by Donald Wood
Last updated: 12:10 AM ET, Fri September 18, 2020
Officials in Mexico have deemed sargassum season over for several popular destinations along the Caribbean Sea.
The Secretary of Ecology and Environment of Quintana Roo told the Riviera Maya News on Tuesday that satellite observations made by the Sargasso Monitoring Network indicate a significant decrease that gave the agency the confidence to announce the end of the season.
The European Space Agency (ESA) shared data suggesting Mexico can expect minimal amounts of sargassum on Cancun and Riviera Maya beaches through at least the end of 2020.
Officials along the Mexican Caribbean reported as much as an 80-percent drop in the amount of sargassum to reach the shorelines. While July saw an influx of the seaweed, it tapered off to almost none being reported in the region.
While the sargassum arrived in considerably lower amounts this season, destinations along the coast were prepared with specially-designed collection vessels, seaweed barriers and additional cleaning equipment.
On Monday, Cancun mayor Mara Lezama said that all beaches which remained closed due to coronavirus shutdowns would be accessible again after four areas reopened last week. All tourists and locals arriving at the beaches in Cancun will be required to follow health and safety protocols.
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