I Visited Cancun Amid The Coronavirus Pandemic — Here's What It Was Really Like

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With Cancun open for tourism, one traveler shares her experience visiting the popular tourist destination.

First things first: Is Cancun safe to visit right now?
As long as COVID-19 is a threat, traveling is a risk. The safest place to be is at home. But all things considered, Cancun has been doing an impressive job at containing and preventing the spread of the coronavirus.

Cancun was the first destination in the Americas and one of the first few in the world to receive the “Safe Travels” global safety and hygiene stamp from the World Travel & Tourism Council. The stamp indicates that the destination has “implemented the new safety measures for travelers that WTTC has recognized and approved,” said Quintana Roo Governor Carlos Joaquín González.

It’s the result of major efforts from the state government in creating their own local safety and hygiene program, called the Mexican Caribbean Clean & Safe Check Certification, which is available to all companies in the tourism industry and “aims to maintain the highest sanitary measures for the prevention and containment of COVID-19 and generate confidence among guests, partners, and the community.”

“Over 6,000 companies to date have applied for the certification, which reaffirms the commitment of our people to the safety and health of our visitors,” said Flota. Certifications can be verified on the website Mexican Caribbean. Travel before or during your travels.

Timing, for now, is also on the side of the cautious traveler. In addition to summer already being an off-peak season for travel to Cancun, the number of visitors is still especially low, making social distancing a breeze.

Houston resident Meggan Orduno just visited with her husband, Richard, to celebrate their fourth wedding anniversary after quarantining for three months and forgoing her planned 30th birthday celebration. “We were the only people on our floor of the resort,” she said.

Orduno had booked the trip before the pandemic and was prepared to cancel if need be, but said she felt “completely safe” in Cancun, calling the situation back home “far worse.” Though the couple doesn’t plan to travel again this summer, they say they “wouldn’t think twice about doing it” after what they experienced in Cancun.

By Jenny Hart
July 15, 2020
Source and complete article: Travelandleisure.com