Mexico Allowing Cruise Ships to Disembark, Fumigating Passengers

Mexico’s Ministry of Communications and Transportation (SCT) announced yesterday that the country will continue to receive cruise ships in Puerto Vallarta, “for humanitarian reasons”.

The SCT reiterated in a statement issued March 25, 2020, that cruises scheduled to arrive in Puerto Vallarta will be allowed to dock and appropriate sanitary measures will be carried out by the proper authorities, in accordance with federal, state and municipal protocols.

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s stance is that the disembarkation of cruise passengers can be, “carried out strictly for humanitarian reasons, without putting the population of the port at risk,” said the statement.

The SCT said that a special protocol had been developed between March 19 and 21, which enabled passengers of the German-owned MS Europa to disembark at Puerto Vallarta’s Cruise Terminal this past weekend before transferring directly to the airport for return flights to their respective countries.

Persons arriving on cruise vessels will be individually checked and “fumigated” by the Puerto Vallarta International Health team prior to disembarking, then transferred directly to the local airport, where they’ll bypass the usual check-in counters and waiting areas, proceeding directly to the foot of the plane. They’ll also undergo a final fumigation by International Health prior to boarding their flights home.

The New York Times reported that it remains unclear at this time whether there are any more cruise ships in Mexican waters awaiting authorization to dock.