Sábadooooooooo 27, iniciando! 🎊 Casa Lyoban Zipolite, la cita es a partir de las 6:00 - 11:00 pm Reggaeton - Hip hop 💯💥 por Dj.Crazy kid & Dj. José García, los esperamoooooos. 🎶

 Sábadooooooooo 27, iniciando!

Casa Lyoban Zipolite, la cita es a partir de las 6:00 - 11:00 pm

Reggaeton - Hip hop por Dj.Crazy kid & Dj. José García, los esperamoooooos.

What's Happening in Mexico Right Now?

 

What's Happening in Mexico Right Now?

Laura Bronner | Eternal Expat via n.convertkit.com	Tue, Mar 16, 1:26 PM (10 days ago)
to me

Hi Mexico-loving friends,

I hope this email finds you well.

The weeks are passing quickly here in San Jose. A month has come and gone already and we felt like we were only just scratching the surface of this beautiful beach town, so we've decided to stay for another month.

The decision is also based on the fact that the Easter holidays are coming up here in Mexico and Semana Santa, or the holy week that comes before Easter Sunday, is traditionally the biggest travel week in the country. Many local governments are calling for shutdowns to avoid spikes in case numbers.

Closures Around Mexico for Semana Santa

This year, Semana Santa will be from Monday the 29th of March until Easter Sunday which falls on April 4th. You can expect things to start getting busier on the previous weekend when many people are off from work, so there are definitely going to be some pre-emptive closures around the country starting on the 27th of March.

Baja California Sur has already announced that they will be heavily limiting the numbers at bigger beaches and some beaches will be completely closed for Semana Santa in Los Cabos, Loreto, and La Paz in order to stop tourists from visiting. I don't imagine this will impact resorts and the beachfront areas that they hold space on, but I think it will affect beaches like Playa Balandra in La Paz and perhaps smaller beaches like Chileno Beach in Cabo.

There is some conjecture that beach towns in Quintana Roo (the state where you find Cancun, Playa del Carmen, and Tulum) may follow in their footsteps and limit beach numbers and lower hotel capacities for this week. But that is still to be decided.

You can read about those closures in this article.

The state of Jalisco, home to Guadalajara, Chapala, and Puerto Vallarta, will also implement some restrictions for Semana Santa. Beaches will only be open from 5am-5pm, restaurants and bars must be closed by 11pm, and there will be more checkpoints on roads leading into the state. They are asking places to be more vigilant about checking temperatures and limiting capacity.

You can read about those precautions in this article.

What Does Los Cabos Look Like Right Now?

Since the state moved from the "orange" to the "yellow" on the traffic light system last week, I haven't noticed a whole lot of changes.

Beaches are open until 6 pm every day. Buses are running as normal (we took one last week to go to this beach!). It is still required to wear a mask in any public space, in stores, and when entering restaurants and bars until you are seated at your table.

The state of Baja California Sur has its own traffic light system within the federal system. It is numbered - 1 is green, 2 is low yellow, 3 is high yellow, 4 is low orange, 5 is high orange, 6 is red.

Right now, we are in level 3, which means that although we are in yellow, we are still in "high alert" and most precautions are still being taken. However, as a tourist, you likely won't notice much difference. Tours are still able to operate, restaurants are open.

The biggest thing that you may contend with is that most bars don't allow you to come in just for a drink (although this rule is very vague and only seems to happen at the more upscale spots). This includes Baja Brewing, Nomada, and Dalton bars in San Jose del Cabo. In order to sit in and have a drink, at the moment, you also need to order at least one plate of food between two people.

What's Happening in Other Parts of Mexico Right Now?

A few more states changed colors this week. There are now three states in the "green" traffic light including Chiapas, Campeche, and Sonora. Nuevo Leon (home to Monterrey) and San Luis Potosi have both moved from the orange into the yellow. Read about all of the changes in this article.

Mexico City continues to see a decline in weekly cases but remains in the orange. Read all about the restrictions currently in place in Mexico City here.

For more updates about Mexico City, as always I recommend following Ubish Yaren on Instagram. He is doing regular weekly updates about the situation there both on his Instagram and on his YouTube channel.

For updates about what's going on in Oaxaca, Susan of Brooklyn Tropicali has been showing some great updates around the city. She has also begun doing a small amount of traveling around Oaxaca state and sharing her experiences about that on her Instagram.

