Claim: In an article by Reuters published Friday, the news outlet reported:
Mexico could consider measures at its northern border to slow Coronavirus’ spread into its relatively unaffected territory, health officials said on Friday, with an eye to containing a U.S. outbreak that has infected more than 1,800 people.
The outlet further quoted Mexico’s Deputy Health Minister Hugo Lopez Gatell, claiming that contagion from the U.S. to Mexico was a bigger threat than contagion headed north.
“If it were technically necessary, we would consider mechanisms of restriction or stronger surveillance,” Reuters quoted Lopez Gatell said.
Verdict: False
During the same news conference, health officials stated that Mexico would not be shutting down its northern border or ground flights to the U.S.
“We are not intending to nor planning to restrict international flights into Mexico, nor closing borders, nor seaports,” Lopez Gatell said during the news conference. “These measures do not have a solid scientific basis.”
Lopez Gatell’s statement was recorded on video by Mexico’s Expansion Politica.
The deputy health minister further claimed that shutting down the border would have “very grave economic and societal consequences and went against international sanitary and health regulations,” Argentina’s El Clarin reported.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com.
Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.