SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — San Diego County Supervisors Vice Chair Nora Vargas announced Monday that she will introduce a letter to the board asking the county to assist businesses and families impacted by border restrictions amid the pandemic.
Vargas will bring the letter to the Board of Supervisors' Tuesday meeting. The letter will direct the county to identify economic opportunities to address the disproportionate impacts that families, businesses, and communities have endured in the region due to essential-travel border restrictions.
"According to the San Ysidro Chamber of Commerce, over 200 businesses have closed their doors forever in San Ysidro alone," said Vargas on Monday. "It is estimated that between March 2020 and March 2021, retail sales were $250 million, which is a 72% loss for the region."
While last week's change by the federal government to allow cross-border travel for fully-vaccinated individuals starting in November is a sign of good news, the impacts on businesses in the region will linger after nearly 20 months of border restrictions.
Vargas' office added that the letter will give the county the chance to explore "economic emergency zones" to bring relief to the region.
