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Laura Bronner | Eternal Expat via n.convertkit.com |
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Hi Mexico-loving friends,
I hope this email finds you well.
This week all but three of Mexico's states have gone green on the Covid traffic light system as destinations around the country prepare for the high season to begin.
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 Guanajuato and Aguascalientes.
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. The rest of Mexico is now in the Green.
You can view the full map on the government website here.
Despite movement across the spectrum in a positive direction, masks are still required in most places, including outside in places like Mexico City, Oaxaca, and Yucatan. Be sure to check what the local regulations are when you arrive (by asking at your hotel for example).
I've been busy catching up with content about the beautiful state of Baja California Sur. Many of you know that I spent the first half of this year living in a few different towns there as well as traveling as extensively as I possibly could around the state.
While the Baja California Sur guidebook was my priority this past summer, I also want to make sure that there is always some free content accessible for everyone. So I have been writing up a storm all about Loreto and Mulegé and I hope it will be helpful for anyone planning a trip to this region of Mexico soon!
Another exciting discovery regarding Loreto is that the book Hiking Loreto is now available to purchase online. This book is the absolute best guide to the hiking trails around Loreto and that entire region of Baja California Sur. It used to only be available at small bookshops in Loreto, but now you can purchase it online here.
As Mexico works to come out of the other side of the Pandemic, it's still incredibly important to keep up to date with what is going on around Mexico. You may have heard about the shooting in Tulum recently or in Playa del Carmen two weeks ago. However, like any place in the world, what we see on the media doesn't always represent what's really happening on the ground.
That's why I always recommend getting in touch with people who are living in and experiencing a place in the day-to-day.
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.
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
