Matamoros, July 1 (RHC)-- An asylum seeker has tested positive for the novel coronavirus in a sprawling encampment just steps from the U.S.-Mexico border in Matamoros, underscoring the challenges migrants face in protecting themselves from the pandemic.

After showing symptoms of the virus several days ago, the migrant and three family members were placed in isolation and tested, Global Response Management (GRM), a nonprofit providing medical services in the camp, said in a statement.

When results came back, the migrant who had displayed symptoms tested positive and the relatives had negative results.  Two others with symptoms of the virus are also in isolation, GRM said.

Since cases of coronavirus in Mexico began to rise in March, advocates and government officials have been intensely worried about the potential for an outbreak in the camp, where an estimated 2,000 migrants live in tents on the banks of the Rio Grande River.