Is Cancún Open?
UPDATE: January 13, 2021
You may consider the new CDC requirements for travel internationally. It means you’ll need to be tested for COVID-19 and have a negative test within 3 days of your travel home. Read more here.
Cancún has some of the best beaches in the world and people all over are ready to get back to those beaches. Many people are wondering about whether or not they can actually get to Cancún with everything that is going on in the world right now.
The answer is yes. Cancún is open right now but there are conditions. The state of Quintana Roo, where Cancún is located is open under the traffic light system and currently, the light is orange.
If you’d like to read more about the traffic light system in Mexico you can do that here. It consists of Red, Orange, Yellow, and Green. Most states right now are orange, but there are 16 states still in a red light condition.
Below is a detailed chart that is originally published by the state of Quintana Roo, which is where Cancún is located.
| Activity or Location | Who Can Go? | Red Light | Orange Light | Yellow Light | Green Light |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Groceries, tortillerías, butchers, supermarkets, fruits and vegetables, hardware, tendejón, convenience store, poultry and bakeries | Essential | Essential | Essential | Essential | Essential |
| Outdoor activities | Healthy Distance | healthy distance | healthy distance | healthy distance | healthy distance |
| legislative activities | Essential | Essential | Essential | Essential | Essential |
| Travel agency | Employees | 15% | 30% | 60% | 100% |
| Storage | Essential | Essential | Essential | Essential | Essential |
| Car rentals | Employees | 15% | 30% | 60% | 100% |
| Associations, organizations and religious services | Percent of Capacity | 0% | 30% | 60% | 100% |
| Banks and financial institutions | Essential | Essential | Essential | Essential | Essential |
| Bars, discos, nightclubs, cabarets, entertainment centers, piano-bar, breweries, pubs, billiards, bowling, coffee singer, karaoke bar, disco bar, social clubs and casinos | Percent of Capacity | 0% | 0% | 0% | 100% |
| Internet cafe | Percent of Capacity | 15% | 30% | 60% | 100% |
| Golf Courses | Percent of Capacity | 15% | 30% | 60% | 100% |
| Hunting and trapping, breeding and farm animals, forestry and related services | Employees | 50% | 75% | 85% | 100% |
| shopping malls, department stores and the retail trade of clothing, novelties, boutiques and shoes | Percent of Capacity | 0% | 30% | 60% | 100% |
| Commerce on public roads (**) | Number of posts | 15% | 30% | 60% | 100% |
| Building | Essential | Essential | Essential | Essential | Essential |
| Corporate, securities and investment activities | Employees | 15% | 30% | 80% | 100% |
| Hosting companies | Rooms | 15% | 30% | 60% | 100% |
| social events, groups, conventions and DMC's | Persons | 0% | 0% | 50% | 100% |
| Manufacture of transport equipment | Employees | 30% | 30% | 60% | 100% |
| Manufacture of machinery and equipment | Employees | 30% | 30% | 60% | 100% |
| Manufacture of clothing | Employees | 0% | 30% | 60% | 100% |
| Product Manufacturing Nonmetallic minerals | Employees | 30% | 30% | 60% | 100% |
| Manufacture of products of petroleum and coal | Employees | 30% | 30% | 60% | 100% |
| Fabricated metal products | Employees | 30% | 30% | 60% | 100% |
| Photography, video and sound | Employees | 0% | 30% | 60% | 100% |
| Gyms and sports clubs | Percent of Capacity | 0% | 0% | 0% | 100% |
| Tourist guides | Employees | 15% | 30% | 60% | 100% |
| Hospitals, doctors' offices, pharmacies, pharmacies, drug stores and dentists | Essential | Essential | Essential | Essential | Essential |
| Printing and publishing of newspapers, magazines and books | Employees | Essential | Essential | Essential | Essential |
| Wood industry and furniture manufacturing | Employees | 0% | 30% | 60% | 100% |
| Real estate, leasing of real estate and condominium management | Percent of Capacity | 15% | 30% | 60% | 100% |
| laundromats | Essential | Essential | Essential | Essential | Essential |
| Marine tourism, public and private water sports | Seating | 15% | 30% | 60% | 100% |
| Mining | Essential | Essential | Essential | Essential | Essential |
| Museums and Historic Sites | Percent of Capacity | 15% | 30% | 60% | 100% |
| Operators adventure / nature | Employees | 15% | 30% | 60% | 100% |
| Dive operators and water activities | Persons | 15% | 30% | 60% | 100% |
| Other manufacturing | Employees | 0% | 30% | 60% | 100% |
| Stationers, selling crafts, gifts and novelties, jewelry, jewelry and other personal items | Employees | 0% | 30% | 60% | 100% |
| water parks and spas | Percent of Capacity | 15% | 30% | 60% | 100% |
| Theme parks | Percent of Capacity | 15% | 30% | 60% | 100% |
| Hairdressers, beauty salons, cosmetic, massages and spas | Percent of Capacity | 0% | 30% | 60% | 100% |
| Fisheries and agriculture | Everyone | Essential | Essential | Essential | Essential |
