Twelve migrants test positive for coronavirus at Mexican government shelter


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CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico - Twelve migrants have tested positive for coronavirus at a government-run shelter in the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juarez, the Mexican labor ministry said in a statement on Friday.

The migrants have been isolated to prevent further spread of the virus in the Leona Vicario center, which houses 337 people, the ministry said.

"People with COVID-19 symptoms receive medical treatment in a timely manner and remain in an isolation area to monitor their progress," the ministry said.

Fourteen migrants considered to be high-risk, including pregnant women and people with chronic medical conditions, were transferred to another facility, according to the government.

Ciudad Juarez, a gritty industrial city that neighbors El Paso, Texas, has received thousands of migrants under a Trump administration policy that sends U.S. asylum seekers to Mexico to await the outcomes of their cases.

(Reporting by Jose Luis Gonzalez; writing by Julia Love; Editing by Sandra Maler)

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