Mexico Travel: Quintana Roo Secretary of Tourism Working to Change COVID-19 Testing Policy

The Secretary of Tourism in Quintana Roo is working to update certification protocols and aiming to provide COVID-19 tests in hotels, especially ones that receive large numbers of travelers.

According to Riviera Maya News, a group of students from Puebla celebrating their graduation recently vacationed in Cancun, with 30 of the 500 students contracting the virus, testing positive upon their return home. Later that week, health authorities clarified that only three of the students had tested positive.

Having a more uniform testing program in the state would resolve issues like these and prevent further spread of COVID-19, the Delta variant of which is increasingly dominant and transmissible.

“In the case of agencies and groups, we are suggesting that it be a measure that is formally adopted so that employers can help us detect cases before the stay begins,” said Marisol Vanegas Pérez, head of the Secretary of Tourism in the state.

While Mexico as a country does not require a negative COVID-19 test result to enter, some companies are requiring negative test results 48 hours prior to reaching the given destination. These new protocols could make it mandatory for some people to test prior to arrival.

According to Our World in Data, Quintana Roo had 118 individuals test positive yesterday, July 19. In the past two weeks, the state has had 4,477 positive cases.