For regular updates about life in Merida and around the Yucatan, check out Mexico Cassie.

As always, a great place to keep up to date with news about Mexico in English is Mexico News Daily.

Catch up with Videos and Blog Posts

In case you've missed them, these are the blog posts and videos that I've shared in the last two weeks.

• The REAL San Jose del Cabo - More Than Just a Tour - this was a really wonderful tour we took in downtown San Jose that is doing incredible community work. If you want to know more about the history or this beautiful place, you like interesting tours, or you want to help support this project, I HIGHLY recommend checking out this tour when you're next in San Jose.
• The Best Beach in Cabo - A day trip to Playa el Chileno where we could actually swim in the water. I also talk a little bit about the bus network here in Los Cabos.
• Epic Cabo Day Trip - Hiking, swimming in natural pools, waterfalls, and all within driving distance to Los Cabos. This is the first video from a road trip I just returned from, so I hope you'll enjoy the next few videos to come this week!
• The Best Restaurants in Cabo San Lucas - If you're not staying at an all-inclusive and you want to enjoy some seriously great local eats, try some of these spots!
• Awesome Things to Do in Cabo San Lucas - There are SO many things to do in Cabo San Lucas, these are just some of my absolute favorites!

As always, you can find me most often on Instagram with daily updates and photos, but I also post very regularly on Facebook if you prefer following along there.

If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to email me by simply hitting reply on this email.

Speak soon,

Laura

When Will International Travel Resume?

 

It’s the question on so many travelers’ minds: when will international travel resume? Some places will open up come summer, some places will likely hold off until the fall, and others are already open. Here’s the current rundown and my best guess of what to expect for places that haven’t announced a reopening date yet:  Where you can currently travel A handful of countries are already open to American travelers without any testing, quarantine, or vaccination requirements for entry. These include: 🇲🇽 Mexico 🇨🇷 Costa Rica 🇦🇱 Albania 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic 🇲🇰 North Macedonia 🇹🇿 Tanzania Three more countries have also announced that Americans who have been fully vaccinated can visit today: 🇧🇿 Belize 🇬🇪 Georgia 🇮🇸 Iceland Iceland—a tourist favorite, especially in the summertime—just announced last week that American visitors could bypass any testing/quarantine requirements, as long as they had already been vaccinated. Dozens more countries are currently open to American travelers as well—especially throughout the Caribbean and Latin America—but require a recent negative test.  Future reopening announcements A handful of countries have announced specific dates they’re targeting for when widespread international travel will resume. 🇬🇷 Greece announced that it’s aiming to welcome back international tourists with a negative test or proof of vaccination by May 14 🇪🇸 Spain is also hoping to resume international tourism for vaccinated travelers by mid-May 🇹🇭 Parts of Thailand like Koh Samui are targeting a reopening date of October 1 for vaccinated travelers 🇦🇺 Australia is currently looking at a broader re-opening date of October 31 🇬🇧 The UK has circled May 17 as the earliest restart date for international tourism, but they haven’t detailed what, if any, requirements (vaccination? negative test?) would be in place for visitors  Predictions Now that we’ve reviewed the current state of affairs, let’s get to my predictions for destinations that haven’t announced plans yet. (Many popular tourist destinations in Africa and Latin America are already open for travelers with a recent negative test, so I’ll confine my predictions to Europe and Asia which are largely closed to Americans or require a quarantine upon arrival.) 🇪🇺 Europe: A month or two ago, my sense was that much of Europe would likely reopen by the summer, especially southern European nations that rely heavily on tourism. Since then, my outlook has grown slightly more pessimistic. Vaccination rollout in the EU has been far slower than the US or UK, and another wave of infections may be building in the continent. While the EU is working on reopening borders by this summer for people who have been vaccinated, were previously infected, or test negative, exact timing on when Americans will be welcome back is still unclear. That said, I have some optimism from the fact that numerous countries are really pushing for earlier reopenings, from Greece to Spain to the UK. And reports that the US is planning to allow international visitors by mid-May increases Americans’ hopes of traveling overseas this summer, as some countries will want reciprocity before opening their own borders. My best guess on when Americans will be allowed to visit at least two EU countries without quarantine: 50% chance by June, 65% chance by July, 80% chance by August.  Asia/Pacific: Japan’s recent announcement that overseas fans would not be allowed at this summer’s Olympics struck a blow for hopes of an imminent reopening. Instead, like Thailand and Australia, I think an autumn reopening is more likely for much of the region at this point. My best guess on when Americans will be allowed to visit at least three APAC countries without quarantine: 50% by September, 80% by October. (The Maldives is already open with a recent negative test.) 🇺🇸 Reminder: need negative test to return to US Don’t forget that for all international trips right now, you’re required to show a negative covid test within three days of your return flight to the US. (Many hotels and resorts, especially in Mexico, are offering complimentary tests for guests before their trip home.) I think it’s likely that this requirement will be expanded in the next month or two to include a negative test or proof of vaccination. 🔁 Border restrictions are subject to change As has been the case throughout the pandemic, nothing is written in stone. Dates could get pushed back, but they could also get pushed up. That’s why I’ve been hammering the importance of making your travel plans in pencil rather than pen during the pandemic, especially international trips. Luckily, as we noted last week, most airlines are still waiving change fees on basic economy tickets as long as you book by the end of March (even for travel dates in the summer and beyond). Have you booked flights for international travel this year? Let us know on twitter.   Gear Up For Travel Giveaway

