San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria said at a press conference on Thursday: "When we start the post-pandemic recovery, we absolutely cannot do this until the border is fully reopened. ," he said after visiting a nearby cross-border COVID-19 vaccination site. Close the PedWest border crossing.
"This makes sense because we have seen an increase in vaccination rates and a decrease in infection rates," Gloria said.
Gloria attended the press conference with Imperial Beach Mayor Serge Dedina, National City Mayor Alejandra Sotelo-Solís, and San Diego County Director Nora Vargas.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the US-Mexico land border crossing has banned non-essential travel since March 2020. Since then, the closing time will be extended every month.
On Sunday, the US Department of Homeland Security announced that the restrictions will continue until at least July 21.
Local officials noticed the ongoing vaccination work on both sides of the border.
In San Diego County, approximately 77% of residents 12 years of age and older received at least one dose of the vaccine, and approximately 65% ​​were fully vaccinated against the coronavirus.
At the same time, Baja California is about to complete a plan to manage more than 1 million Johnson & Johnson vaccines donated by the US government to Mexico.
According to the latest data from the Minister of Health of Baja California, as of Thursday, nearly 60% of the eligible population in Baja State has been fully vaccinated.
"People are being vaccinated in Tijuana and northern Baja, which is good news. Now we need to open this border," Dedina said.
"Urge que se abra la frontera. No mañana, ahorita," he added in Spanish, which means that reopening the border is a priority, not tomorrow but now.
The economic impact of the closure is extensive.
Vargas said that in San Isidro, nearly 200 businesses that rely heavily on customers transiting through Tijuana were forced to close.
Last month, the San Ysidro Chamber of Commerce estimated that from March 2020 to March 2021, its corporate sales and 1,900 jobs lost more than $644 million.
"The economic impact is devastating for our communities," Vargas said.
Sotelo-Solís added that it is time for the federal authorities in Mexico and the United States to consider the fact that many families have been affected.
Gloria said he has kept in touch with officials in the Biden administration to let them understand these concerns.
Although this is a federal decision, local leaders said they will do their best. "This is about small businesses in San Diego," Gloria said. "They need us to speak on their behalf."
Gloria added that he would like to know under what conditions or indicators the border will reopen for non-essential travel. "If we have this information, it will be the hope of many small businesses."
"Give us a goal and we will achieve it."