By The Associated Press
MEXICO CITY - The Mexican government reported Tuesday that it will allow cruise ships carrying people infected with COVID-19 to dock at its ports.
The announcement came after two Mexican ports denied disembarking passengers because there were positive cases on board.
The Ministry of Health said that asymptomatic passengers and crew will be able to land.
In parallel, those who have symptoms or test positive for COVID-19 will be quarantined or receive medical attention.
Two cruise ships with positives on board await permission to dock at Port Everglades, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in April 2020.Wilfredo Lee / AP
The government agency also indicated that it will allow a ship to dock in the port of Guaymas, in the state of Sonora, which was denied permission to disembark at another port on the Pacific coast.
Although he did not mention it directly, it is a boat that was supposed to moor in Puerto Vallarta, in the state of Jalisco.
[FDA advises that rapid antigen tests may be less sensitive for detecting the omicron variant]
When the pandemic broke out last year, an indefinite number of cruise ships found themselves wandering the seas in search of a port authority to let them dock despite carrying coronavirus positives on board.
Mexico is one of the few countries in the world that has not established any travel restrictions
, testing requirements, or the mandatory use of masks for visitors.
The reduction in quarantine for asymptomatic infected is based on when they are contagious
Dec. 29, 202102: 11
The government argues that
such measures would be counterproductive for the economy
, whose tourism revenue represents around 8.5% of GDP.
Even so, the pandemic has strongly impacted the country, which accumulates some 460,000 deaths associated with the virus, according to official data based on death certificates from the last two years.