The ‘new normal’ in the face of the coronavirus has already begun in the tourism sector in Mexico: people with face masks and healthy distances on beaches and pools, sanitation cameras, cleaning of suitcases when arriving at hotels, as well as digital menus in restaurants are already a reality in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, one of the main tourist destinations that began to receive visitors this week.
Yesterday, the beaches were open to the public in the five coastal municipalities of Jalisco, but mainly in Puerto Vallarta. The first guests arrived in the city at the Fiesta Americana hotel, after three months of stopping activities due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The hotel staff greeted guests with mariachis, dancing, and thank you signs, along with the ‘new normal’ welcoming of hand sanitizer, masks, and temperature checks.
Upon arrival at the reception, an acrylic guard separates the hotel staff from the guests, who now have to download the basic sanitation measures and activities at the hotel using a QR code.
Only four people are allowed in the elevators. In the pool area, some signs define the space between one and the other lounges, while in the beach area they were separated by more than a meter and a half.
“There is risk, of course, but also the economy cannot be paused, the generation of jobs, people have to eat, they have to take something home and here we live from tourism and if there is tourism we are doing well and if there is no tourism, it is going badly for us,” said Arturo Dávalos, mayor of Puerto Vallarta.
To date, Puerto Vallarta has reported 584 cases of COVID-19 and 37 fatalities.
