The Mexican Caribbean is a favorite holiday destination for sun seekers thanks to its miles of pristine beaches, spectacular scenery, diverse culinary options, archeological sites, and vibrant culture. While the coronavirus pandemic had a huge impact on tourism in the destination, the state of Quintana Roo has seen a considerable decrease in the number of COVID-19 infections. Due to the drop in the number of cases, Hugo López-Gatell, Undersecretary of Prevention and Health Promotion, said during a press conference that Quintana Roo is getting very close to turning the traffic light to green.
COVID Traffic Light System
Ever since the pandemic hit, Mexico has been using a traffic light system to indicate the severity of coronavirus cases in Quintana Roo and other states. The traffic light system includes four colors: green, yellow, orange, and red. Green indicates a low risk of contagion while red indicates a maximum risk of contagion.
The states of Nayarit and Quintana Roo were in orange. They recently advanced to yellow and it is predicted that before the end of the year, they will advance to green. Turning the light to green will indicate a low-level health alert, which is great news for travelers who are hoping to vacation in Cancun over the holidays.
Currently the only states in Mexico that are at the red COVID traffic light are Chihuahua and Durango and the only states at the low-risk green traffic light are Chiapas and Campeche.
Once the states achieve a green light, they will not lower their guard and will continue to be cautious to avoid COVID-19 outbreaks. The Secretary of State for Health in Mexico has explained that once the traffic light color changes to a low-risk alert, there will be no modifications to the sanitization measures that were carried out at the other higher risk stoplights. The change to the green traffic light does not mean that coronavirus has been eradicated, it just means that there is a lower risk of infection.
Tourism in Quintana Roo
Quintana Roo´s economy is very dependent on tourism, which is why it is very important for the destination to control the epidemic in a sustained way and make efforts to reduce the risk of transmission.
According to Marisol Vanegas Pérez, Head of Quintana Roo’s Ministry of Tourism, there is a pandemic-related decrease in overnight visitors between 32 and 34% compared to last year’s records. It is hoped that there will be a recovery in 2021 due to the efforts made to contain the epidemic.
The interventions that the health authorities implemented in Quintana Roo include stricter health and sanitization protocols, social distancing, the mandatory use of face masks and hand sanitizer, and temperature checks. Additional measures included reducing hours in restaurants, closing non-essential businesses, canceling events and avoiding large public gatherings. The joint activities between the government and its citizens managed to go a long way in reducing the transmission of the epidemic. Due to these efforts, it is expected that over the Christmas season hotel occupancy in Cancun, Riviera Maya and Cozumel could reach up to 70%. This gives us hope that there will be an eventual return to ´normality´.
We know that this situation has affected your vacation plans, but if we all continue to take the necessary health and safety measures, it may be possible for everyone to enjoy at least a few days on the beautiful beaches of Cancun. If you do plan to travel to Mexico over the holidays, don´t forget to wear a mask and wash your hands regularly. When in public areas make sure to maintain a healthy social distance of at least 6 feet from other people who are not traveling with you.
Holidays in Mexico
If you are planning to spend the Holidays in Mexico, Villa del Palmar Cancun Luxury Beach Resort & Spa is an idyllic luxury resort where you can enjoy four-diamond luxury, a soft sand beach, complimentary resort activities including an Aqua Park, gourmet restaurants and a world class spa. The resort is following health and sanitization practices which you can read more about here. Over Christmas and New Year´s, the resort has plenty of festive activities planned including a visit from Santa Claus, a delicious Christmas dinner, and a New Year´s Eve beach party.
The decrease in coronavirus cases in Quintana Roo is very promising, Once they get the green light, it will signal the time that people can get back to their vacation plans and enjoy this beautiful destination. We hope to see you here soon.
