Covid testing in Cozumel

[nwflyboy]

The link above with the Lithuanian tourist is just one example - he tested positive at the CUN airport as he was trying to board his flight home, was denied boarding, detained at the airport, then protested how he was being mistreated so badly, he was told to go to a hotel to quarantine, he claimed he had no money for a hotel, no way to get any, and nowhere to go, he was taken to a hospital then escaped, was found coughing uncontrollably on a sidewalk, was detained again, then claimed he was a "professional tour guide" and disclosed he had family in the area...all complete BS, idiocy, over-the-top irresponsible...

If you read other travel forums, you would see that there have been more than a few cases of people getting into bad situations and behaving incredibly irresponsibly.

There's plenty of crazy and shameful behavior like this by foreigners vacationing all around Mexico. I read some real eye-popping stories from panicking family members about tourist relatives infected and very, very sick from COVID in Puerta Vallarta, stuck in an unattractive local hospital without the needed ICU, and unable to get medically evacuated back home due to logistics, despite having evacuation insurance.

This kind of thing should not come as a surprise to anyone, are not unique cases, and if you think they are, you're awfully naive. This is what you get when people feel invulnerable and entitled to ignore basic public health mandates, deny the virus is real, shrug off all worries and travel in the middle of a raging pandemic, believing everything around them is wonderful and perfectly fine until it suddenly isn't.

Bottom line: way too many people simply do not take this pandemic, or this virus, seriously.

 

[tridacna]

People claiming that they're traveling to Mexico to save their tourist economies. Hilarious.

More Americans are traveling to Mexico’s Riviera Maya than ever before. The parties have led to more coronavirus cases.

 

[Dan]

Mexico should require tourists to get negative PCR test and travel insurance with COVID-19 rider like Costa Rica, Ecuador, Maldives, Belize, etc., before entering the country, to screen out those kind of irresponsible tourists.

 

[gopbroek]

OK, Journalism at its finest. I am shocked to learn that a tourist in Cancun did not exhibit personnel responsibility and integrity of the highest level.

 

[ggunn]

OK, Journalism at its finest. I am shocked to learn that a tourist in Cancun did not exhibit personnel responsibility and integrity of the highest level.

Well you know, it's the difference between the micro and the macro points of view. If there's only a 0.1% chance of things going sideways most people will likely think it's worth taking the chance, but if 10,000 people take that chance... well, as they say, do the math.

 

[Saxonjd]

Well you know, it's the difference between the micro and the macro points of view. If there's only a 0.1% chance of things going sideways most people will likely think it's worth taking the chance, but if 10,000 people take that chance... well, as they say, do the math.

3?

 

[cozcharlie]

Just a follow up on the original topic of the thread (not knocking the various tangents—my whole life is a series of tangents ).

I had a Covid test in Cozumel yesterday (Friday ). since I have to fly this weekend. I got mine at Costamed/CMC. I asked a couple of friends with dive operations and they recommended Costamed based on their customer’s experiences (which I still call CMC). Obviously if your hotel is offering onsite testing I would just go that route but I have my own place so that isn’t an option. Someone else may very well have posted their own experience in the 37 prior pages of this thread, but I am not going to go back through a few hundred comments so I apologize if posting again.

The antigen test cost was 999 pesos. At the hospital, process probably took 15-20 minutes from my arrival for my appointment to walking out the door. I think some others have had slightly longer waits. Everything was very professional and organized, though some of the limited information I gave in making the appointment I had to give again (same thing happens in US hospitals ). The door for testing is kind of a side door—think it was off 50 Bis (it was a street perpendicular to 1st/Primera on the east side of the hospital). They have some signs mentioning respitoria or something similar and even some blue arrows on the sidewalk. Went in through an inflatable archway. Might have been designed as a disinfectant spray area but I didn’t see any mist.

People inside had me fill out some very short forms. They asked for ID, which I think they primarily used to fill out their paperwork. The paperwork was thankfully very limited (name, date of birth, email address and current date as I recall ). Obviously you want your paperwork to match your exact name and date of birth on your passport for the airlines. Once paperwork was done and processed they had me pay a guy in a very small office at the end of short hall maybe 30 feet away. I paid in cash but I gather he took credit cards also (I would recommend just bringing pesos so you don’t have to run risk of some credit card processing issue ). Waited a few minutes after paying and then they took me in another room a few feet away and did the nasal swabs for the lab. Not fun, but I gather they tell medical students if the patient doesn’t complain then you aren’t doing it right . I left the hospital and got my results via email 2 hours later (negative ).

The one thing I would flag is that I would definitely make my appointment a few days in advance. . I gather their testing schedule is pretty full. I had a friend make my appointment so unfortunately I can’t tell you the best way of doing that (there is a Mexican 800 number and a Cozumel number on link I am including below ). My travel plans have changed repeatedly so booking far in advance wasn’t an option for me. Unfortunately, I don’t have a feel for the right number of days in advance you should book an appointment.

[Schedule your appointment. Covid-19 Tests | Grupo Médico Costamed]

 

[inquis]

Back to the OP, I just returned from staying at the Iberostar. They offer free, on-site antigen testing (30 min results), which I scheduled upon arrival. They went deeper up the nose than necessary IMHO, given this was not a PCR test, but overall easy. Getting an official printout was more difficult, with them needing to find the one guy that knew how to run their computer system. Got it the next morning along with an e-mailed PDF.

According to United, the test must be within 3 calendar days of the return flight to the US, in contrast to a 72 hr window. (CDC also says "within the 3 days before their flight".) A Wed am test for a Sat pm flight was fine.

In spite of uploading a PDF to United's site, the United agent upon checking insisted on seeing the paper copy. I then filled out another questionnaire with a few questions to give to get past the security checkpoint. (Haven't been in contact with anyone known to be infected, haven't been to Brasil or a few other high-risk countries, etc.) A similar questionnaire was required at US customs. The test result documentation was not needed/shown after leaving the United check-in agent.

Overall, the process was easy, and I felt much safer in Cozumel than at home. There was certainly FAR better mask/distancing compliance there. Everyone with whom I came into contact was welcoming rather than an attitude of "stupid tourist, stay home".

FWIW, I also tested on the front end before leaving the US. Not a guarantee, of course, but a bit more confidence that the odds I was unknowingly exposing other travelers or Cozumel residents were low.

 

[ChuckP]

According to United, the test must be within 3 calendar days of the return flight to the US, in contrast to a 72 hr window. (CDC also says "within the 3 days before their flight".) A Wed am test for a Sat pm flight was fine.

DO NOT count on that - I know three people turned away when tested outside of the 72hr window. It really shouldn't be a big deal, I hear of CMC getting you pdf test results back within hours of testing.

It's fluid and it's Mexico where the rules change with the person you are speaking with at that moment - all in all, everyone seems to think it runs pretty smoothly and yes, everyone wants you here!!

 

[mwall04]

Are you sure it wasn't just for agricultural inspection? Customs only inspects bags on arrival to a country, not when departing. But every time we've flown from Puerto Rico back to the US, we've had to put our bags through agricultural inspection before departing. It was still a domestic flight, though, and no customs inspection required once we arrived on the mainland.

Strangely, the US Virgin Islands, even though we are a US territory, are excluded by law from the "customs territory of the US". Therefore, you do pass through a Custom's checkpoint at the airport on your flight back to the mainland. Here on St. Croix, you first checkin at the airline ticket counter, then go through Customs, then TSA screening. L ike most international travel, its more of a formality than anything, but my wife did get busted for having an apple in her purse .