by Donald Wood
Last updated: 12:30 AM ET, Sat January 23, 2021
The governor of Quintana Roo announced a recent surge in coronavirus cases has caused the region to elevate its epidemiological warning level, which will impact the travel industry.
According to the Riviera Maya News, Quintana Roo Governor Carlos Joaquin Gonzalez revealed the northern portion of the state would turn to the orange epidemiological light between January 25-31.
As a result of the change, popular destinations like Cancun, Playa del Carmen and Tulum will begin enforcing more strict sanitary protocols and decreasing capacity at businesses-including tourism-related facilities-from 60 percent to 30 percent.
Joaquin Gonzalez said the rising number of COVID-19 cases could result in the region entering the red epidemiological light, resulting in stay-at-home orders.
"We are facing a crucial moment," Joaquin Gonzalez told the Riviera Maya News. "I will say this clearly; if we do not take sanitary measures seriously, we can lose, in a very short time, what we have managed to gain in recent months."
Starting next week, the local government will send "supervisory operations" to public transport, high-traffic public spaces, beaches and other areas to ensure strict compliance with sanitary protocols and sanctions.
"We are going to relocate health personnel to hospitals with critical capacity and vaccinate doctors in vulnerable situations to have more personnel for medical care," Joaquin Gonzalez continued.
Earlier this week, Quintana Roo Secretary of Tourism Marisol Vanegas Perez said officials are working with local hotels across the region on a strategy to provide the coronavirus tests required to return to the U.S. by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
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