A requirement to show proof of vaccination in Mazatlán is facing resistance: 11 people have obtained injunctions that exempt them from the rule, which requires that people seeking to enter businesses and public places show proof of vaccination or be denied entry.

It went into effect on August 2.

José Guadalupe Morales, a member of Mazatlán Lawyers United, told the newspaper El Sol de Mazatlán that the rule is illegal as it violates the right to freedom of movement and the freedom to decide whether to get the vaccine. Morales said some people have medical reasons for not being vaccinated and the alternative offered by the government — showing a recent negative Covid test — is prohibitively expensive for many.

“They tell you that a negative certificate is enough, but you have to pay 900 pesos to get in and show the mayor that you’re virus-free. These are things they have not considered. We cannot permit an authority to walk all over our rights,” Morales said, adding that the mayor instituted the rule without legislative approval.

Citizens have 15 days, counting from August 2, to seek an injunction, Morales said.

In the face of the opposition, Mayor Luis Guillermo Benítez Torres stood his ground.

“I am asking for the vaccination certificate in order to enter a public place, and it’s for everyone’s health,” he said, adding that the rule was for both locals and the port city’s many tourists. Meanwhile, city officials have begun to fine businesses that do not comply with the requirement.

Proof of vaccination requirements have also been implemented in Quintana Roo as well as some areas of Sonora, and the state government of Hidalgo has announced that vaccination certificates will be required for entering tourism sites.

With reports from El Sol de Mazatlán, El Debate and El Sol de México