Covid-19 Update – Aug 30, 2020

Puerto Vallarta Update:

Today, August 30th, 2020, Puerto Vallarta goes into a partial lockdown for 14 days due to a surge in COVID-19 cases. Several restrictions go into place to help curb the spread of COVID-19 in the community and help relieve the pressure on hospitals. These measures include:

  • All non-essential businesses including restaurants and bars can open no earlier than 6:00 am and must close by 8:30 pm.
  • All beaches will be open from 5:00 am to 3:00 pm daily.
  • Transportation services such as UBER can accept new trips until 8:59 pm
  • Conventional taxi service will be provided at all times, offering fixed rates of $60 pesos for zone 1 and $85 pesos for zone 2. This rate is applicable only during the suspension of night activities and with a maximum occupancy of 3 people per taxi.
  • Bus circulation will commence no earlier than 5:30 am and will stop by no later than 9:59 pm every day during this 14-day period. Buses are not allowed to pick up new passengers after 10:00 pm but may continue their route transporting the passengers already in the bus.

Activities that fall under the “non-essential” category and must closed by 8:30 pm include:

  • Mechanical workshops
  • Auto parts stores and any technical service
  • Plazas
  • Commercial centers and corridors
  • Self-service stores
  • Price clubs
  • Department stores
  • Public markets
  • Corporate offices
  • Sports centers and gyms
  • Public parks
  • Meetings of more than 10 people
  • Private social events
  • Restaurants
  • Bars
  • Other businesses not considered essential

SO is Puerto Vallarta Not Safe?

According to data from the Mexican government’s Covid-19 website, the Puerto Vallarta area had 0 new cases on Oct 24, 1 on Oct 25 and 1 on Oct 26.

Graph of Covid-19 cases in Puerto Vallarta as of October 30th, 2020

Unfortunately, the numbers above seem very questionable. Mexican health officials have said the real number of infected people is likely significantly higher than the confirmed cases. This is due to a number of factors, such as:

  • Limited Testing – Due to the limited number of testing kits available, only one in ten of people suspected of having Covid-19 are actually tested.
  • Limited Data – Only public hospitals have to report their Covid-19 patients. As private entities, private hospitals and private laboratories do not need to disclose to the government information about their patients.