El Paso and Ciudad Juárez face COVID-19 surge

A record surge in COVID-19 cases is stretching hospital resources in the adjacent border cities of El Paso, Texas, and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [View in your browser]( [Top of The World]( [The World needs you]( Be one of 1,000 donors to give $100 or pledge $8.33/month to receive an invite to a virtual party with Marco Werman and The World team! [Donate today]( to support our free and trustworthy journalism. [Alt Text]( --------------------------------------------------------------- In the news today Coronavirus outbreaks spread on both sides of US-Mexico border [A nurse takes a swab sample at a drive-through coronavirus test site at the University of Texas El Paso, in El Paso, Texas, Oct. 27, 2020.]( Credit: Paul Ratje/Reuters A record surge in COVID-19 cases is [stretching hospital resources]( in the adjacent border cities of El Paso, Texas, and Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. Local experts say that the coronavirus spike can be [attributed to an increase in family gatherings]( as younger people are going out to stores or work and often live in the same households with older generations. Confirming the interconnected nature of the two cities on either side of the Rio Grande, the uptick is part of a [massive wave across the US]( and beyond. Throngs of people routinely travel back and forth to see relatives or do their shopping. El Paso authorities have imposed a two-week lockdown on residents and a 10 p.m. curfew as they prepare for the worst — with makeshift COVID-19 wards at the convention center and tents outside the University Medical Center of El Paso. Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has declared a three-day mourning period for victims of the coronavirus as the country observes Day of the Dead holiday this coming weekend. Many outbreaks north of the border, in Canada, emerged [after Canadians gathered Oct. 12]( for their Thanksgiving, a stark warning most immediately for Americans going into Halloween, and Turkey Day. And on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, Catholic bishops in Belgium said in a letter ahead of All Saints' Day that “we can win the battle against the coronavirus only if we do it together.” This week, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said Belgium had the [highest 14-day number of cumulative cases per capita on the continent](. What The World is following As millions of Tanzanians vote in the country’s general election, internet users have reported that WhatsApp and Twitter are being restricted. [President John Magufuli is running for reelection](, and his primary challenger is Tundu Lissu of the largest opposition party, Chadema. Violence also broke out in the semi-autonomous Zanzibar archipelago as police arrested an opposition leader. And, satellite images show that Iran has begun [construction on an underground centrifuge assembly plant]( at the Natanz nuclear enrichment facility following an explosion last summer that destroyed the previous plant. Nonproliferation analysts at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey confirmed the excavations at the site, and the International Atomic Energy Agency said its inspectors were aware of the construction. Ali Akbar Salehi, head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, said last month that the sabotaged building was being replaced by one “in the heart of the mountains.” --------------------------------------------------------------- From The World [Germany’s schools try to stay open as another round of coronavirus lockdowns take effect]( [Students return to class after recess at Weimar Schöndorf primary school in Germany.]( Credit: Ryan Delaney/The World Although the Bavarian government, in the south, has ordered widespread lockdowns in districts along the Austrian border amid a surge in COVID-19 cases, schools in most of Germany, generally speaking, [are back to normal](. At least for the moment. [10 years on, UN officials reflect on Haiti cholera epidemic caused by peacekeeping mission]( [Protesters hold banners in front of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) logistics base before the arrival of the United Nations Security Council to Port-au-Prince, Haiti, June 22, 2017.]( Credit: Andres Martinez Casares/Reuters Ten years ago, sewage from a UN peacekeeping mission's base in Haiti contaminated a major water supply. The resulting cholera epidemic killed over 10,000 Haitians. Beatrice Lindstrom, a human rights attorney who was in Haiti in 2010 to help earthquake survivors, [told The World's host Marco Werman]( that “cholera hit when Haiti was already in a state of immense crisis.” “I'm afraid that the way that the UN has handled this so far has amounted to an inadequate act of charity,” Lindstrom said. "The families who lost loved ones to cholera who continue to suffer both living in poverty and struggling with the ongoing impacts of cholera really have not received any meaningful assistance from the United Nations.” --------------------------------------------------------------- Discussion [Voters of color in the 2020 US election]( [People wear protective masks as they wait in line at a testing site for the coronavirus setup for returning students, faculty and staff on the main New York University, Aug. 18, 2020.]( Credit: Maria Elena Romero The World's reporters have been covering immigrant communities and communities of color this election season, and they'll be comparing notes in a live discussion Wednesday. Reporters Daisy Contreras, Halima Gikandi and Rupa Shenoy will host a conversation on voters of color and the 2020 election — covering politics, diversity and the issues that mobilize them. [Stream the conversation live here]( Wednesday, Oct. 28, at noon Eastern time. --------------------------------------------------------------- Global Hit Despite unrest in Mali and a pandemic, members of [the band Songhoy Blues are optimistic]( (🎧). They are hopeful about the next generation of young Malians — and that the world will pull through the coronavirus pandemic. It may be a strange time for Songhoy Blues to release an album called “Optimisme.” But for singer Aliou Touré, the timing couldn't be better. [A screen grab of a YouTube video from Songhoy Blues]( [Credit: YouTube screen grab]( --------------------------------------------------------------- In case you missed it on The World - [Ceasefires in the South Caucasus are not holding]( - [Haiti’s cholera victims seek justice from UN]( - [Iran ramps up COVID-19 restrictions]( - [German schools persevere amid coronavirus]( - [The ‘Borat’ sequel is out. So, what does Kazakhstan think?]( - [Biden says he would stop Keystone XL pipeline]( - [This piece by a former music teacher with dementia will make you cry]( - [Swedish study finds that the Republican Party has moved toward illiberalism]( - [Thousands protest Polish court ruling on abortion]( Don't forget to subscribe to The World's Latest Edition podcast using your favorite podcast player: [RadioPublic](, [Apple Podcasts](, [Stitcher](, [Soundcloud](, [RSS]( [The World logo]( [The World on Facebook]( [The World's Twitter account]( [Donate]( | [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [Edit your subscription]( | [Unsubscribe]( | [View in your browser]( Top of the World is written weekday mornings by the team at [The World](. [The World]( is produced by [PRX]( and [GBH](.