Mexico City, April 3 (RHC)-- Mexico's alternative news portal Chiapas Paralelo warned about the precarious health conditions in which the Indigenous communities live in Chiapas, a Mexican state where the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic will be aggravated by the prevailing poverty situation.

"Within rural areas, the high levels of poverty and malnutrition, the precarious access to health services, and the scarcity of water supplies, make the indigenous population more vulnerable to the COVID-19 pandemic," Chiapas Paralelo stressed.

According to the National Council for the Evaluation of Social Development Policy (Coneval), Chiapas is one of the poorest Mexican states.  In the case of the Indigenous communities, which have been structurally disadvantaged and neglected for centuries, the lack of resources and clean water access is severe.

As the World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended, handwashing is one of the most appropriate measures to prevent COVID-19 spread.  This simple and easy action, however, is not within the reach of thousands of Indigenous persons living in dwellings that lack basic services​​​​.​​​​​​

Given this scenario, the Chiapas Paralelo staff will prepare information on COVID-19 in the Tzeltal and Tsotsil languages, which will allow Indigenous peoples to stay well informed and make the best decisions.

This multicultural communication initiative is supported by both the "On Foot Journalists" Network and the Deutsche Welle's international center for media development.

So far, Mexico has reported 1,510 COVID-19 cases, 50 deaths, and 633 recoveries.