InPuertoMorelos.com

Every Thursday since Covid started, our state governor goes live on social media to update us and let us know what colour we will be next week.

Early on, the state adopted a traffic light system, using Green, Yellow, Orange and Red. The dread red meant everything was closed. We moved out of red back in June 2020, and we are not going back. We gradually moved up to scale to orange, yellow and finally green (stage 1 and 2)

So every Thursday, we get a new poster like this, which is then shared all over social media. It has a lot of info on it, but most of it does not pertain to visitors to our town.

Here is what you need to know about the current poster…

The box at the top has the when and where of the Covid restrictions. You can see it is the current week and our municipality, and the rest of the north part of the state are all yellow.

The most important part of the poster for you is the big red box on the right. This shows the capacities of things you care about.

Open at 60% is hotels, restaurants, historic sites, theme parks and tourist services. Also at 60%, public parks, beaches, theatres, malls, department stores, salons & churches.

Capacity is limited to 50% in casinos

The poster goes on to explain the limits on transportation. The list starts with motorcycles, which are limited to one person…presumably the driver. Private vehicles are limited to four persons. Taxis are limited to 3 persons, which included the driver. Buses and collectivos are limited to 50% capacity.

On the bottom of the box is the bad news, things that are not open at all. These include bars, nightclubs and discos.

The pictograms at the bottom reinforce the obvious, keep your hands clean, wear masks, keep your distance and stay at home if you have any symptoms. The little box on the right refers to gyms, open at 70% if outdoors, 50% indoors.

The part we skipped on the right refers to things that we assume you will not have contact with. It lists things like schools, courts, construction sites and mines. It also lists many things that have always been open like supermarkets, pharmacies, banks and fishing operations.

Watch our In Puerto Morelos Facebook page, we will keep you up to date with what colour traffic light we are currently under. Stay safe and we hope to see you soon in Puerto Morelos.

For more information on what to expect when visiting Puerto Morelos during Covid times, click here.

And for information on COVID TESTING click here.

Early in January, our state moved from Green to Yellow on the traffic light scale. What does this mean to you?

The reason we have moved from Green to Yellow is due to an increase in Omicron Covid cases in our area. We do not want to move backwards, so please wear good-quality masks when you are indoors and try to stay at least 6 feet away from other people. This will help to stop the spread and get us back to green faster.

Being in yellow means that there will be a reduction in capacity at hotels, historical sites, restaurants, gyms, theatres, etc. Basically, any venue will now have a capacity of as little as 60%. This does include the beach. Lucky for us our beach is huge, which makes social distancing easy.

We do recommend making reservations for your favourite restaurants now that seating is limited. We are having a busier than usual high season and we don’t want you to be disappointed when you can’t get a table or have to wait in line. Contact information for most places can be found here on our Puerto Morelos Restaurant Guide.

Capacity limits apply to transportation too. Taxies are allowed a maximum of 3 people and this includes the driver. That means that if you are a group of 4, you may need to take 2 taxis. You can see all the taxi rates here. Private cars are only allowed a maximum of 4 people. Collectivos and buses are restricted to 50% occupancy.

We don’t know exactly how strictly these rules will be enforced. Your best bet is to continue with the following rules that are in place at this time. You will likely find they are very similar to what you are used to at home (except the disinfecting mat, we are not sure what that is all about).

Here’s what you can expect when you visit Puerto Morelos during Covid: 

• You must wear a mask that covers your nose and mouth when you are within 1.5 meters (5 feet) of other people.
• You must wear a mask when you enter or are standing inside any business. 
• You can take your mask off only when seated in a resturant.
• When entering a business you will have your temperature checked, gel will be offered for your hands, and you will walk across disinfectant floor mat.
• You should practice social distancing as much as possible.
• You must self isolate and get tested should you come down with any of the symptoms of Covid-19.
• You must wear a mask inside public transport (ie Taxis, buses, collectivos) 

Many ask, “Do I have to wear a mask when I go to the beach?” You should wear a mask when you are walking to the beach if you are near people. Once you are at the beach, most people take their masks off as long as they stay at least 1.5 meters away from other people, outside of your family/group. Our beach is very large making it very easy to social distance.

Do you have to wear a mask when you are walking around the town? You are supposed to wear your mask anytime you are off your property, but most people only wear one when other people are nearby.

