Swine Flu Turns Cancun into a Ghost Town
May 7, 2009 by Mary Jo Manzanares
Filed under Things to See & Do, Travel Tips
I’m just back from Cancun, Mexico, and despite dire warnings and precautions from lots of well meaning friends and acquaintances, Mexico held no fear for me.
First off, let me address the swine flu issue, and why that didn’t concern me.
- As an adult in good health, with no immune system issues nor other special health concerns, I am not in a high risk category for picking up any kind of bug – whether here at home or in another country.
- When I’m working, I come in contact with hundreds of people a day (and their trash), so I’m exposed to lots and lots of germs, even in the best of circumstances.
- I wash my hands with soap and water, and use hand sanitizer when that’s compromised.
- I don’t walk barefoot on the plane (EEEEEEW – that’s just gross), and never eat anything that’s dropped on the floor.
- Common sense reigns supreme, and after working on a plane for so many years, I’d like to think that I have it figured out.
There weren’t a lot of people on the plane going to Cancun. Not a lot at all. A couple had masks on.
After arrival in Cancun, we went through customs and immigrations, and it was like a ghost town. Other than the people on my flight, and remember, there weren’t many of them, there was no one in line. Officials and workers were mostly masked, and went about doing their jobs. There was no one in the shops, no one in the taxi line, no cars in the pick up zone. It felt surreal, like I had walked into a parallel universe.
The hotel was equally empty. No one in the lobby and only one person in the bar. A quick walk around the pool and I counted 7 people, and back in the lobby bar another party of 4 had gathered for a beverage. There were a handful of tables in the cafe that were taken.
This picture of the pool and beach area was taken from my balcony. If you look very, very closely you can see one person swimming in the pool, and a few others nearby. There are lots and lots of empty chaise lounges, and those are usually full of tanning bodies.
I had a chance to chat with some of the people who were working in the pool area. Most speak English fairly well. They are devastated by everything going on, and are obviously worried about their jobs and how they will take care of their families. (Sound familiar?) Businesses are cutting back on hours open and services offered, and that means cutting back in personal. These are hard working, kind, thoughtful, and frightened people who were bending over backwards to make sure that everyone who was there had a wonderful experience.
I think this is fear is going to last for awhile. And that’s a real shame. I’m not one for putting myself at unnecessary risks, but for most people, travel to Mexico doesn’t present much more of a risk than hanging out at your local mall. I’ll be back there next week, soaking up the sun and hospitality of what’s become a tropical ghost town.
Are you traveling to Mexico? Or has the swine flu caused you to re-think your travel plans? Or maybe you’re avoiding traveling altogether? Please sound off in the comments and let me know where you stand on the issue.
Photo credit: personal collection
Hi everyone, i’m thinking about traveling down to Cancun around august 8th with my best friend, we were thinking about staying at Dreams Cancun.. has anyone been to that resort?? i would love to get some feed back as we are torn on Mexico or Dominican Punta Cana
Thanks so much
I have stayed at Dreams in Cabo and it was BEAUTIFUL! I say go with Mexico. I’m trying to go beginning of Sept for Labor Day.
i am also going there aug 28 to sept 3rd. do you think clubs will be empty? i draged my fried there.. he’ll kill me if it’s empty.
mm
I’m going in two weeks with a 5 yr old- safe?
Hi
I go 6 weeks today & am so exited. I was wondering though, does anyone know if Tamiflu is available in Cancun? & are there any updates as to what the situation is out there?
Thank you
Amy
Hi Mary Jo,
My husband and I are planning a trip to Cancun for the Thanksgiving Holiday weekend, and I’ve just read the headlines yesterday about the Swineflu in the Fall. How concerned should I be? Should we cancel our plans altogether? We’ve never been there and the sun sure sounds good when it’s soggy here in Seattle in the Fall.
By the way, what hotel is that in the picture? Any recommendations, being it would be our first trip there?…that is, if the swineflu don’t scare us away:(
The hotel in the photo is the Cancun Hilton.
As to what you should do, it’s all just a guess and some recommendations at this point.
Personally, I’m not one to cancel plans lightly. Nor do I want fear to control my decisions about where and when I travel. I try to take smart precautions and let the chips fall where they may. Ultimately, though, I think it’s a question to discuss with your doctor. S/he will know your medical history, and if you have particular risk factors or needs that should be taken into account in making travel plans.
And for the record, I’ve got several trips planned this fall, to various destinations around the world.
We planned a trip to Cancun 9 months ago for my husbands MBA graduation trip. We are going over the week of Halloween. I have 3 kids. 5, 3, and 2 months (will be 4 months when we go)- my baby is of course who I am nervous about…I am taking her for her 2 months appt on Wednesday and will talk to my pediatrician – just wanted to know if anyone knows what the outbreaks are like there in comparison to the US. Isn’t it about the same likelihood that we could get it here as there at this point?
That’s what I’m hearing, Katherine.
I think you’re wise to talk directly with your pediatrician. S/he can help assess the medical risks of your children and best advise you.
Although travel to Mexico in down right now, it’s still a great vacation destination, and I wouldn’t hesitate to go.
We (party of
have plans to go to Cancun (moon palace) on June 26th – July 3rd. We have 2 weeks before we have to make the payment for our all-inclusive plan. Right now we are 80% sure that we are still going…. My only concern is for my kids who are 13 and 8 but they are in good health. Right now it looks like they have a better chance of getting the flu here in Texas than in Cancun.
I’m glad to see other people are taking their kids too.
I’m supposed to be going to Mexico two weeks tomorrow and i have every intention of going, people are really starting to hack me off saying i am mad for even thinking about going but lets face it – £1,000 people affected out of the whole entire world – thats 80billion people possibly more – its not really something to panic over is it?? Anyway, i intend to have a fantastic time ghost town or not, roll on 29 May