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Cancun will be closing streets and strictly enforcing Covid-19 prevention measures after cases continue to surge in the resort city. The Governor of Quintana Roo has warned that the entire state is on the brink of a ‘Red Light’ warning level which will close all non-essential businesses. Visitors should keep in mind that tourism is considered an essential business in Cancun.
Cancun city council has announced that 3 main streets in Cancun will be closed between the hours of 11:00 pm until 3:00 am to help reduce the number of people in the area and combat rising infections in city hotspots. The late night hours are when people tend to let down their guard and congregate in large groups.
“They don’t follow the rules as they get intoxicated. We must show discipline or it will cost lives and our economy deeply” a City Council representative told The Cancun Sun.
Governor Carlos Joaquín warned that if the numbers continue to go up, it will be detrimental to the entire state to move into the Red Light alert. It would mean the closure of thousands of businesses and a stay at home order of more than a million residents.
What Tourists Need To Know
While the state is currently in crisis mode and cases are surging in Cancun, tourism has been deemed an essential service due to the large amount of the economy and the people in Cancun that depend on it. That would mean resorts, hotels and restaurants would remain open but at lower capacities.
Bars, clubs and discos could be forced to close if the state of Quintana Roo reverts to red.
With higher case numbers comes more enforcement of rules including the wearing of masks, social distancing and limits on restaurant/hotel capacity. This could lead to longer wait times at restaurants or hotels fully booked based on their capacity.
It is important to note that some of the largest resorts in the city have special permits to operate at 70% capacity due to their high standards of Covid-19 prevention.
Streets That Will Be Closed To Vehicle Traffic
- José López Portillo on the corner with La Torcasita (Calle 19 Norte)
- Crossing of Chichén Itzá with Tulum
- Crossing of López Portillo with Rehoyada
It is unclear how long the closures will last at this time but they will not affect day time traffic flow.
Sanitary Checkpoints Up In High Congestion Areas
Sanitary checkpoints have been set up at all high congestion areas such Punta Cancun and the areas with a high concentrations of discos and bars. These checkpoints also known as ‘sanitary filters’ take the temperatures of people entering, check for the proper use of masks and visitors could be subject to random Covid-19 rapid testing.
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