Cancun to Drop COVID Alert Level to Yellow

The governor of the Mexican state of Quintana Roo has announced that beginning Sunday, February 7, the alert level for the popular destination of Cancun will drop to 'yellow' in a big boost to tourism to the city.

Mexico uses an epidemiological traffic light system to gauge its COVID-19 infection rates, with green being the best, followed by yellow, orange and, finally, red.

Cancun had been at orange. With infections dropping, Gov. Carlos Joaquin said is he willing to drop the level to yellow for a trial run for at least a week, according to the Cancun Sun.

"We must remain vigilant," a cautious Joaquin said in making the announcement on Mexico's state-run YouTube channel. ""Just because we have reached the yellow level, does not mean we can't return to orange. We must continue to take care of ourselves."

Still, it's welcome news for Cancun's tourist-driven economy. A yellow designation means hotels can book rooms at an 85 percent rate of capacity. Restaurants, clubs and bars can have outdoor or patio space also filled at 85 percent, with indoor seating limited to 70 percent.

Quintana Roo had been at an orange level for the past two weeks; it was just last week that extra government agents were assigned to Cancun to enforce health and sanitation safety measures to try to keep the spread of the virus under control.

Joaquin urged locals and visitors alike to remain vigilant and continue to practice social distancing and other preventative measures.

"We (Quintana Roo) are above the average rate of economic development," he said. "We have managed to recover almost all of the jobs, create new ones, increase investment in the area, and overseen many new public works projects."