A spokesman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection said the agency was following guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and referring travelers who require screening to local health
The number of cases in Imperial County reached 2,540 on Friday, up from 1,076 two weeks before. The county has the highest infection rate in California, with one in every 71 residents having contracted the virus. Per capita, the El Centro area has reported the second-most cases of any American metropolitan area over the past two weeks.
In nearby Yuma County, Ariz., which also touches the border, cases have more than doubled since Memorial Day, rising to 1,510 by Friday. The county has fewer cases per capita than some eastern Arizona counties where there are severe outbreaks on Native American reservations, but higher rates than the counties that include Phoenix and Tucson.
The health crisis along the border has underscored the deep interconnection between the United States and its neighbor to the south. Billions of dollars worth of goods and millions of people move in both directions each year.
Asylum seekers and other migrants have been barred from entering the United States since March, when President Trump closed the border to all but essential travel. But many among the 275,000 Americans and green card holders who live in Baja California, including retirees and working adults, continue to travel back and forth.
“I am afraid there are no borders when it comes to a pandemic like this,” said Adolphe Edward, chief executive officer of the El Centro hospital. “We are together as one community, whether Americans, dual citizens or Mexicans.”