by Donald Wood
Last updated: 12:54 PM ET, Wed March 25, 2020
Several popular destinations in Mexico have started banning tourists to help slow the spread of the coronavirus.
According to Mexico News Daily, municipalities in Quintana Roo, Veracruz and Oaxaca are working on plans to allow only local residents, vehicles carrying departing visitors, essential workers and people visiting medical facilities to use the surrounding roads.
In Lazaro Cardenas, Quintana Roo, a meeting of residents voted unanimously to ban tourists from the area until the viral outbreak subsides. Authorities in Tecolutla, Veracruz, have told tourism officials to stop accepting reservations until further notice.
"The coming weeks are crucial to avoid massive spread," Mayor Juan Angel Espejo Bovio told Mexico News Daily. "Let's remember that together we can overcome this risk."
Tamiahua, Veracruz, Mayor Citlali Medellin announced security guards would be turning away tourists at 71 different communities in the area, with each neighborhood being inhabited by 5-10 guards each.
Other areas in Mexico have not banned tourists, but are setting up medical checkpoints to determine if visitors have a fever. Some regions are also asking taxi drivers to refuse service to foreigners looking to visit the beach.
In the United States, several of the top national parks were closed to the public Tuesday as a result of restrictions put in place to combat the spread of the coronavirus.
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