by Donald Wood
Last updated: 2:21 PM ET, Tue January 19, 2021
Officials in Quintana Roo are working to develop a plan to provide access to the necessary COVID-19 tests for all travelers heading back to the United States.
According to the Riviera Maya News, Quintana Roo Secretary of Tourism Marisol Vanegas Perez said they are working on a strategy to provide the required coronavirus tests at hotels before the latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) regulations go into effect.
Vanegas Perez said there are more than 70,000 guaranteed rooms where tourists can take the antigen test inside hotels across the Mexican state. The COVID-19 tests will be performed with specialized medical equipment and the results will meet CDC requirements for re-entry into the U.S.
"The strategy is complete with training, with tests endorsed by COFEPRIS and the Institute for Epidemiological Diagnosis and Reference and will be carried out in hotels with the proper validation and protocol for the facilities," Vanegas Perez told the Riviera Maya News.
Earlier this week, Quintana Roo Governor Carlos Joaquin Gonzalez said the COVID-19 antigen tests required by the CDC are just as efficient as PCR tests, but are cheaper and provide reliable results "practically immediately."
"The problem we face with the PCR tests is that each one costs about $150, the result takes 24 to 72 hours, the laboratories to perform them here are scarce, and there is not enough for the tourists we receive," Joaquin Gonzalez told the Riviera Maya News.
"We are already in contact with laboratories to facilitate its application among tourists," Joaquin Gonzalez continued.
Last week, the Cancun Hotel Association also placed two bids to purchase vaccines for their tourist service providers.
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