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Secretary of Tourism working on new protocols that would see arriving tourists covid tested at hotel

Cancun, Q.R. — The State Secretariat of Tourism is working on updating certification protocols, which seeks to include the application of antigen tests in hotels, especially those that receive large groups of travelers.

Marisol Vanegas Pérez, head of the agency explained that with antigen tests, hotels will know if tourists arrive infected. She said hotels would be able to determine if a visitor arrives infected with covid from their place of origin, which would help in situations such as the recent events regarding the Puebla graduation students.

Upon their return home, 30 of the 500 grad students were alleged to have returned covid-positive. The governor of Puebla referred to it as a mass outbreak, saying the students were infected while vacationing in Cancun. Later that same week, health authorities in Quintana Roo clarified that only three of those students tested positive for covid, however, the origin of infection was unknown.

“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,” she said, adding that this type of health practice would provide a lot more certainty to tourists.

She also explained that this initiative is already being carried out by some companies that bring in groups, but the tests are done 48 hours before reaching the destination.

Mexico is one of the few countries that does not require a negative covid test to enter, leaving it up to individuals to be socially responsible.