Mexico News Today Monday, March 22, 2021

 

MONDAY, MARCH 22, 2021

February homicides down 5%; lowest level since López Obrador became president The federal government reported that there were 2,626 homicide victims last month, which is 5.3% fewer than in February of 2020. FULL STORY

Mexicans turn gloomy; nation plunges 23 places on 2020 World Happiness Report The coronavirus pandemic had a significant impact on Mexicans’ level of contentment in 2020, says a UN report. FULL STORY

Kansas City Southern announces planned merger  Canadian Pacific Railway’s proposed takeover of the Kansas City Southern railroad is a US $29-billion bet on smooth commerce between Canada, the United States and Mexico. FULL STORY ADVERTISEMENT Vaccinations to begin this week in two more of Mexico City's boroughs Officials said they hope to give a total of 251,375 doses. Coyoacán residents will receive the Pfizer shot, while residents in Tlalpan will receive the Sinovac jab. FULL STORY US officials visiting this week to discuss migration The meetings come as the Biden administration battles a growing political crisis over the rising number of unaccompanied migrant children crossing the border. FULL STORY Seniors’ pensions will be more than double by 2024 Individuals will see their retirement payments increase annually and reach 6,000 pesos (US $292) every two months in 2024. FULL STORY Seismic alert malfunctions twice in 12 hours The first time the alarm sounded was due to human error, the second was caused by a problem with the system. FULL STORY In Tijuana, 1,500 migrants are hopeful the new US president will let them in Hundreds of men, women and children are camped out in a tent city outside the El Chaparral pedestrian crossing, praying President Biden will allow them to enter the United States. FULL STORY OPINION In Mexico City, a ray of hope in the pursuit of functioning criminal justice system There are few positive narratives about Mexico’s system of justice, but the capital's local investigative units offer some cause for optimism, writes Manuel Vélez. FULL STORY Cartel lieutenant in custody after Nayarit gunfight A man believed to be a high-ranking Jalisco New Generation Cartel member has been arrested after a shootout in Rincón de Guayabitos. FULL STORY RELATED: Gunfire, grenades reported in Rincón de Guayabitos. FULL STORY MEXICO LIFE Edzná, a Maya site off the beaten path, is a hidden gem Situated 55 kilometers from the city of Campeche, the ancient city is surprisingly empty of visitors, writes Thilini Wijesinhe. FULL STORY MEXICO LIFE It can be hard to find but good yogurt kicks all sorts of dishes up a notch Sweet and savory recipes use yogurt to add moistness and richness while avoiding unhealthy fat, writes Janet Blaser in The Tropical Table. FULL STORY MEXICO LIFE Kitten season: not as happy a time as it might sound Mexico shares this problem with the rest of the world: too many cats and not enough homes, and more felines are born and abandoned at this time of year, writes Leigh Thelmadatter. FULL STORY THE MND POLL THE STORY: AMLO challenges US claim that narcos control one-third of Mexican territory. FULL STORY THE QUESTION:  Whom are you more likely to believe: President López Obrador or the US government? VOTE HERE LAST POLL: Should daylight saving time be eliminated in Mexico? 77% said that it should be eliminated. FULL RESULTS