by Donald Wood
Last updated: 9:55 AM ET, Fri May 22, 2020
The governor of Quintana Roo is working with government and health officials to develop a new set of safety guidelines to begin the safe reopening of the tourism industry in the state and around Mexico.
According to The Riviera Maya Times, Governor Carlos Joaquin Gonzalez said during a virtual meeting with officials from around the country that tourism is the state's most important industry and should be considered an essential business.
Alongside governors, secretaries, tourism officials and SECTUR head Miguel Torruco Marques, Joaquin Gonzalez is working to help develop the Draft Protocol and Health Guidelines for the Reopening of Tourism.
During the meeting, it was revealed the return of the tourism industry in areas popular with domestic and international travelers would help bring back around 80,000 jobs lost as part of the coronavirus shutdown.
Joaquin Gonzalez previously announced Quintana Roo's hotels and resorts, including those in tourist-favorite areas like Cancun, Cozumel and Tulum, would reopen on June 1. The governor was later forced to rescind the statement as confirmed cases of the viral infection increased.
Officials are now planning to implement a sanitary certification process for airports, cruise ports, hotels and other tourism service providers that will require businesses to adhere to health and safety guidelines to receive operation approval.
The governor said social distancing and public safety efforts would need to increase throughout the remainder of May for the tourism industry to have a chance to open, but Joaquin Gonzalez revealed the situation is fluid and a reopening date would have to be determined in the coming weeks.
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