by Donald Wood
Last updated: 3:50 PM ET, Wed August 4, 2021
The president of Mexico announced on Monday that his country has no plans of asking residents and arriving tourists for proof of COVID-19 vaccination.
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador announced during a press conference hosted by the Mazatlan Tourism Promotion Office that despite the recent surge in confirmed coronavirus cases worldwide, vaccine mandates are not part of the government's long-term health and safety plans.
"There are currently some protests in Europe, very significant protests, because vaccination proof is being required to move around or visit shopping centers or restaurants and people are opposing that," Lopez Obrador said. "As for Mexico, we won't require such types of proof whatsoever. I want to be very clear about that."
Last week, the Quintana Roo Tourism Board debunked erroneous reports from media outlets that the Mexican state's Governor Carlos Joaquin enacted a policy mandating proof of vaccination and a negative COVID for entry into hotels, restaurants and bars.
"This is not a mandate. Unfortunately, this information was misinterpreted by local news outlets and picked up by international media," a Quintana Roo Tourism Board spokesperson told TravelPulse's Claudette Covey. "The government stated that in order for restaurants and bars to operate at a higher capacity, they would have to create a 'safe health space,' which would mean vaccinating and testing all their employees, requiring guests to present proof of vaccination or antigen tests."
"This was a suggestion on how to create a safer environment, but it was never a state mandate or requirement," the spokesperson continued. "As of today, no restaurant, bar or hotel has announced implementing these measures."
Despite the U.S. government extending the closure of land borders with Mexico to non-essential travel through August 21, the country predicts international tourist numbers will rebound this summer as COVID-19 vaccines become more readily available worldwide.
Mexican Tourism Minister Miguel Torruco Marques announced SECTUR's projected visitor numbers for July and August, saying the nation expects an estimated 20.2 million tourists.
In addition, Mexican officials revealed that 99.5 percent of the country's beaches are classified as suitable for recreational use, according to data from the Federal Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risks (Cofepris).
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