With US border work on track, rural towns fear virus spread

By MATTHEW BROWN, STEPHEN GROVES and CEDAR ATTANASIO Associated Press
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Major construction projects are moving forward along both U.S. borders and raising fears that the influx of workers could spread the coronavirus. Along the northern border, a Canadian company says it will start work this month on a disputed oil pipeline that could bring thousands of workers to rural areas in Montana, South Dakota and Nebraska. Along the southern border, workers travel every day from camps in New Mexico to build President Donald Trump's border wall. Residents, tribal leaders and state officials worry that the work could make problems worse in rural areas with little or no medical infrastructure capable of handling an outbreak.