Covid mask wearing protocol

[flyboy08]

Cozumel Mayor announced “curfew” over Covid-19

This Pedro.

ETA: thanks to the miracle of google.

It already was midnight.

 

[deepsea21]

Chuck, my wife and I just returned from a 2 week dive trip in Coz and from what we experienced the local population and tourists both do not wear masks as they should. You live there and you must see what we did. Mask wearing is pretty much no different between locals and tourists. They wear them where they absolutely must in grocery stores but outside in the fresh air it is a free-for-all for both. In fact, tourists were wearing masks outside in public at a higher percentage than locals.

The vendors and barkers could care less about Covid as far as I could see. Most had their masks pulled down under their chins as they chat and hang with their other non-mask-wearing locals while they bark at everyone to come in and shop their stores. We even had one say "No mask necessary, come in" while we were wearing our masks.

Obviously my post above came across as I was claiming that hardly anyone was wearing masks be they locals or tourists. That was not the case so please let me clarify.

In all grocery stores, all restaurants and most places of business indoors most everyone was wearing masks when necessary and when in close proximity to others (when not eating or drinking). It was outdoors in the open air that mask wearing was hit or miss. I don't have a problem with people not wearing masks in the outdoor open air when not in close proximity to other people. I personally would pull my mask down when walking on empty sidewalks with no one around. Yes, that technically is breaking the mask law but most everyone, locals and tourists alike, did it and there was no enforcement of outdoor mask wearing whatsoever that I could see.

The point I was trying to make was many people here read about the mask law in Mexico that requires everyone to wear masks when out in public and they probably assume that if they visit they are going to see everyone wearing masks everywhere out in public and that simply is not the case. Around crowds, yes, proper mask wearing is probably 90% but just walking about, riding scooters, driving cars or locals working outdoors the norm was no masks or masks pulled down under the chin.

In the square at night when it was crowded I would say that 90% of everyone walking around were wearing masks and wearing them properly.

So, for those who may plan on visiting Coz, just don't think it's 100% required mask wearing everywhere and you'll end up in jail for not wearing one in the open air outdoors when you are walking about. I expected to see masks worn everywhere I looked and that turned out to be not the case. It's more of a common sense thing. I'd say 90% of everyone practiced common sense and wore masks when in close proximity to tourists. The locals working in close proximity to each other outdoors was another matter.

Also, don't think there is no COVID on the island or that Coz is some sanctuary from COVID. There is far more COVID on the island than statistics report and locals I spoke with confirmed it. COVID exists on Coz at about the same rate it does in the US. It's no safer or more dangerous in Coz than the states. You need to remember that many locals live in small casas with extended family (grandparents, parents and kids) and it is a hot climate where the cost of electricity is 3x that of the US. There's no AC running and no one is gonna wear a mask at home in those conditions so it can spread through a family crammed into a small casa like wildfire and it does.

What can make Coz safer than the states for travel is the precautions you take and the fact that you can dine early and chose establishments that offer outdoor open air dinging when there are few or no others around. (The 2nd story of Casa Cuzamil was wonderful - all to ourselves usually in the open air and you can turn on the ceiling fans) For those who want to go about their pre-COVID practices and leave their common sense on the tarmac in the US feel free to belly up to the bar at the Thirsty Cougar elbow to elbow or sit at its crammed full tables spaced 2' apart with 40-50 of your fellow gringo non-mask wearing friends be my guest. The Cougar is one scene (among others) that I've never had any interest in anyway.

 

[flyboy08]

Its CASA Cuzamil.that and a boatload of other dining establishment are safe and worthy of visiting...nowhere on earth will one find 100% of folks wearing masks 100% of the time.

Use common sense, that's all.

 

[deepsea21]

It's Casa Cuzamil.

 

[Dave Dillehay]

Any Pedro will do. Cozumel is much more safer with masks and social distancing than Galveston Texas

Dave Dillehay
Villa Aldora

 

[H2ODoc]

We are in Cozumel now. I do think they generally take it more serious than in Denver. Specifically:

- Mega and some restaurants squirt hand sanitizer in your hand when you arrive
- Blue Angel restaurant took everyone's temp and wrote them all down
- Most have the trays that you step in to sanitize your shoes. I've never seen that in the US
- Divemasters/boat captains are all diligent wearing masks and reminding divers to wear masks.

But.....
- plenty of restaurant servers are wearing then below the nose (about 1 in 5)
- some servers are adjusting them while visiting the table
- some people on the street aren't wearing them or have them pulled down

So, similar to the states, albeit better on average by quite a bit. We feel pretty safe about it, and realize that there's no such thing as zero risk at getting or giving Covid.

 

[Lorenzoid]

If not zero risk of giving Covid, why subject them to the possibility by going there? Can we not be patient?

 

[BRT]

If not zero risk of giving Covid, why subject them to the possibility by going there? Can we not be patient?

It is not zero risk diving with you, not zero risk for your taxi driver, not zero risk for the pilot of your plane. And not zero risk if the residents of Cozumel have no income. You have no perception of what it is like to not know where your next dollar, peso, is coming from. The Ugly American.

 

[ChuckP]

If not zero risk of giving Covid, why subject them to the possibility by going there? Can we not be patient?

How long do you wait for zero risk?? I'm good with personal choices, but this place won't be inhabited if you all waited for zero risk......

 

[Jackie Treehorn]

How long do you wait for zero risk?? I'm good with personal choices, but this place won't be inhabited if you all waited for zero risk......

Exactly. And you can't wait for zero risk as it will never happen...

Life is risk. We've bought the ticket and we're taking the ride...