Hundreds of young people who traveled to Puerto Vallarta to celebrate their high school graduation tested positive for Covid-19 in the last two weeks.
According to the Ministry of Health of the State of Jalisco, people between 20 and 34 years old are the most affected.
Parents and young people from public and private high schools who made trips to Puerto Vallarta during the last fifteen days, and who are now isolated, explained how their planned graduation trip at the Crown Paradise Golden Hotel was celebrated with students from different schools in Guadalajara, as well as in Sonora, Aguascalientes, Nuevo León, and Guanajuato.
“From my perspective, it must be a massive contagion, not only at the state level but beyond the local,” explained the mother of one of the young people who now remains isolated after returning from his graduation trip.
In addition to her son, 14 other graduates from his same school tested positive for Covid-19, and on the trip, there were graduates from various high schools around the country, with whom they shared close spaces on the buses, the pool, the clubs, and the boat trip organized by the travel agency who planned the massive graduation party for people wanting to celebrate in Puerto Vallarta.
“I did not realize how big this was and it took me by surprise when I arrived early and saw many buses and kids from various schools and I was surprised when I heard the organizers say ‘those of the Autonomous for such a truck, those from the Tec Milenio for this one, those from such a high school for here ‘, there were a lot of guys ”.
One of those affected recalled that the trip was made “with great freedom” unlike what he has lived over the past year in confinement and after having participated virtually to finish his education.
“Being with so many people in closed places like clubs, it was what unleashed everything,” said the young man, with a notably hoarse voice and who is recovering from COVID-19.
The travel package that students and parents hired to celebrate graduation included four nights of all-inclusive hotel accommodation, as well as entry to clubs and bars, boat trips, and tourist experiences such as zip lines, for just over $13,000 pesos.
Both graduates and parents exempted the schools from any responsibility for the spread of COVID-19 since the contacts with the agency were made directly by the students and there were several meetings via Zoom held by so many students, parents, and organizers. The trip was not promoted by any schools where the students had graduated.
“It is something that could have been avoided or could have been done in another way, the organizers did not give us access to the clubs or anywhere if we did not wear face masks, but after we were inside, it was really total freedom, everyone did what they wanted, “added one of the young people infected on his trip to celebrate that he had finished high school.
Currently, Puerto Vallarta is experiencing a thrid wave of infections with daily cases not seen in the city this year.
After the State Government made the call to redouble measures to reduce the impact on health and the economy by the third wave of COVID-19, in Puerto Vallarta, they have already closed two businesses, issued three final warnings for closings, and 151 warnings for failing to comply with sanitary measures.
