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Tourists visiting Cancun for summer vacations have been warned to exercise increased caution after the state of Quintana Roo received more than 1,800 new Covid-19 infections over the last five days.
More than 600 positive tests for SARS-COV2 have been reported to the Secretary of Health in Quintana Roo over the past few days. The largest number of positive cases was recorded on Friday, June 24th, with over 800 positive cases being reported.
Despite the rising infection rate, the local government has continued to state that the use of face masks in closed and open spaces is optional. The governor of Quintana Roo State, Carlos Joaquin Gonzalez, maintained the importance of remaining socially distant by holding as many events outside as possible:
“We are going to continue with all these processes, we have to continue taking care of ourselves. It is important to use face masks in closed places and favour open spaces, to hold meetings and different events”.
This concern is also supported by the President of Mexico, Andres Manual Lopez Obrador, who has said that the population should maintain the use of a face mask when indoors, especially on public transport and inside offices.
Quintana Roo is now one of the most affected states for Covid-19 infections throughout the whole of Mexico, during the fifth wave of the virus. The National Autonomous University Of Mexico (UNAM) is concerned about how quickly the state is becoming inundated with new infections.
Two weeks ago, Quintana Roo was only the seventh most affected state, but there are concerns that the summer vacation period (which sees a huge number of international arrivals and departures) could be the reason that cases are on the rise.
Furthermore, the state is now the third place in Mexico with the highest number of weekly positive cases per 100,00 inhabitants – and this is set to rise over the coming weeks.
Of the Covid-infected population in Quintana Roo, 4,250 are quarantined at home with 40 in hospital for Covid-related complications.
In response to the rising infection rate, the CDC has registered Quintana Roo under “Level 3: High Levels of Covid”. This is only one step away from a Level 4 warning, which would only allow visitors to travel to Mexico in exceptional circumstances.
Visitors who now want to come to Cancun, Quintana Roo, or elsewhere in Mexico are strongly encouraged to be up to date with Covid-19 vaccinations before travel, to ensure they are not put at higher risk for coming into contact with the disease.
Visitors who do not have at least 2 doses of Covid vaccinations should avoid all travel to Mexico, and all visitors over the age of 2 years old should wear a well-fitting mask when indoors.
As of June 11th, the U.S government removed the inbound testing requirement that initially made all travellers entering or returning to America take a Covid-19 test. Whilst this means that travellers have one less thing to worry about, it also means that there is a higher chance of travellers entering Cancun catching the virus without knowing about it and even bringing it back into the country when they return from vacation.
As the Cancun Hotel Zone is the most densely-populated tourist area in Quintana Roo, there are fears that the test removal combined with the rising number of cases will increase infection rates within the travelling community. At this time, visitors expecting to travel to Cancun or neighbouring regions in Quintana Roo have been advised to check their country’s travel advisory for updates on restrictions and cases.
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