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MEXICO CITY — The mayor of Tijuana, the biggest Mexican city on the U.S. border, on Wednesday urged residents to restrict visits to the United States to reduce the risk of catching the coronavirus, as Mexico’s tally of infections climbed.

The mayor, Arturo Gonzalez, said in a statement that residents should not cross into the United States unless it was imperative, in order to lower the risk of infection.

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Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has resisted calls to order restrictions that could damage the economy, even as the United States and Canada toughen up measures aimed at containing the spread of the virus.

Separately, the Mexican health ministry said the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Mexico rose by 27% in the 24 hours through Wednesday afternoon to 118 from 93 a day earlier. (Reporting by Lizbeth Diaz Editing by Robert Birsel)