IOM joins the fight against the coronavirus in Mexico

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) joined the Mexican government in the response to COVID-19, providing basic protection equipment and information to support migrants living in Mexico or transiting through the country.

To this ends, donations were made to the National Migration Institute (INM) and the Health Secretariat (Sanitary Jurisdiction), in the border locations of Tapachula, Chiapas and Tenosique, Tabasco. Supplies include antibacterial gel, gloves, N95 masks, infrared thermometers, mouth guards, liquid soap, disposable gowns, portable hand washers, medical equipment and biosafety suits. All of this will be used to prevent the spread of COVID-19 among the staff of these institutions and the population they serve.

Besides the material contribution, important informative efforts have been made. IOM collaborated with INM in the production of four informative tarps, which were placed in the entrance of IMN's facilities in Tapachula, Chiapas.

Materials also were produced to sensibilize audiences to the importance of mental health in situations of isolation and avice to manage anxiety, stressing the situations of families who are locked in with children in the home.

These efforts are developed within the framework of the Regional Program on Migration Mesoamerica- The Caribbean, funded by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM).