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Cancun, Riviera Maya streets closed, beaches off limits, non-compliance will result in sanctions says governor

Cancun, Riviera Maya, Q.R. — State governor Carlos Joaquín says people who do not comply with recommendations regarding the coronavirus contingency will be sanctioned. The announcement came on the same day as additional restrictions were announced by various municipality heads.

Cancun

In Cancun, mayor Mara Lezama explained that while all beaches are closed until further notice, “in addition to this official measure, temperature tests and questionnaires will be carried out randomly in different parts of our city,” she said adding that it is her position to put the safety and health of Benito Juarez residents above all else.

She added that in coordination with the Federal Terrestrial Maritime Zone (Zofemat), we have closed the beaches of the Municipality of Benito Juarez until further notice and that no person, without exception, should be on them.

“We will be strict. No one should be on the street except in cases of force majeure, as these measures are only implemented for the intention of saving lives,” she added.

Similar measures are also now being applied in Playa del Carmen with the State Secretary for Public Security, Jesús Alberto Capella Ibarra, warning that more stringent measures will be imposed. He said “it is truly incredible and unfortunate the number of people who continue on the streets as if nothing happened, as if in Quintana Roo and particularly in Cancun, people were immune to this global pandemic.”

Playa del Carmen

Aside from closing beaches and some streets, the City Council of Solidaridad has also installed points where drivers entering and leaving the city are being checked for the virus. In a statement, the Solidaridad City Council says the checks are being carried out in coordination with the governments of Quintana Roo and Mexico following the recommendations and health protocols to reduce contagions through a coordinated strategy between the three levels of government.

Mayor Laura Beristain Navarete made an energetic call to the entire population to stay at home, as it is the best way to stop infections. “This is a time when we need to be united. Let’s stay home, it is for the good of our families.”

Tulum

Municipal head Victor Mas Tah says residents should not leave their homes from 8:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. and notes that the sale of alcoholic beverages in supermarkets, convenience stores and warehouses is restricted from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

The mayor of Tulum also says that parties, meetings and visits to the beaches of Tulum are suspended.

“It is the last opportunity to avoid massive spread of COVID-19, the collapse of health services and high death rates,” he said when announcing the additional actions. He acknowledged that many people have to go out every day to earn a living and asked those who do so to punctually follow the hygiene and healthy distance recommendations for their well-being.

Mario Cruz Rodríguez, director of Desarrollo Económico Tulum says that as of April 1, only one person per family will be permitted inside shopping stores. He explained that the initiative serves to limit the presence of people on the streets, and thus help prevent the risk of contagion.

“We have seen that when they go shopping they take the whole family, which does nothing to help the current sanitary measures adopted,” he explained.

“We made the call to store managers and the response was positive. Now only one person per family will enter, which will help prevent infection,” he added noting that security personnel at the entrance of stores will allow access to only one family member.

“The federal government has declared a health emergency in the country due to the spread of the coronavirus. These are decisive moments, because the decisions we make today will directly impact collective health and our economy,” stressed Mas Tah.

Other municipalities such as Cozumel, Puerto Morelos and Isla Mujeres have also implemented mobility restrictions with the closing of beaches, addition of roadway filters and cancellation of public events.

The latest positive coronavirus figures for the state of Quintana Roo, which were released April 2, have grown to 55.