Mexico: Chiapas Natives Vulnerable to COVID-19

Makeshift housing in Chiapas | Photo: twitter/@Revolucion3_0

 3 April 2020

In the case of the native communities, who systematically have been disadvantaged and neglected, the lack of resources and clean water access is severe.

Mexican native communities in the southern state of Chiapas lack of potable water while facing the sanitary crisis due to COVID-19.

RELATED: 
Mexico: Migrant Population Vulnerable to the COVID-19

The National Humans Rights Commission in Mexico informed about this situation and referred to the precarious sanitation services in the region. According to the National Council for the Evaluation of Social Development Policy (Coneval), Chiapas is one of the poorest Mexican states.

In the case of the native communities, who systematically have been disadvantaged and neglected, the lack of resources and clean water access is severe.

Due to the virus spreading, one of the paramount preventive measures is the hand wash and complete hygiene. Natives can not comply with those recommendations because of their livelihood conditions.
Federal and state authorities inform they instructed native municipality’ administrative leaders to find solutions to the current situation. Chiapas indigenous habitats not only have to cover long distances to access water sources, but also to find clean and drinkable ones.

The COVID contagious risk increases among the native population in Chiapas, a vulnerable sector due to the lack of sanitary assistance and self-managing resources facing the virus.

So far, Mexico registered 1,510 positive cases, 50 deaths, and 633 recoveries.