Three new cases of COVID-19 were found in Motul, city officials announced this morning. The patients, all women, are between the ages of 20 and 35, said Health Director Wendy Canul Pool. This brings to 39 the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Yucatan. Another 24 possible cases are under analysis. Statewide, patients range from…
“What happens if I overstay my tourist visa?” is the question lawyers and immigration consultants are being asked. It’s not like you can visit our friendly neighborhood immigration official to find out. The COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic has led to Mexico shutting down its immigration offices until further notice. Flights are being canceled and border restrictions…
Progreso, Yucatan — A “ley seca,” or “dry law” that bans alcohol sales, will be implemented here through the Easter season, the mayor announced. Telchac also announced a temporary liquor-sales ban starting today, giving only 24 hours notice to consumers. Progreso’s April 1-20 ban could extend even longer, “depending on the evolution of the health…
Merida, Yucatan — The city’s main mercados are too important to close, municipal officials have concluded. Given coronavirus concerns that have already killed off nightlife and shopping, officials had considered closing San Benito and Lucas de Gálvez markets on Calle 54, below the Plaza Grande. More than 2,000 market stalls normally crowd the facility, although more…
Merida, Yucatan — A dozen city hotels with a combined 500 guest rooms have closed as tourist numbers dwindle. The Yucatan Hotel Association on Wednesday announced the impact of nationwide health measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus. In the morning, the association’s leader, Hector Navarrete Medina, reported that seven hotels offering 350 rooms had closed,…
Merida, Yucatan — For some people, staying home and quarantining is not an option. José Maldonado Dzib and Michelle Ruiz Rodríguez, two street vendors who earn their livings on the corner of avenidas Jacinto Canek and Itzáes, are among them. Maldonado Dzib, who sells bags of limes and oranges, commented that due to the COVID-19…
A group of around 25 tourists taking in the sights of the Centro was spotted by a TV camera this morning, creating outrage on social media. Telesur broadcast the cluster of sightseers on Calle 60, across from the Plaza Grande. Much of Merida is otherwise quiet today while people stay inside, avoiding the coronavirus. At…
Seats were still available this morning on a WestJet flight from Merida to Toronto Pearson as the Canadian government works to get its citizens home. Flight 2793 will depart Merida on Tuesday at 1:35 p.m., landing at 7:38. Canadians will be expected to pay a “responsible ticket price” for their flight home, Trudeau said. While…
Friday’s shutdown of the U.S.-Mexico border applies to both land and air travel between the two countries, said a representative of the Mexican embassy. The United States and Mexico formally terminated all nonessential travel in response to fears over the growing coronavirus pandemic. For flyers, ticket holders are advised to contact their airline before heading…
Not all large gatherings are canceled in Merida. The 104th Ordinary General Assembly of the Confederation of National Chambers of Commerce, which will be attended by about 300 people, convenes today. Despite the fact that the state government and the Merida City Council passed various measures to suspend massive events — like its highly anticipated…
Yucatan Gov. Mauricio Vila Dosal on Friday ordered bars and night clubs to shut down operations.
Yucatan has 13 patients who have tested positive for coronavirus, Health Secretary Mauricio Sauri Vivas said Thursday. The patients are stable and staying in their homes under monitoring, he said. Meanwhile, another 29 people with symptoms that could be coronavirus have been tested and are awaiting results. In neighboring Quintana Roo, six people are confirmed…
Soriana shoppers will bag their own groceries starting today, and other grocery chains in Mexico are under pressure to also send home tens of thousands of elderly checkouts baggers at risk of coronavirus. Some 35,000 workers, most between 60 and 74 years old, work for tips packing groceries at Walmart and other chain stores through…
The U.S. Consulate in Merida is closed and refusing non-emergency services starting today. “To safeguard the health of employees of the United States embassy and consulates in Mexico,” all nine consulates and the U.S. embassy in Mexico City will shut down, officials announced. The announcement did not indicate when its services to Americans living in…
Authorities concerned about the coronavirus pandemic declared the Chichen Itza archaeological zone closed during the famed spring equinox illusion. “In this week before the equinox, each year we receive the visit of more than 50,000 visitors from different countries,” said Gov. Mauricio Vila in explaining the decision to lock the gates March 20-22. In a…
The Yucatan health secretary said Monday that three more patients tested positive for coronavirus, bringing the number of active cases in the state to four. The first patient, a 57-year-old woman who had traveled to Spain, has been discharged from the hospital and has returned home to be self-quarantined. The three new patients were not…
The Yucatecan woman who is the state’s sole confirmed coronavirus case has “complications” and has been admitted to one of a few hospitals in Merida qualified to handle cases. Meanwhile, a man who took a cruise to Progreso has since tested positive for the coronavirus. The first confirmed case in Columbus, Ohio, is a 49-year-old…
Progreso, Yucatan — Carnival, the cruise line that sends the most ships to the Progreso port, joined Royal Caribbean, Norwegian and Celebrity in suspending sailing operations to and from U.S. ports for 30 days due to the coronavirus pandemic. That means today’s docking of the Carnival Fantasy, based in Mobile, Ala., is perhaps the last leisure…
The Sunday-morning Biciruta community bike ride and other ongoing public events are the latest coronavirus casualties.
A 57-year-old woman who traveled recently to Spain is Yucatan’s first confirmed coronavirus patient.
Carnival Cruises on Thursday turned away several passengers who were headed to Progreso. Angry passengers told reporters that “underlying health conditions” including diabetes were why they were banned from the Carnival Fantasy. The Cozumel leg of the trip was also canceled as a health precaution. While screening passengers, Carnival says they will continue to operate…
With the World Health Organization declaring a coronavirus pandemic, Yucatan state officials on Thursday announced a series of preventative measures. The state already canceled a huge, widely anticipated convention — the Tianguis Turístico — a blow to the region’s economy. Gov. Mauricio Vila Dosal then announced additional actions to prevent the deadly virus from entering Yucatan:…
Updated: According to unofficial sources who spoke with Peninsular Punto Medio, Yucatan Gov. Mauricio Vila has requested the event be suspended as a precaution against the spread of coronavirus.
The two flu cases with symptoms that resembled the coronavirus have declared just a normal flu, meaning no apparent COVID-19 in Yucatan.
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