United States Drops Level 4 ‘Do Not Travel’ Warning For Mexico
UNITED STATES DROPS LEVEL 4 ‘DO NOT TRAVEL’ WARNING FOR MEXICO
Back on August 6th, the U.S. removed its global level 4 travel warning but slapped Mexico with an individual ‘do not travel’ advisory due to COVID-19.
As of September 8th, the level 4 advisory for Mexico has been downgraded to a level 3 ‘Reconsider Travel’.
Originally the level 4 advisory was put in place at the peak of the COVID-19 outbreak in Mexico when confirmed cases were reaching 6000-10,000 daily.
Over the last month the number of confirmed cases has shown a downward trend averaging 3000-6000 per day.
The U.S. State Department still has a level 4 advisory in place for some states in Mexico including:
Colima state due to crime.
Guerrero state due to crime.
Michoacán state due to crime.
Sinaloa state due to crime.
Tamaulipas state due to crime and kidnapping.
Mexico has been one of the top destinations for Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic due to its close proximity and easy entry requirements. With no required COVID-19 testing or mandatory quarantines, travelers have still been flocking to Mexico regardless of the level 4 advisory that was in place.
Mexico’s high season for North American travelers begins in the fall and peaks during January and February. With the recent announcement to drop the level 4 advisory, there may be hopes for an even stronger recovery of the Mexican tourism industry.
Cancun was already seeing a sharp rebound after reopening for tourists back in June. In the first month alone, Cancun saw over 70,000 tourists arrive at the popular beach resort town.
The land border between Mexico and the United States has been closed to all non-essential travel since March 16th, 2020. Non-essential travel includes travel that is considered tourism or recreational in nature and applies to travel in both directions across the border.
The land border closure was recently extended for an additional 30 days and is set to expire on September 21st. No announcement has been made if the closure will be extended for another month.
Air traffic between the U.S. and Mexico has no COVID-19 restrictions and travelers may fly between the two nations for any reason including tourism. Airlines are however enforcing the use of face masks on most flights.
Canadians are another one of Mexico’s main tourism markets. With the winter season coming, over 2 millions Canadians flock to the tropical beaches of Mexico each year.
With the Canadian government still enforcing mandatory 14 day quarantines upon arrival, many Canadians will have to forgo their trip this year if the restrictions stay in place.