Nearly Half of Miss Mexico 2021 Contestants Got COVID

Contestants from 14 of Mexico’s 32 states at a Miss Mexico contest tested positive for the coronavirus, a health official in the northern Mexico border state of Chihuahua said Tuesday. State Health Secretary Eduardo Fernández Herrera told local media that all the contestants had all submitted negative tests before the pageant in the state capital. But authorities received an anonymous tip that one person was in fact infected with the virus. After tests were performed, almost half of the contestants were found to be positive along with one non-contestant, the AP reports.

The Guardian puts the number of contestants infected at 15, plus a pageant staffer, while Vallarta Daily says a total of 17 were infected, including two non-contestants. The contest was pushed up by two days but still took place, with winner Karina Vidales being announced Thursday. Organizers are being accused of trying to cover up the outbreak despite contestants having symptoms. (More Mexico stories.)