Sonoran health officials confirmed the first coronavirus case in the state on March 16, a 72-year-old musician who had returned to Hermosillo from a trip to the United States.
To their credit, the Sonora state government, police and health officials were able to stop the throngs of people from migrating to the beach during Semana Santa, the holy week before Easter.
The week is an annual event that is Sonora’s spring break, and the fact that the state sucessfully closed beaches and imposed stay-at-home orders, and that the people complied with the guidance, definitely helped to slow the level of infection in Sonora.
Since then, though, the state’s cases have seen a continual increase, with a surge beginning in mid-May that continues today, where the state has 6,173 confirmed cases and 550 deaths.
Because there is no widespread testing program, the number of cases reported reflect sick people who have been tested as they sought medical assistance. This indicates that reported cases are far less than actual numbers of people infected with the virus. The state has no organized contact tracing program.
Some manufacturers in Sonora who are deemed “essential” have continued to remain in operation. In addition, at the beginning of June, other maquiladora factories with ties to American companies began to re-open. The Hermosillo Ford plant opened on June 1, and within two weeks an employee had died from COVID-19.
To reaffirm, we do not recommend travel to Mexico during the pandemic. If you become ill while in Sonora, you may not be able to find a hospital bed and would likely need to be evacuated. So, if you do visit Sonora for an extended period of time, you should plan and prepare for potential issues, to include purchasing medical evacuation insurance.
To check daily numbers of coronavirus infections in Arizona and Sonora, click here.
