Cancun set to re-open early June along with other Mexican locations

The border between Mexico and the US has been closed to all nonessential travel since March 21 and on April 20 that ban was extended another 30 days so nonessential travel is still closed off.

But there are now reportedly plans for certain areas of Mexico to open up such as Cancun and Riviera Maya on June 3. Los Cabos is also considering re-opening on a phased plan.

See: Cabo vs Cancun: Which is Better for You? 

As these places open back up, some air traffic will be returning, too. For example, Southwest is set to resume flights next month between Houston, Denver, and Baltimore to Cancun.

Due to the lockdown, more than 155 hotels in the area shuttered.

And for a location that is highly dependent upon tourists staying at hotels, this was obviously a crushing blow to the local economy and is a primary motivator of why they would want to be among the first places is to re-open.

As travelers wait for things to get under control in different areas of the world, they are reportedly more interested in heading to nearby international locations such as Mexico. In particular, Playa del Carmen, Cancun, and Isla Mujeres are top vacation spots.

Mexico is not the only touristy location looking to open up in June.

Earlier I wrote about how Italy is leading the charge to re-open Europe despite worries from some of its neighboring countries. In addition, other countries such as Iceland will start welcoming tourists on June 15th. 

In places like Iceland, you will still be subject to a mandatory 14 day quarantine but you can reportedly get around this requirement by agreeing to a coronavirus test. 

(Meanwhile, Canada is likely to extend the ban on nonessential travel from the US soon.)

I will be interested in seeing how these hotels and resorts reopen in Mexico. 

Initially, the plan is to focus on re-opening things centered around conventions and weddings.

But many people are drawn to weddings located in all-inclusive resorts.

Many of these resorts have large buffet areas for breakfast and other meals open throughout the day and buffets have been a known breeding ground for spreading viruses so I’m wondering how those will operate differently.

I’m also curious if capacity restrictions will be in place, since many bars and pools can also get quite crowded at these resorts. 

There’s a lot to do at the beaches and in the ocean so certain activities such as lounging in a cabana on a beach or scuba diving should be relatively easy to get started back in a safe manner assuming small crowds. 

But places like Cancun are known for its huge night clubs and opening those doors back up right now seems like that would just be a disaster. 

So we’ll see what steps are taken to guarantee safety when opening but I think it is pretty encouraging some of these places at least attempting to open up on a phased basis.

There are certainly risks involved but it’s a matter of how risky things truly are when proper precautions are put in place. We won’t know until some places try it out. It could be really bad but it also may work out much better than some think.  

H/T