| Beaches and public parks | Percent of Capacity | 0% | 0% | 60% | 100% |
| Water purifiers | Essential | Essential | Essential | Essential | Essential |
| automotive parts, car washes and garages | Percent of Capacity | 15% | 30% | 80% | 100% |
| Restaurants, snacks and soft drinks, soup kitchens, seafood, restaurant-bar, snack bars, taco shops, cafes, pizza, preparation and sale of food | Percent of Capacity | 15% | 30% | 60% | 100% |
| public safety, administration and enforcement of justice | Essential | Essential | Essential | Essential | Essential |
| artistic, cultural and sporting services | Percent of Capacity | 0% | 0% | 60% | 100% |
| accounting and administrative services | Employees | 25% | 50% | 75% | 100% |
| Support services business (cleaning, staffing, secretarial, billing, security, packaging, research, etc.) | Employees | 25% | 50% | 75% | 100% |
| Consulting and advisory services | Employees | 25% | 50% | 75% | 100% |
| Educational services | Depends | Determined by the health and education authorities | Determined by the health and education authorities | Determined by the health and education authorities | Determined by the health and education authorities |
| services professionals, scientists and technicals | Employees | 25% | 50% | 75% | 100% |
| Theaters and cinemas | Seating | 0% | 30% | 60% | 100% |
| tourist conveyor | Seating | 15% | 30% | 60% | 100% |
| Sales of household goods, computers, items for interior decoration and used items | Percent of Capacity | 15% | 30% | 80% | 100% |
| Sale of mobile phones and accessories | Employees | 0% | 30% | 60% | 100% |
| Sale of motor vehicles | Percent of Capacity | 15% | 30% | 60% | 100% |
Are Cancún Resorts Open?
We all have our favorite resorts in the Cancún area. Ours is Eldorado Maroma by Karisma. We know you’re wondering if your resort is open.
The answer is yes. Most Cancún resorts are open and they have varying degrees of new procedures to ensure your stay is safe and sanitized.
As I said earlier, the state of Quintana Roo is at an Orange traffic light. The Mexican government has opened the northern part of the state which includes the tourist destinations of Tulum, Cozumel, Puerto Morelos, Isla Mujeres, and Cancún. The southern part of the state remains in the red.
You can read more about the traffic light system in Quintana Roo at this website. https://reactivemosq.roo.gob.mx/actividades-economicas/
Are Cancún Beaches Closed?
As of June 27 2020, technically the answer is yes, the beaches in Cancún are closed. The tourist area of Quintana Roo (the state where Cancún is located) is currently at an Orange traffic light, which means the beaches are to be closed. However, at private resorts, the beaches seem to be open. Call your resort or hotel before you go and find out for sure if your beach is open or closed.
Are Cancún Restaurants Open Now?
Who doesn’t love great authentic Mexican food? I know I do and I’m ready to enjoy the restaurants of Cancún.
As of June 25, the answer is yes Cancún restaurants are open right now. They are operating under the orange traffic light system, which means they are operating at 30% capacity. The traffic light system is updated weekly so check back to see if things change.
We also wrote a blog about where the locals eat in Cancún. You can read that blog here.
Are Cancún Hotels Open Now?
During the recent pandemic hotels in Cancún did have to close for a few months and many have prepared themselves well to open back up for you.
Cancún hotels are now open. There are still some minor restrictions and hotels are operating at a lower capacity. Overall, you can go and enjoy your favorite Cancún hotel now.
What Should I Expect At My Hotel in Cancún?
Many of the top hotels are doing their best to make sure that you are safe, and the bigger brands with big corporate offices have implemented new procedures across their hotels in Mexico and around the world.
We wrote a blog on the 7 best family resorts with waterparks in Cancún. Check it out here.
You should expect new procedures at check-in, in the common areas, in the fitness area, in your room and suites, at the pool and beach areas, and in the meeting spaces.
Check-In
- Expect your luggage to be disinfected upon guest arrival
- Expect that your temperature will be checked upon arrival with some type of thermal camera
- Expect clear markings for social distancing
- Expect keys to be disinfected
Rooms & Suites
- Expect strict sanitizing procedures to be used to clean guest rooms
- Full sanitization of guest rooms after each departure
- Expect to see the hotel maintenance and housekeeping teams to be wearing PPE (Masks and Gloves)
- Expect no contact room service or in some cases room service will not be available
Common Areas
- Expect to see increased deep-cleaning and disinfecting all common and public spaces. Especially heavily trafficked areas like the check-in desk, elevators, door handles, pool chairs
- Expect to see limited space available at spas. You’ll want to book ahead of time if you can
