Mexico Allows Docking for Cruise Ships with Coronavirus Cases

On Tuesday, the Mexican government announced it will permit cruise ships with coronavirus-infected passengers to dock.

This decision followed the refusal of two Mexican ports to let passengers disembark from ships with reported coronavirus cases.

According to the Health Department, passengers and crew without symptoms will be allowed to disembark normally, while those displaying symptoms or testing positive will either be quarantined or receive medical assistance.

The department noted that a cruise ship previously denied docking at a Pacific port will now be allowed to dock at Guaymas, referencing an incident where a ship was turned away from Puerto Vallarta a few days earlier.

At the beginning of the pandemic, numerous cruise ships spent weeks at sea searching for a port willing to accept them due to coronavirus cases on board.

Mexico stands out as one of the few nations that has imposed no travel restrictions, testing mandates, or compulsory mask-wearing for visitors. The government contends that such actions would harm the economy, where tourism contributes approximately 8.5 percent of GDP.

However, Mexico has faced severe consequences during the pandemic, with around 460,000 COVID-19 related deaths recorded, according to government evaluations of death certificates over the past two years.