TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums Cancun - Isla Mujeres - Mexico Cancun and Playa

Here we go.
Things are getting scarce in the stores. Hotels “consolidating” guests. Even our water guy informed us we can’t increase our order. No hoarding!

Worst of all. The joy we felt at having Hard Rock Golf mostly to ourselves was short lived. Hard Rock Golf closes for a month Wednesday.

Which "things" are getting scarce? What's the overall situation there? Are airlines running normal schedules in and out?

As in the US, most bars and restaurants are closing "temporarily" (that time frame will probably be pushed out if the exposure rates here and abroad go up).

Just learned the harbor master has closed the Coz port, I am looking for more details on that. The ferries between PDC ad Coz are running as of today, that may change...

The Chedrauis, WalMarts, Sorianos, Famacias and OXXO's are all well stocked around the Playa area - even with toilet paper! Baggers at the supermarkets are typically elderly people and work only for tips. Since they are non-essential they are not present in the stores and so losing the small income they can get by working there. So PLEASE - anyone going to these stores look for a tip box if there is one, the stores may be matching your contributions to these elderly folks.

We are all practicing the social distancing requirements posed by the President and local government and hunkering down. But in talking daily with friends in our NY state hometown we feel lucky to be here. Enjoyed the beach yesterday, very quiet and surreal. Our friends are enjoying a new Spring snow squall...

The one problem all along the Riviera Maya is the workers, the vast majority of which rely on the tourism industry. Some work for a union, and some resorts and hotels are paying the laid-off workers in food vouchers to get by, letting them keep their paid vacation time, and keeping their jobs to return to June1 (or whenever). Others are not so lucky...

Near us I see Gran Coyote is open and Mayakoba is open mornings, and per the locals golf site the Bahia P is open?
Day to day I'm sure...

And of course this comes from President Almo...Just the leadership Mexicans need from Almo - amazing!!!

https://www.eluniversal.com.mx/naci...jar-de-salir-ni-tomar-medidas-exageradas

Pese a coronavirus, pide ALMO "no dejar de salir" ni tomar medidas exageradasespite coronavirus.

ALMO asks "not to stop coming out" or take exaggerated measures.

Bahia Principe is open, single in each cart, no touching flags, rakes gone, etc.

Scarce things, disinfectant wipes, alcohol, hand sanitizer, Lysol spray and things like that. Plenty of asswpie, and paper goods. Really strange, no chloroquine in any pharmacy. We started looking a few weeks ago. Most clerks had no knowledge of chloroquine. Now suddenly, they don’t even look, “No, we have none.”

Airlines, check Flightracker, we hear all kinds of stuff about WestJet but seems like things are fairly normal at the airport.

Overall situation... very strange. Restaurants closing completely or offering delivery. People losing their jobs is sad. Seems like off season, Septhambre. (septiembre hambre). Hungry September. Or just before Hurricane

People losing their jobs anywhere is sad, and desperation is going to get more intense, as time goes on. Take care, stay safe.

Yes, other than the deaths and sickness of course, that is indeed the saddest part of this everywhere...
You be safe as well Carol...

Thanks.

Most clerks had no knowledge of chloroquine.

Wierd

“Most clerks had no knowledge of chloroquine. Now suddenly, they don’t even look, “No, we have none.”



Context is important. When we first started asking about it we had to show them the name of the drug, written on paper. The clerks acted a little confused, searched their computer and the shelves before saying, “No.”

As time passed and our search widened, they took one glance at the paper and knew exactly what we wanted. Apparently we aren’t the only people searching for chloroquine.

I'd never heard of it but see it is available (by prescription) in the States and is used to treat malaria and other ailments. While researching I came across one article from yesterday -
"NBC News reported on an Arizona couple, both in their 60s, who became deathly ill after they ingested fish food that contained chloroquine phosphate." One died, obviously not the FDA-approved version of the drug...

