
Hundreds of cars lined up to cross into the United States at the Mexico-US on Thursday after officials announced the possibility of restrictions on travel in a bid to curb the coronavirus.

Bumper-to-bumper traffic was seen at the San Ysidro border crossing in San Diego, California.

Tijuana's mayor Arturo González Cruz has urged residents in recent says to restrict their visits to the United States to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

Mexico has reported its first death from coronavirus, a 41-year-old diabetic Mexican man whose symptoms began last week, the health ministry said late on Wednesday. No other details were immediately available.

Hundreds of cars lined up to cross into the United States at the Mexico-US after officials announced the possibility of restrictions on travel in a bid to curb the coronavirus

Bumper-to-bumper traffic was seen at the San Ysidro border crossing from Tijuana to San Diego, California

People line up to cross into the US at the Mexico-US San Ysidro border on Thursday

Meanwhile, very few cars were seen crossing the border (pictured) from San Diego into Tijuana on Thursday

Meanwhile, very few vehicles were seen entering Tijuana from San Diego on Thursday.

The United States is also expected to announce restrictions on travel across the US-Mexico border as soon as Friday, limiting crossings to essential travel, two officials briefed on the matter said.

The sources said the restrictions would be similar to those the US and Canada have agreed to adopt on the northern US border.

The US and Mexican governments are still discussing the possible border restrictions, which would not include cross-border trade, according to three U.S. officials and one Mexican official.

President Donald Trump's administration has stepped up its response to the coronavirus outbreak over the past week.

More than 14,000 confirmed cases of the disease have surfaced in the United States with 211 deaths.

Tijuana's mayor Arturo González Cruz has urged residents in recent says to restrict their visits to the United States to reduce the spread of COVID-19

This image shows the start of the traffic mayhem earlier on Thursday as people fled to the US from Mexico

Asylum seekers wait for news outside El Chaparral port of entry on the US-Mexico border in Tijuana, Baja California state, Mexico, on Thursday

More than 14,000 confirmed cases of the disease have surfaced in the United States with 211 deaths. The United States and Canada also plan close their border to nonessential traffic in the coming days

The United States and Canada also plan close their border to nonessential traffic in the coming days.

A Mexican government source, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said President Andrés Manuel López Obrador is concerned about the economic impact of border restrictions with his country already in recession.

A senior official with the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), who also requested anonymity to discuss the ongoing talks, said the US would prefer to reach an agreement with Mexico, but could act unilaterally if necessary.

While the restrictions are not expected to affect trade, communities on both sides of the border depend on economic activity generated from visitors.

Roughly 3 million personal vehicles crossed legally each month in 2019 between San Diego, California, and the Mexican border city of Tijuana, according to US Department of Transportation data.

US Representative Henry Cuellar, a Democrat whose district straddles part of the border in south Texas, said he had spoken with US border officials who said possible restrictions would be limited to non-essential travel.

Cuellar said the officials were working to define what type of travel would be permitted under the restrictions.

'If someone is coming for recreation purposes, that's one thing,' he said.

'But you have people who come over to work or go over to buy food and medicines. Those we would consider essential and they're trying to work on that.'

Rogelio Villa, a 45-year-old audiovisual technician who works full-time in Tijuana but often performs extra freelance work for clients in the United States, said border restrictions would hurt him financially.

'The extra hours are a huge help in terms of money,' he said.