Yucatecan beachgoers continue to ignore health provisions

Beachgoers continue to disregard the measures

While in the area of the Progreso boardwalk the beach was lonely, in Chicxulub Puerto -near the pier- several people ignored the sanitary restrictions and went into the sea.

In Progreso, the “dry law” also influenced the lack of visitors, because last week, despite the fact that the beaches were closed, several people went to eat and drink at the restaurants.

To detect clandestine sales, at the entrance to the port the Municipal Police carried out vehicle inspections and took the temperature of motorists.

In the area of the Malecón, patrol cars were also seen monitoring the area, which looked desolate at least until noon. Only one convenience store and one beer shop were open, although the latter advertised on a sign that no beer was being sold.

“It is a bit strange not to see anyone,” said a Meridian who went for a walk with her husband and baby as she walked along the area of the Malecón, which is still cordoned off with yellow ribbons so that no one goes into the beach or the sea.

The locals also find it strange that there are no people because just last summer the beach was crowded.

The port was different: the restaurants were full, the palapas were occupied, the Malecón was full of young people enjoying a beer or eating a “mango con chile“; the parking lots were full too.

This summer, the coronavirus has made sure that those summer scenes in Progreso are only memories since not even the sellers of necklaces, candy, and coconuts go there anymore.

Near the international dock entrance, men and women, in some cases with infants, took advantage of the lack of vigilance to go into the sea or fish on the dock. Others simply played in the sand, and a few more sailed in kayaks.

Most of the people seen on the beach on Sunday, July 19th, were not wearing a mouth cover, despite repeated recommendations by state authorities and official stipulations that their use is mandatory when transiting even in these areas.