...and even the FDA approved version of the drug, approved for OTHER uses, probably is not of any assistance with this thing. Really is sad that those people bet their lives on fake news, especially using a fish medication...

They ingested fish tank cleaner. One of the ingredients was chloroquine. Context is important.
There is fake news and there is half news.

Here’s the latest
The Food and Drug Administration on Sunday issued an emergency use authorization for hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine, decades-old malaria drugs .

Virtually all scientists say there is NO proof that chloroquine has any effect on corona.

Yes context is important. The initial report issued by NBC described the drug as used in fish food. The FDA subsequently described it as a drug used to treat fish diseases, and other sources (Forbes, for ex) said it's used to clean tanks. Regardless of the drugs intended use, the takeaway from this article should be - Do not use veterinary drugs or over the counter alternatives like the fish food/tank cleaner. Take only drugs recommended or prescribed by a licensed physician.

The FDA did issue the "Emergency Use" authorization of anti-malaria drugs chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine to "hospitalized teens and adults" as deemed appropriate with no clinical data supporting that. Our fearless leader Trump had claimed that the FDA had approved this limited use prior to the FDA authorization. Talk about a non-leader? Look at the past two weeks!!! Sorry to digress but people are dying in this WAR, and he was and is not leading our country...

I get it now!
hydro chloroquine is a ridiculous thing. I stand corrected. Please excuse my ignorance.

Sorry.

OK?

I'm confused...?

Post deleted by Carol Hill.

Let's keep the politics out of this.

So how is Playa and Cancun doing?

I can speak only to the situation around Playa...

It is very, very tough on all of the locals who depend on the tourist economy of course. So many workers with families are struggling to feed their families, while others have returned en masse to their families' homes in other areas of Mexico. We have friends who are locals and tens of thousands of their neighbors in the different outlying communities around Playa have left and they are like ghost towns there. This exodus number must be huge when taken in total throughout the Riviera Maya. Others who work for the OXXOs, supermarkets, gas stations and farmacias are more fortunate. Many restaurants are surviving on take-out orders just as in the States and Canada.

A state of emergency was declared March 30 with all beaches officially closed, along with all hotels not being able to accept reservations. Some large resorts like Azul Fives are taking care of the hundreds of employees they are laying off by providing weekly food vouchers and letting them keep their accrued vacations and their return when this is over. Some like AMResorts Secrets Akamul first locked out employees with zero warning or benefits and finally succumbed under public pressure to providing some benefits. So as in the States, Stay-At-Home orders have been issued, and only essential travel out of the home is allowed. We see plenty of everything in the stores including TP, and store employees are wearing masks and gloves. No limits on the number of people in Chedraui, Walmart, Soriano yet but the stores are maintaining a 6 ft distance requirement at checkouts and most people we see are doing that, some wearing masks and scarves. There are now checkpoints at entry ports into and out of Playa with body temp checks I'm reading...

So essentially a lock down. Flights are still available to the States, although scheduled flights are being cancelled daily now and we're monitoring them as we had planned on going to NY state at the end of this month. But that seems foolhardy at this point ands we will wait and see what is going on here and there in a month or so. Flights are disappearing quickly now though, so anyone wanting to get to the US rather than possibly spend more months here should do so now.

Hope others can provide recent info on other areas of Q Roo...

Thank you for the information. I hope everyone down there is ok. I will be back as soon as they let me. Take care.

Sure! If you want to follow the daily government COVID-19 updates -

https://qroo.gob.mx/sesa/nuevo-coronavirus-covid-19

Thanks for returning to the topic.

It's funny, I'm usually the last to even think about talking politics - sorry Carol...caught up in the emotions of the moment...
Be safe everyone!

And of course follow the US State Department and US Embassy (Mexico City) alerts alerts if planning a future trip here...

The whole world is on edge. We just have to try to keep it under control.

Yes and confusion doesn't help of course...

