Mexico's tourist hotspots Cancun and Los Cabos slammed by Indian Delta variant

The annual pilgrimage summer revelers make to Mexico’s iconic beaches has been disrupted by an outbreak of the Indian Delta COVID-19 variant.

Los Cabos, a tourist destination on the south tip of Baja California Sur, and Cancun, the Caribbean tourist destination 500 miles from the coasts of Miami, have both been slammed by COVID-19.

Hospital beds are beginning to fill in the tourist areas as medical officials are rushing to get more supplies to the areas.

Mexico as a whole is dealing with a massive COVID surge, with cases increasing nearly 250 percent over the past month.

Party hotspots in Mexico have been slammed with outbreaks of the Indian Delta COVID-19 variant. Los Cabos has even closed some beaches to prevent the spread

Party hotspots in Mexico have been slammed with outbreaks of the Indian Delta COVID-19 variant. Los Cabos has even closed some beaches to prevent the spread

Currently, anyone is allowed to fly into Mexico no matter their vaccine status.

According to Bloomberg, just over two million people flew into Cancun during June.

Just over 550,000 flew into Los Cabos.

Both are significant jumps over figures from last year.

In Baja California Sur, health officials are working to equip local hospitals with more beds in order to deal with the current surge in cases.

Beaches in the area have also been closed to control the spread of the virus, though some are ignoring the orders.

Hospitals reached 75 percent total emergency room capacity last week, though that number has fallen to 62 percent in the week since.

The Delta variant, a highly contagious strain of the virus that originated in India, is believed to be responsible for the surge.

‘The Delta variant has a strong presence in the Yucatan peninsula, particularly Quintana Roo and in Baja California Sur, where around 80 percent of new tests are now delta,’ Alejandro Macias, who oversaw Mexico’s H1N1 epidemic in 2009, told Bloomberg. 

The Hard Rock Hotel in Cancun has reserved two floors of the iconic party hotel to quarantining guests showing symptoms of coronavirus

The Hard Rock Hotel in Cancun has reserved two floors of the iconic party hotel to quarantining guests showing symptoms of coronavirus

In Cancun, the Hard Rock hotel has reserved two of the hotels nine floors for quarantining guests with COVID symptoms in order to deal with the surge.

Hotels are the tourist hotspot were allowed to rise their capacity limits from 50 percent to 70 percent due to the area’s economic reliance on tourism.

Mexico as a whole is dealing with a COVID surge, just as their neighbor to the north is.

Only around 31 percent of Mexicans have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, though 50 percent of Cancun residents have.

The country is currently averaging 11,442 new daily cases, a 245 percent increase over the 3,312 average from only one month ago. 

Cases in Baja California Sur dropped to lows in May, when under 60 cases a day on average was being recorded.

In the time since, that number has surged to nearly 300 cases a day.

In Quintana Roo, which includes Cancun, cases have risen from around 150 a day at the start of summer, to over 300 a day currently.

Mexico is currently undergoing a massive surge of COVID-19 cases. Cases across the country have risen by 245 percent since last month

Mexico is currently undergoing a massive surge of COVID-19 cases. Cases across the country have risen by 245 percent since last month

Mexico is currently experiencing its largest COVID surge since the winter. 

Due to a lack of testing infrastructure, the number could be even higher, though. 

Since the pandemic first began in March 2020, the country has recorded over 2 million COVID cases and 238 thousand deaths. 

Despite the surge, Mexico is unlikely to enter another lockdown.

‘People are tired after so many months of the pandemic … we can’t ask people to reduce their mobility like we did at the start,’ said Lopez Gatell, Mexican COVID czar, during a news conference on Tuesday.

source: dailymail.co.uk