Four states with the most important tourist destinations in the country show a significant increase in cases of coronavirus: Baja California Sur, Quintana Roo, Mexico City, and Guanajuato
The country’s tourist destinations show an increase in Covid-19 infections, in the midst of what is already recognized as the third wave of the pandemic. However, at the beginning of the summer holiday season, they refuse to increase sanitary measures so as not to keep walkers away and avoid another economic collapse like last year, when the first wave forced the closure of hotels and flight cancellations.
According to data from the Federal Ministry of Health (SSa), the four states with the most important tourist destinations in the country show a significant increase in cases of coronavirus: Baja California Sur, Quintana Roo, Mexico City, and Guanajuato.
Cancún, in the municipality of Benito Juárez, Quintana Roo, represents the epicenter of the third wave of the pandemic by registering a hospital occupancy of beds with a fan of 50 percent. However, the epidemiological traffic light remains orange and, according to estimates from the state Secretary of Tourism, the arrival of 2.8 million travelers is expected this summer.
Just last week, El Sol de México reported that 37 students from Puebla and 26 from Bolivia tested positive for Covid-19 after taking a graduation trip to Cancun. Similar cases occurred among young people from Durango and Mexico City. At an orange traffic light, a maximum capacity of 50 percent is allowed in hotels, restaurants, theme parks, golf courses, but the state government granted special permits to more than 280 hotels so that they can have up to 70 percent occupancy during this holiday season. .
The “sanitary bubbles” were also implemented, which are control points in places with the highest flow of people where antibacterial gel is applied to tourists, they are ordered to wear face masks, rapid Covid tests are carried out and they are invited to respect social distancing. These measures, however, are insufficient according to the tourism workers in the state. Employees of the Xcaret and Vidanta hotels warn of outbreaks in their work centers and an insufficient response from the state government and the administrators of those establishments.
“In the Vidanta hotel there are an excessive number of workers infected by Covid and even if they have symptoms they make them work. There are also infected guests and they force workers to take care of sick guests, ”employees denounced in a statement that they sent to the media. The document adds that “there have been deaths from Covid-19 and measures have not been taken to lower the infection rates.”
In Baja California Sur, where the second most important tourist complex in the country is located (La Paz and Los Cabos), there is an increase in infections of 491 percent compared to May and June of last year. Around 400 new cases are reported daily, so the Municipal Health Committee of La Paz tightened sanitary measures, but only for the inhabitants of the municipality.
The hours of sale of alcoholic beverages were reduced until 6:00 p.m. and the capacity of restaurants was at a maximum of 30 percent. The public beaches of La Paz have a schedule from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. with a maximum capacity of 30 percent, and religious activities, entry to cinemas, gyms and parties were suspended. Similar measures were taken in San José del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas.
Mazatlán, Sinaloa, is under a red epidemiological traffic light, however, tourist activities were not closed either. The hours of nightclubs, bars, and youth clubs were reduced until 12 at night; restaurants are allowed a 65 percent capacity with individual separate tables or up to three people per table, and shopping centers and self-service stores prohibited access to children under 12 and over 65.
José Luis Basilio Talavera, secretary of Tourism of the municipality of Acapulco, Guerrero, said that they are waiting for the measures that the state government has for the holiday season.
In Europe, countries such as Germany and France restricted the departure of their citizens to recreational centers in Spain, due to the high number of infections of the delta variant of the virus, especially on beaches such as Ibiza.
With information from Karina Lizárraga / El Sudcaliforniano, Carlos Hernandéz / El Sol de Mazatlán, Enrique Hernández / El Sol de Acapulco and Nurit Martínez / El Sol de México