San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria held a press conference in Tijuana aimed at pushing for the elimination of restrictions on border crossings from Mexico to the United States.

The reopening of the border has been on hold since March 20, 2020 because of COVID-19, however, more than a year and a half later, this decision has affected both nations in terms of economy and commerce, especially negatively impacting businesses in Southern California.

Eduardo Guzmán, a Tijuana citizen said that the economy of San Ysidro is completely dead "many stores closed, many stores for rent, in the Americas many stores that have wanted to leave".

For his part, Todd Gloria highlighted the impact this decision has on San Diego with many businesses that have decided to close and hundreds more that may do so if the restrictions continue, having a real impact on jobs, employment, education and families.

While the U.S. and Mexican governments are moving forward with vaccination and monitoring the increase in cases on both sides of the border, particularly with the Delta variant of the virus, many hope that the restrictions will be lifted by the holiday season, which will help to revive the economy.

Finally, the Mexican consul in San Diego, Carlos González Gutiérrez, said that the decision depends on the U.S. government, since in Mexico they consider that the conditions are already in place for a full reopening, since "there are high vaccination rates throughout the border so that it is not a public health problem".

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