Two women in Querétaro were arrested on Wednesday after they attacked a healthcare worker they accused of being infected with Covid-19.

Police were forced to intervene when they spotted the two women harassing an employee of the city’s specialized hospital for women and girls at a bus stop. They began by berating her and attempted to physically attack her before police detained them.

The two attackers could face up to three years in prison or 24-100 days of community service, as well as a fine of up to 24,644 pesos (US $977).

There have been at least three incidents of aggression directed at health workers in Querétaro during the Covid-19 pandemic. Two nurses who boarded a public transit bus in San Juan del Río were asked by the passengers to get off for fear of contagion, and a nurse in Cadereyta de Montes was attacked with bleach.

The events prompted state health services director María Pérez Rendón to recommend that health workers not put on their scrubs or other medical uniforms until they arrive at work in order to avoid further aggressions.

The state has seen 13 health workers become infected during the pandemic. Three of the infections were transmitted from patients suffering from the virus and the rest came from external contact.

Health workers in Querétaro aren’t the only ones to have experienced such fear-based discrimination. A Yucatán man threw hot coffee on a nurse in Mérida in early April and attacks against medical personnel have also been reported in Jalisco, Morelos and elsewhere in Yucatán.

Source: La Jornada (sp)