Cozumel diving - Pics from 9/13 to 9/23

[ReefHound]

You are correct, of course, with some caveats. For example, I love going to Astros baseball games - sitting shoulder to shoulder with 40,000 of my closest friends, plowing my way through the crowd, high fiving complete strangers, grabbing cold beers and hot dogs from vendors... all that stuff. I won't be doing any of that any time soon, and there are no precautions I could take that would make it safe enough for me to even consider. Not as things currently stand, anyway.

Was it ever safe or were you just oblivious to the threats?

 

[ggunn]

Was it ever safe or were you just oblivious to the threats?

Are you serious? Risk isn't binary. Nothing is ever completely safe; it's all a matter of degrees of probability. It's way different now from what it ever was before, and not for the better. I hope things turn around soon, but hope for the best, expect the worst. Don't take that too seriously; I was singing in my head the theme song from The Twelve Chairs...

 

[EdC]

I am getting conflicting info, is a negative covid test required to enter Mexico from the US?

 

[ReefHound]

I am getting conflicting info, is a negative covid test required to enter Mexico from the US?

no. Where did you get that info?

 

[EdC]

American Airlines customer service rep, I called to make sure I wouldn't have an issue with a passport that expires in March on an October trip. During the discussion she mentioned needing a negative test within 72 hours but I didn't find that anywhere else.

 

[BrackaFish]

Braka, even if this virus issue doesn't pass at some point we are all going to have to simply take appropriate precautions and get on with living. I'm personally closing in on that point. None of us really knows how much time we have left. COVID is only 1 risk/threat of 100's we encounter every day and have learned to accept and attempt to mitigate to our best ability every day. What my General Practitioner told me a few months ago that I posted on the Coz COVID thread reverberates louder in my head every day:

So here's a COVID/DOCTOR story for all. I had my annual physical today (after being postponed for months due to COVID) with my General Practitioner who is in his early 60's and is the head of Hampton Roads based Sentara Healthcare's satellite GP office in Virginia Beach. We went through the regular banter and my issues that bother me from time to time but he assures me it just a part of getting older. Then we got to a brief discussion of travel and such. As it turns out, he was scheduled to be on a flight to Hawaii to see a family member 2 weeks from now (My Dr. is of Philippine ancestry and while he's lived his life in the states his parents still live in the Philippines and he has other family living in the Hawaiian islands) and he mentioned that he cancelled it due to the quarantine measures Hawaii has put in place for those flying from the mainland that requires all to quarantine for 2 weeks upon arrival. I told him I had visited Hawaii earlier this year in February to visit friends and there was NO WAY I would get on a plane right now. He looked at me like I had 3 heads and said if you wear a mask, wash your hands, don't touch your face and practice 6' of social distancing when you are able that I have very little to worry about. He then asked me when the last time I visited a restaurant was and I told him back in March. He went on to say that he goes to restaurants all the time and is not concerned at all given the social distancing that is being enforced and the steps restaurant owners are taking. He then asked, "What would it take for you to return to a normal life and going out and traveling?" I responded "VACCINE!". He responded, "What if there is no reliable vaccine as even the flu vaccine is about 50% effective?". I responded that I'll wait for better treatments for those who are sick with COVID. He asked, "What if there are no better treatments... what are you going to do?". I said at that point I guess we all have our own decisions to make. I told him it took a great deal for me to even walk into his offices because this is where sick people come and he said you're safer here than about anywhere else. The bottom line is my Dr. sees people every day and I got the impression that he sees my level of paranoia to be obsessive and it is affecting how I live my life. Well, hell YES how I live my life has changed and I am obsessive about this. I told him I'll be the last American to catch this bug. However, at the same time I see his willingness to do whatever and go wherever while wearing masks and abiding by best practices as best he can equally crazy. So what did I learn from all of this today? Maybe my wife and I can strap on masks and make our annual trip back to Coz come December. I'm going to have to think about it quite a bit but if my Dr. was willing to get on a plane, shouldn't I be willing as well? Tough call for me still.

What you say is true and at the end of the day, everyone has to decide what is best for them and their families. I know that I am a lot more “risk aware” now than when I was in my twenties and thirties. Of course, back then I was indestructible. We are fortunate here in Florida in that there are more opportunities to dive than if I was living in somewhere like South Dakota, but I still miss traveling. On a positive note, it does seem like we are learning more and more about this virus with each passing day and that will help us decide what to do. Be safe.

 

[cozcharlie]

American Airlines customer service rep, I called to make sure I wouldn't have an issue with a passport that expires in March on an October trip. During the discussion she mentioned needing a negative test within 72 hours but I didn't find that anywhere else.

it is always difficult to prove a negative given something could have changed, but this is almost certainly false. I have come into Mexico a few times since June (including a few days ago on United ) and I have never had a test. They send you an online Covid questionnaire asking if you have symptoms etc, but I am not even certain is ever looked at. Mexico desperately needs tourism dollars so it is very unlikely they would be adding restrictions on US tourists at this point in the pandemic/economic crisis

Obviously if you have Covid and/or have symptoms you shouldn’t fly. They do have a thermal camera in the Cozumel airport looking for passenger fevers , but I haven’t heard of anyone being denied entry.

 

[ReefHound]

My guess is the cs rep said something like" some countries might require" rather than specifically asserting Mexico requires it.

 

[Sallygirl]

Fantastic photos! Thank you so much for sharing.