Tourists could start returning to Quintana Roo as early as June 8 if the state’s governor gets his way. 

Governor Carlos Joaquín González says tourism is an essential business in his state, and he will fight for the federal government to classify it that way. 

He is hoping for hotels to get back to work internally on June 1 and prepare their facilities and employees for reopening between June 8 and 10 if he receives permission from national authorities. 

The governor had previously announced that the state’s hotels, including resorts in popular Cozumel, Cancún and Tulum, would reopen to the public on June 1 but rescinded that date as the state still has significant levels of coronavirus contagion.

In a virtual meeting with the National Conference of Governors and the National Tourist Business Council yesterday, Joaquín said that Quintana Roo has lost around 80,000 jobs due to the coronavirus pandemic and that reopening to tourists will allow the state to begin its economic recovery. 

Joaquín said that more than 1,600 companies have signed up for training to acquire a health certificate issued by the state government which is thought will encourage travelers to return. 

The governor urged residents to keep up social distancing and other coronavirus measures so the state can reopen as planned. 

“The main objective is for businesses to be prepared to return to activities on a still unspecified date in June,” said Tourism Minister Marisol Vanegas Pérez earlier this week. 

The announcement comes as the state has registered 1,392 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and 271 deaths as of Wednesday.

Source: Jornada (sp), Milenio (sp)