Playa del Carmen, Q. Roo — The U.S. State Department’s travel alert was scaled back Friday night and its consulate is re-opening on Monday.
Originally the agency wanted people to think twice about going to Playa del Carmen, especially with spring break coming up.
The State Department says its intelligence on safety issues in Playa del Carmen is changing.
Now getting specific, travel restrictions are now limited to the Centro, Calica, Gonzalo Guerrero, Quintas del Carmen and Villas del Carmen neighborhoods. These neighborhoods are bordered by Avenida Benito Juarez, 50 Avenida Sur (Highway 307) and Calle 34 Norte.
The State Department says visitors from the U.S. and government employees should avoid those neighborhoods until further notice.
Originally, the state department said a security threat was so credible it shut down the U.S. consular agency and forbade government employees from traveling to the area.
The State Department wouldn’t connect the advisory with last month’s explosion on a tourist ferry that runs between Playa del Carmen and Cozumel, or with the explosive devices subsequently found on another vessel.
The State Department is still asking Americans to avoid using ferries and is prohibiting U.S. government personnel from traveling on them.
Check travel.state.gov before leaving the United States.
Source: KUSA
