Hi Mexico-loving friends,
I hope this email finds you well.
The country is in the best situation it has been in since the start of the traffic light system here in Mexico and it seems like it's only getting better.
All but one of the states is now either yellow or green as the government announces hospital occupancy levels are below 50% across the entire country.
Traffic Light Changes
For those that are new around here, last year Mexico's federal government created a traffic light system to help businesses and people understand the risks of Covid-19 in each state around Mexico. It was then up to the state governments to decide how to interpret these traffic light colors.
Currently, red means the highest risk of covid and that hospitals are near capacity. It means that capacity at restaurants and hotels is lowered. In some places, it will mean that you will not be able to sit inside a restaurant at all, but only place an order for take-out (unless they have outdoor seating available). For the next two weeks, there will continue to be no states in the high-risk "red" category.
Orange is a level below red status and means that there is still a high risk of covid-19 and many restrictions are still in place. The federal government have given control over to the state governments to decide how they implement these colors and what restrictions should be in place. These are the states that will remain in orange with a risk of possibly moving into the red because of continued increases in severe cases and hospitals becoming overrun. There is only one state in the orange for the next two weeks and that is Baja California.
Yellow means lower risk level and most places are allowed to have up to 50% capacity. States in yellow are allowed to have fans at sporting events and bars are allowed to be open (in some states clubs are also open in Yellow). Museums and other tourist attractions can be back open with restrictions. The majority of the states in the country are now yellow. Those states in yellow are Aguascalientes, Campeche, Coahuila, Colima, Guanajuato, Hidalgo, Jalisco, Mexico City, México state, Michoacán, Morelos, Nayarit, Nuevo León, Puebla, Querétaro, San Luis Potosí, Sonora, Tabasco, Tamaulipas, Tlaxcala, Veracruz, and Yucatán.
Green means that there is a very low risk of Covid, that many places can have more than 75% capacity and almost all services can resume. Precautions like masks and temperature checks are still being taken, especially when going indoors. There are now four states currently in the green. Those states are Baja California Sur, Chiapas, Chihuahua, Durango, Guerrero, Oaxaca, Quintana Roo, Sinaloa, and Zacatecas.
Despite movement across the spectrum in a positive direction, masks are still required in most places, including outside in places like Mexico City where keeping distance is basically impossible. Be sure to check what the local regulations are when you arrive (by asking at your hotel for example).
You can read more about the nation's traffic light changes in this article.
What's Happening Around Mexico?
With restrictions loosening and weather improving, Mexico is getting busier than ever.
Hurricane season appears to be coming to an end as we move into what is, in my opinion, the best time of year in Mexico - Mid-October to early- December.
Across the country, you'll mostly get blue skies, plenty of sunshine, and plenty of beach days (or great hiking days in the central region!). It's the best time of year in Mexico for enjoying the great outdoors.
The country continues to improve with tourism numbers and it appears everyone has a whole lot more money to spend than before.
However, it's not all going so smoothly everywhere.
There has been some extreme flooding in Queretaro. Problems continue between the locals of Chiapas and the government making it perhaps not the best option for travel at the moment.
If you are considering travel to these areas in the near future, be sure to do your research and reach out to people who are on the ground there and can tell you what it's really like.
Day of the Dead is (Basically) Back
With most cities back in the "yellow" or "green," the country is preparing for what they hope will be excellent Day of the Dead celebration.
You can read about what celebrations are usually like in Mexico City here or watch a video from my awesome tour with Devoured Tours here.
If you're going to be in Mexico City, I highly recommend checking out what the guys at Devoured are planning. Their events are so beautifully done and the food is always fantastic.
The guys over at Spanish con Zaloa are putting on another Spanish immersion retreat for Day of the Dead in Cholula. If you want to learn Spanish, spend some time in this beautiful part of Mexico, and experience Day of the Dead, I highly recommend checking this out. The dates are October 25th-29th and you can then head to Mexico City or Oaxaca or Patzcuaro for Day of the Dead on the 1st of November!
You can get 10% off the immersion retreat by entering ETERNAL10 at checkout. Learn more about it here.
Keep up with what's happening in other parts of Mexico
The traffic light system continues to change rapidly and the way in which each state and municipality is interpreting the traffic light system, especially as it appears Mexico is loosening restrictions, varies enormously. What is now yellow in Mexico City looks more like green in Jalisco. Yellow in Puerto Vallarta looks very different from Yellow in Guadalajara, even though they're in the same state.
That's why I always recommend trying to find people who are on the ground in the location which you are hoping to visit or move to.
For updates about Mexico City, as always I recommend following Ubish Yaren on Instagram. You can also follow Anais of The Curious Mexican for updates on the restaurant and food scene in Mexico City and what is back open.
For information about what's going on in and around Puerto Vallarta, be sure to follow along with the Kinetic Kennons on YouTube.
For updates about what's going on in Oaxaca, Susan of Brooklyn Tropicali has been sharing her updates of what's going on around the city and state of Oaxaca.
For regular updates about life in Merida and around the Yucatan, check out Mexico Cassie who has also recently written a fantastic guide about Traveling Yucatan with Kids.
Shelley of Travel Mexico Solo also shares her experiences in Merida and around the Yucatan. Her Instagram is a particularly good resource for what she's seeing at the moment.
The Yucatan Times is the local English newspaper in Merida that shares local updates and news reports.
To keep up with what's going on in and around Querétaro, follow Alex of the Backpacking Brunette.
Vallarta Daily is the local English news there where you can learn about any changes in the situation in Puerto Vallarta and the surrounding Nayarit beach towns as well.
Janine Around the World is traveling around the Riviera Maya at the moment sharing her experiences on her blog and Instagram.
Riviera Maya News is the local English newspaper there where you can keep up with changes.
The Mexican government's Coronavirus website is a huge resource for those that are currently living in Mexico and want to know more about what's happening in their state.
As always, a great place to keep up to date with news about what's happening all over Mexico in English is Mexico News Daily.
Visiting Mexico Soon?
If you are planning a trip to Mexico soon, I hope you'll have a browse of the different locations on my blog or have a search through my YouTube videos to help you plan your trip!
I also have FOUR extensive guidebooks available for Baja California Sur (brand new and published in July 2021!), Mexico City (updated this year with tons of new content!), Merida, and Guanajuato!
If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to email me by simply hitting reply on this email.
Speak soon and safe travels,
Laura
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