.

Acting U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf told reporters at the White House that the restrictions were aimed at eliminating non-essential travel across that border.

“We want to make sure that cargo continues, trade continues, heath care workers continue to be able to traverse that border. But tourism, some recreational activities and other things needs to stop during this crisis,” he said.

Ebrard said Thursday he proposed steps to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that “won’t paralyze economic activity and keep the border open to commerce and work.”

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials briefed business leaders Thursday on the plans to prohibit non-essential travel with Mexico, said Paola Avila, chair of the Border Trade Alliance, a business group.

U.S. officials provided a long list of “essential” workers that would be unaffected going to and from their jobs, including farm workers, restaurant and grocery store employees and bus drivers, said Avila. Mexico was preparing similar restrictions on visitors from the United States.

Keeping trade flowing, as the U.S. and Canada agreed to do, contains the economic damage. Mexico is the U.S.’s largest trading partner, just ahead of Canada. The U.S. accounts for about 75% of Mexican exports, including autos, computers and medical devices.

While halting travel for students, shoppers, families and many workers would be a major blow to border economies, the impact has already been felt.

The State Department on Thursday issued a new travel alert urging Americans not to go abroad under any circumstances and to return home if they are already abroad unless they plan to remain overseas. California Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered the state’s 40 million residents to stay at home, restricting nonessential movements.

“People are not crossing anyway,” said Avila, who is also the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce vice president for international business affairs. This is the right thing to do. If you don’t have to cross, don’t.”

The U.S. has also been considering whether to immediately turn back to Mexico anyone who crosses the border illegally, including asylum-seekers. President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he planned to announce such a measure “very soon,” relying on a law that says he can deny entry to people or reject cargo if the U.S. surgeon general determines there is a “serious danger” of bringing a communicable disease to the United States.

Associated Press writers Maria Verza in Mexico City, and Jill Colvin and Ben Fox in Washington contributed to this report.