Mass shutdown of Tijuana's Chinese restaurants

Citing various violations of health regulations, municipal health inspectors in Tijuana have ordered the closure of 18 Chinese restaurants until the problems are corrected.

According to a report published by the daily newspaper El Sol de Tijuana, health inspectors have checked 80 Chinese restaurants in the city so far in the first phase of an ongoing investigation.

The inspections were prompted by complaints to the health department from customers, the newspaper reported.

The closed restaurants were not named in the story, but a breakdown was provided by location: nine restaurants in downtown Tijuana, three in the La Mesa neighborhood, two in Cerro Colorado, two in La Presa, one in San Antonio de los Buenos, and one in Sánchez Taboada.

Among the violations noted by El Sol were failure to maintain adequate hygiene in the preparation of food, failure to show proof of fumigation for the last three months, and, in some instances, failure to pay fines for prior violations of health laws.

Chinese restaurants in Tijuana have struggled for the past two years to overcome reports in April 2015 that one restaurant — Lo Yen City in the El Rubi neighborhood — had allegedly been butchering and cooking dog meat.