What to know about the situation in the Chacala & Puerto Vallarta area
Latest Update: August 31, 2020

After three months of strict lock down, with non-essential businesses and beaches closed nationwide, the government slowly began granting permission for certain sectors to re-open toward the end of June and early July. As part of the requirements for re-opening, businesses have had to undergo extensive training and implement new health and safety protocols. At Mar de Jade we have created an 80 page internal protocol handbook that outlines our new processes for handling everything from food and beverages, to room cleaning, check-in, etc. with the new safety standards. We feel confident we are doing everything possible to protect our staff and guests.

During lockdown, Chacala was almost completely sealed off from end of March through mid June, with a security filter turning rogue tourists away and only allowing residents to enter and leave town. The town officially opened in mid June and locals are welcoming the small trickle of tourists that have helped restart the economy. The pandemic and subsequent international lock down has caused significant financial hardship in our town and the whole region, which is heavily reliant on tourism, many have lost their jobs and livelihoods. At Mar de Jade we were fortunate to have enough savings to keep our full staff on board during this period of time.

As resorts and restaurants slowly began to open we started seeing a trickle of Mexican tourists. Most cities in Mexico, such as Guadalajara, had been in very strict lock down. As restrictions eased, people were eager to seize the opportunity to travel to nearby beach destinations that offered open air spaces and contact with nature, within driving distance. We opened Mar de Jade in mid July with a reduced 30% occupancy limit and have seen a slow but steady flow of reservations during the past month. As summer winds down, less people are traveling but we are still hopeful we will continue to receive weekend visitors. We have found that our guests have been cooperative and appreciative of the new protocols, helping maintain social distancing with others and wearing a face mask at the appropriate times.

Our government instituted a color coded stoplight system to rate and monitor the epidemiological risk in each state as we move towards a new normal.  The four colors that make up the system (red, orange, yellow and green) indicate what activities are permitted according to the level of risk in each state. Nayarit and Jalisco are currently in orange, which allows businesses to operate at reduced capacity, but suspends massive events, school activities, etc. As of this writing, 11 states have been passed to yellow, allowing the opening of public spaces. Nation-wide we still have 70% availability of hospital beds with ventilators and the government has secured enough supplies for all hospitals across the country. We are fortunate to not have had anyone in our immediate community become ill with Covid-19. It seems preventative measures have worked and people are taking precautions.

The Puerto Vallarta Airport has revamped their health & sanitization protocols to provide the safest experience possible for travelers. Check out their video that outlines all of the measure they have taken. The border is open for air travel between Mexico and the United States and most airlines continue to operate a reduced number of flights.