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US Ambassador: Follow protocols for safe travel in Mexico

December 10, 2020

To go or not to go, that is the question.....

Many Vidanta timeshare owners are paralyzed. Covid statistics from Mexico are questioned by US health officials because the level of testing is so low. Caseloads are increasing in Mexico. Deaths are increasing.

Yet, at the same time, visitors to Nuevo Vallarta, Riviera Maya, San Jose del Cabo and Puerto Peñasco speak highly about their experiences at the resorts and towns in general. Resort management teams and staff are working very hard to keep facilities clean and guests safe.

Evidently, the US Ambassodor to Mexico feels it's safe to travel throughout Mexico too. The one caveat he encourages is to continue safe practices - wash hands, use masks in crowds and pay attention social distancing practices. His comments tend to be counter to the most recent US CDC recommendations, which advises against travel to Mexico.

Here is what the Ambassador reportedly said:


Follow protocols and traveling in Mexico is not a problem: US ambassador
The tourism sector is managing a difficult situation well, Christopher Landau says


Traveling in Mexico is safe during the coronavirus pandemic if one follows sanitary protocols established by the destination where one travels, says the United States ambassador to Mexico.

Christopher Landau told the newspaper El Financiero Wednesday during a culture and tourism event that he’s seen how seriously restaurants, hotels and other tourism-related businesses take Covid safety protocols and that it gives him confidence that tourists can continue safely traveling in Mexico.

“The most important thing is to stabilize the industry,” he said. “I have been able to determine firsthand that by following health protocols, it’s possible to go — it’s important to go. Mental health is an important part of overall health. One can’t be confined at home month after month after month.”

The ambassador’s opinion appears to stand in stark contrast to other U.S. government entities’ opinions about travel in Mexico, including the Department of State.

The U.S. agreed with the Mexican government in March to prohibit nonessential land border crossings in both directions, although the restriction does not apply to air travel. On September 8, the U.S. Department of State advised American citizens to reconsider travel to Mexico due to Covid-19 and has suspended routine consular and visa services due to Covid-19 since March 18. In late November, the United States Centers for Disease Control issued its highest level of advisory, warning against all travel to Mexico due to Covid.

Nevertheless, Landau insisted on the tourism potential of Mexico.

“I congratulate the tourism sector for its spirit of responsibility. I understand very well that if there are outbreaks associated with tourism, that is going to affect them a lot. What I have seen is that they are managing a very difficult situation quite well,” he said.

A Harvard Law School graduate who clerked for Associate Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas of the United States Supreme Court after graduating in 1989, Landau has served as a United States ambassador to Mexico since August 2019.

What do you think? Is Ambassador Landau being too lax? Or do you think you are safe in a safe area? Stay tuned....
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