The municipal government of Nacozari de García, Sonora, announced on Thursday a curfew from 8:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. in response to confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the state.
Workers are unaffected by the measure.
The decision was made by a government task force led by Mayor Juanita Romero, who worked with the police, Civil Protection, firefighters and the Red Cross to design a plan after state health officials announced two confirmed cases of Covid-19.
In addition to the curfew, security checkpoints have been set up at all entrances and exits to the town. The curfew and checkpoints will be in place until April 20.
“We’re still emphasizing the recommendation to take shelter in our homes, and if there is any type of emergency, people can call the emergency numbers,” said the municipal government in a Facebook post, along with the hashtag #QuedateEnCasa, or #StayHome.
Nacozari de García is a small mountain community with around 12,000 inhabitants.
Police in the neighboring state of Sinaloa have taken a different approach to dealing with the global coronavirus pandemic.
Armed with bottles of hand sanitizer and decked out in full-body protective coveralls and face masks instead of their usual navy blue uniforms, police in Los Mochis hit the streets with loudspeakers to inform the population of sanitation measures and distribute the hand gel.
The officers urged people to remain calm but to take care of their health and families. They had been instructed by Mayor Manuel Guillermo Chapman Moreno to visit every home in the city and distribute hand gel and information on personal and home hygiene.
Chapman announced that the municipal government is giving all female public employees with young children four weeks of paid leave in order to take care of their families in a proper quarantine setting.
He also instructed his administration to grant leave to public officials and employees who have sick family members and must take care of them.
All public cultural, educational, sporting and religious events have been canceled in Los Mochis for the next 12 weeks.
There is one confirmed case of Covid-19 in Ahome, the municipality in which Los Mochis is located. The patient is a 25-year-old male who is currently in medical isolation.
Sources: El Universal (sp), El Imparcial (sp)
