San Felipe set to reopen to Mexican tourists only

Travel restrictions remain in place for visitors from outside the country

MEXICALI, B.C., Mexico (KYMA, KECY) - This weekend the San Felipe will once again open for tourists, but only Mexican visitors will be able to enjoy the seaside city's attractions.

It's because Mexico's coronavirus-related travel ban remains in effect. Only those conducting essential business are allowed to cross the border.

Mexicali's mayor, Marina Del Pilar, told T3's Nassieli Pizano it's part of an effort to protect people from contracting the potentially deadly illness. Mayor Del Pilar says California residents are of particularly concern to health officials in Baja California.

"Tourist activities for foreigners are restricted, because California was affected by the reopening of their businesses and that caused the number of infections to increase greatly. We want to continue protecting the people of Mexico and Baja California, so we will continue to restrict the entrance with sanitary filters, we will only give access to people who come to an essential activity in the city, and in san felipe the reopening will only be for local tourism ” said the Mayor.

Mayor Del Pilar says tourists and visitors will not have access to San Felipe's beaches, and hotels will only open at 30% capacity. However, malls in Baja California will reopen Thursday with new hygiene and social distancing protocols in place. Bars and movie theaters are expected to open their doors again next week.