Border restrictions for non-essential travel due to COVID-19 have been in place since March 2020. In light of this, both sides of the border have suffered from the situation. Nearly 200 San Ysidro businesses closed last year, largely due to border travel restrictions. Recently, the restrictions were extended once again until June 21.

Juan Miguel Hornedo, of the San Ysidro Chamber of Commerce, comments that from March of last year until this March, sales made in the entire San Ysidro area reached $250 million, although it sounds like a lot, normally in a good year they would have earned close to $900 million.

According to Hornedo, 80% of the businesses depend solely on the pedestrian traffic coming from Mexico.

Sunim Gakhreja, owner of Maya's Gourmet Pizza on San Ysidro Boulevard, says that allowing Americans to come and go is not fair to businesses that rely heavily on Mexican citizens for business. Recently, San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria spoke out about the closing of checkpoints at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Gloria stated that he has been discussing the reopening of checkpoints in San Diego with senior U.S. government officials in Washington D.C., although at this time there is no response indicating an official announcement or that the closure will be lifted any time soon.

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