Quintana Roo is at high risk of regressing to red on the state’s coronavirus stoplight map due to a recent increase in cases, Governor Carlos Joaquín said Thursday.

In a video message posted to social media, Joaquín noted that the entire state is currently high-risk orange but warned that if residents don’t take care, it was “very probable” that Quintana Roo will switch to maximum-risk red next week, “which would mean lockdown, closures and cancellations,” he said.

The governor said that new case numbers have been on the rise in the Caribbean coast state for five weeks. According to federal Health Ministry estimates, there are currently 945 active cases in Quintana Roo, the fourth highest total among Mexico’s 32 states.

“We knew that during Easter week there were great risks. We knew that there could be a large number of infections, and unfortunately, that’s what happened,” Joaquín said. “There is a significant number of infections, and hospital occupancy has increased,” he said.

According to state government data, there were 163 hospitalized coronavirus patients on Thursday. Benito Juárez, the municipality that includes Cancún, has the highest hospital occupancy level, with 25% of the beds set aside for coronavirus patients being used.

The occupancy level is 16% in Solidaridad, which includes Playa del Carmen. In Tulum, it’s 8%, and 6% in Cozumel. In Othon P. Blanco, where the state capital Chetumal is located, occupancy is at 5%.

“We’re not yet at alert levels, … occupancy is still at green-light levels but … yesterday we had 26 people going into the hospital,” Joaquín said, highlighting that the figure increased from admissions in previous days of 15, 16 and 18.

“… We relaxed the [health] measures, we lost control, we reduced the level of responsibility at … businesses,” the governor said, adding that while proprietors who are not behaving correctly might be able to avoid the authorities, avoiding the coronavirus is very difficult.

“We’re facing a very significant risk. Going to red means lockdown; lockdown means closures,” he said, highlighting the impact that it would have on the economy and employment.

Quintana Roo, where the state government follows its own stoplight system rather than that of the federal government, has not been at the red-light level since last August, when maximum risk restrictions applied in the southern half of the state.

The state has recorded 24,626 confirmed coronavirus cases since the beginning of the pandemic and 2,677 Covid-19 deaths, according to Quintana Roo data.

Mexico’s confirmed case tally currently stands at 2.37 million, while the official death toll is 219,901.

Source: Reforma (sp)