At restaurants, you may be required to order some food with your drinks. It is a town law that restaurants/bars are following so that they can be open. Please check with each establishment to see what their policy is before you order. Many restaurants and bars have had to pay heavy fines or face closure for trying to bend these rules, so please don’t blame the owners or staff. It is not up to them. Also, many restaurants must be closed and dark by 11:00 pm. Some places have paid extra fees to the government to stay open later. If you are arriving late to an establishment you may want to check their closing hours before you order.

A lot of us think this move back to yellow is a caution from our state governor to all of us to take more precautions as omicron moves through. Personally, we are being more careful about keeping our distance and have upgraded our masks to N95 or KN95 type. We choose to dine outdoors whenever possible, which is very easy to do in Puerto Morelos.

Now you know what to expect when you arrive in Puerto Morelos. We think you will find that it is probably not much different from your hometown. Puerto Morelos is a small town, with lots of wide-open spaces and fresh air, so we do believe that you can have a very nice vacation here this winter. We and the whole town will be very happy to see you!

If you would like to join us this winter, we have had a very RARE cancellation at Casa de los Viajeros. Suite #3 is open from February 23 to March 19, 2022. If you are interested, contact us today!

We do recommend that before you leave home you purchase health insurance and vacation/trip interruption insurance. Should you test positive, it is up to you to make your own quarantine arrangements as there are no government facilities here.

And last of all. You may need to take a COVID TEST before returning home. You will find everything you need to know about that here. Have a safe and happy stay in Puerto Morelos.

The season is in full swing in Puerto Morelos. We are just finishing a very busy Christmas season and now we are welcoming our snowbird guests back to Puerto Morelos.

The highlight of the season so far, in my point of view, is that we have had a number of key re-openings in Puerto Morelos.

The most recent one is the grand re-opening of our favourite, I Wanna Pizza. We love this place, not only for its quirky name, its outstanding pizza, the fact that it is pretty much the closest restaurant to our house but mostly for the affable owner, Chef Marco. He had a good career going in the Big City (Mexico City), but fell in love with our little town, and started making pizzas soon after. I Wanna was our favourite, but he closed down when a lot of other places closed in Puerto Morelos. For about a year and a half, we have been cajoling Marco to get back to baking!

He decided the downtime was a good opportunity to completely remodel his restaurant. The place looks great, and now has an inside area with air conditioning and new restrooms.

The menu has all the favourites you remember, plus a few new things. We are most impressed and delighted that our favourite pizza has been renamed the Don Roberto! It features mushrooms, ham, pepperoni and olives. Roberto always has green olives, but you can choose black too, or a mix.

Fun fact: Marco speaks French as well as Spanish and English. Smart guy! I Wanna Pizza is open daily, except Monday from 4:00 until 11:00. (10:00 on Sundays)

Right next door to “I Wanna” is another returning success. Just over a year ago, local guitar god Hector opened a restaurant/bar/music venue called “Lauro’s” on Rojo Gomez, close to the square. It was an instant success. Hector’s close ties with the Riviera Maya music scene meant great music every night and the place was always packed with appreciative fans.

Unfortunately in July, it closed, but they promised to be back. Promise kept! The new and improved Lauro’s Music Hall opened on December 18 without missing a beat. We were lucky enough to be there for their first night, and it was epic!

Their new space is the old Al a Burger location. It is a much larger venue for Lauro’s with a much bigger stage. The place is very popular, and even with more seating, you need to get there early to catch the music.

Lauro’s is open daily from 5:30 to 10:30. The music usually starts around 8:00.

Another re-opening happened at the beginning of the year. On January 1, Caribelos reopened in their old location, just around the corner from the square on Rafael Melgar, behind the lighthouse. Caribelos says they have a new look, a new chef and a new menu. The space now includes a full bar, seating area, and new artwork by local muralist Pinta o Muere. 

The new menu features Mexican snacks like guacamole and arrachera cheese fries (sounds delicious) as well as tacos, burgers, shrimp and steak. Something for everybody! Owners Carlos and Liliana look forward to seeing you in their new place. Caribelos is open every day, from 8:00 until 8:00.

So how about that? In addition to all the new places to try, you also have some new old favourites to check out! Be sure to get to know our voluminous Puerto Morelos Restaurant Guide on our website at InPuertoMorelos.com We’ve been keeping track of all the restaurants we can for many years, we know the players! See our site for all sorts of PM info, including taxi rates, services, practical info, webcams, happy hours and more!

If you are thinking about heading down, we may have a place for you. We had a rare cancellation in our one bedroom, one bath suite in February! Casa de los Viajeros. Suite #3 is open from February 23 to March 19, 2022. We also have openings in March and April if you are in the mood for a spring fling.