CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico (Reuters) – Protests have erupted outside factories in the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juarez in recent days after the deaths of several workers, including some employed by U.S. companies, from what the protesters said was the coronavirus.
Employees of Honeywell International Inc hold a protest to demand the respect of the quarantine to avoid contagious of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico April 16, 2020. REUTERS/Jose Luis Gonzalez
So far, 82 people have tested positive for the new coronavirus in the city that lies across the border from El Paso, Texas, local authorities said on Thursday. A total of 19 have died, the city health department said.
Several workers for Lear Corporation, a Michigan-based car seat maker, have died from respiratory illnesses, the company said in a statement to Reuters.
Honeywell International Inc on Thursday told Reuters a worker at one of its plants in the city had died after being sent home to self-quarantine and receive medical attention.
The deaths and the protests about ongoing production at border factories follow outbreaks of the virus at meat-packing plants in the United States that have raised concerns over working conditions during the epidemic.
Lockdowns that aim to stop the spread of t