The municipality of Jonuta is the only one in Tabasco without a confirmed case of Covid-19, and local authorities aim to keep it that way.

Mayor Francisco Alfonso Filigrana Castro has locked down the municipality in hopes that prohibiting outsiders from entering will also keep the coronavirus out.

Police have set up checkpoints at the entrances to the town of 29,511 inhabitants, and no one is allowed to enter. Anyone who leaves is told they will not be allowed to re-enter until further notice.

The lockdown has been in effect since March 31, just after the state of Tabasco closed all beaches, cantinas, hotels, restaurants and other nonessential businesses, but Jonuta took other actions to confront the pandemic early on in the crisis.

The town’s efforts began on March 13 when handwashing and hand gel stations were placed at the entrances to the municipality. A 10:00 p.m. curfew was ordered on March 26, eight days after Tabasco’s first recorded case, but the spread of the virus in the state compelled local authorities to take even more drastic actions.

City streets and vehicles are now regularly sanitized with bleach and soap and lime is spread over the roads to disinfect tires.

Local authorities also urged residents who were outside Jonuta to remain where they were for the duration of the pandemic, as they will not be allowed to enter.

“The most important thing is to have this municipality free of the virus,” authorities said.

While some have criticized the move to lock down municipalities, Mayor Filigrana sees it as a measure that will ultimately have to be implemented nationwide.

“It is the only way to control this [pandemic],” he said. “I’m really sorry for those who get angry, but it’s for the health of our inhabitants.”

Despite opposition, Filigrana is not alone. Other municipalities in the country have also gone into lockdown to avoid contagion in recent weeks.

Police in the Tabasco municipality of Huimanguillo have also set up checkpoints at the entrances to their town, but they are not blocking all access, only restricting entrance to local authorities and residents who can prove they are conducting essential business.

Tabasco had 210 confirmed cases in 16 of its 17 municipalities as of Thursday, according to the latest epidemiology report from the federal Health Ministry.

Sources: El Universal (sp), La Silla Rota (sp)