Feel very bad for the tens of thousands unemployed here and in other global tourist destinations. And for the BVI, USVI and PR which are still recovering from Irma and Maria...tough times indeed...

Tough times for the world. Everywhere..

Anyone down there speculating on when we might me able to come back to the area?

There is a ton of speculation and guesswork on other forums like TA. Most folks here that I talk to including doctors and government people all feel as we do - too early to even hazard a guess...especially with the lack of widespread testing there and here. We certainly don't want more people bringing it here. The number of confirmed cases and deaths are rising as in areas of the US.
If a vaccine becomes available later this year or next year that would certainly help!
It's just the huge unknown due to the lack of testing that creates so much uncertainty about the near-term and longer-term scenarios...

I guess that means that people (like me) who hope to be be travelling this summer are just kidding themselves.

Sorry man, don’t mean to be a bummer...but?

Hundreds of thousands of land travelers and cruisers alike are in the same boat. And obviously everyone who relies on the tourist industry here and around the world wants travelers to return...just safely...
It’s so much bigger than we all realize...

Agreed.

Hey crmoores, you seem to have the most information so I am calling out to you. We are scheduled to arrive in CUN on June 2nd. The wife and I both agree that if they let us on the plane we are coming. We are supposed to go to Holbox for 4 or 5 nights then on to Playa for 3 or 4 and on to Cozumel for a couple weeks. As long as Mega is open we can survive, but will a hotel be open? What is your honest opinion about this? We are still over 30 days out, and it seems to be getting better. I am hopeful. Thanks for your input.

Well I don't know anymore than bugambilias or others here, and we'd need that proverbial crystal ball to know where things will be by June 2...

But by all reports from the health ministry and gov't the peak is expected mid-May through who knows, and social distancing requirements have become much more stringent in Q Roo, specifically the municipality of Solidaridad. Face masks are now mandatory in public, only one family member allowed in stores that are open, checkpoints have been established in town to ensure folks are out for essentials only...Cozumel just tightened their curfew hours from 2200 hrs - 0500 hrs to 1900 hrs - 0500 hrs, and highways between areas are closed to non-essential traffic. All public beaches have been closed and are patrolled for compliance, and of course all bars are closed and restaurants are take-out only. A good % of the latter will never reopen, unfortunately...The confirmed cases and deaths are rising now...

All resorts and hotels are supposed to be closed except for those serving essential personnel, and they have a 15% - 20% capacity max.

The last I read of Holbox all non-residents were "forced" to leave the island and fend for themselves, some are staying in Cancun while others were able to get flights out. So I would check with the hotels you are booked with or you are considering, and perhaps the Holbox and Coz sites on TripAdvisor.

We've had 3 flights back to NY cancelled, Delta has pulled out of CUN for all of May, and we're hoping for an AA flight out later in May. We have a nice home with a beautiful pool that we share with great neighbors who are also practicing safe hygiene and distancing habits as we are, but there is just nothing else to do here other than solo golf, and I can't imagine coming down here unless the projected models are inflated and the restrictions are suddenly lifted. Some areas of Q Roo and other states will be easing restrictions May 18, but this area and Cancun will remain on lockdown until at least May 31...

I'm actually amazed that the gov't is still allowing flights into Mexico with all that they are doing to try to prevent the spread of COVID-19...Question for you ScurvyD and not to be disrespectful - But have you and your wife tested negative for COVID-19? That would make folks here who you come into contact with feel much safer...

We have not been tested. We are in an area not affected as bad as others. I can really understand not wanting people from here coming down. I'm just trying to get a little perspective from someone on the ground.I might start looking at pushing it back 30 days or so. Thanks for all your info keep it coming.

I understand, and any news I will be sure to pass along - good luck, and I hope you can get down here soon!

So whats the latest in Mexico? I know the tlights in/out our scarce to nil, but what about the long-term snow birds? Food, water, safety? All good?