Where NOT to get tested for Covid 19 in Mexico

I read an interesting article in USA Today, that you can read at the bottom of this article, about some Americans who tested positive for Covid-19 while on vacation in Mexico and their stories.

After reading it, having written about this before, it occurred to me that they did things all wrong and I will explain why and what you need to know, and think about before you travel to a Mexican resort.

The USA Today article documents one person who tested positive after taking the included test at an all-inclusive resort and was placed in isolation for 10 days or so. They could, with a doctors note (and still shedding the virus(!)), fly back to the United States according to CDC guidelines

The article documented one vacationer who was staying at an all-inclusive resort where the person was provided with a place to stay and food for 10 days in isolation, at no extra charge, and another person who was not on an all-inclusive plan and so was offered a place to stay at a significant room expense with some very expensive food.

I believe that all of the people were tested with the inexpensive Rapid Test and although not accurate, all that matters is a negative result so the vacationer can board the airplane home. A person may or may not have become infected in Mexico since the virus may incubate for a long time. And only temperature checks are done before entry into facilities in Mexico. Mostly theater, as businesses have to at least pretend they care, so they go through the motions.

The other problem was that the vacationers had to pay for additional tests once the free, complementary test (as cheap as the hotel can negotiate) was done, plus a new one-way airline ticket once cleared to travel. Expensive.

The other person, Antonio Delgado, was asked to pay $220 US a day for the hotel food while he stayed for an additional 14 days ($3,080) rather than the CDC mandated ten days. He chose, against the hotel’s advice, to take the test every day until one was negative. You just need one negative.

Just like throwing dice until you get the desired result!

I don’t know what the “reduced” daily rate was for his room, but I doubt that it was cheap! I note in the article that the hotel insisted that he stay there. I wonder if $3,080 plus room fees, and the hotel’s incremental revenue had anything to do with it?

You can read some important suggestions about this at the end of this article. So to continue…

The article also had another brief story of some tested positive people who flew back from Cabo San Lucas to Tijuana and then crossed the border on foot. I’ve written about this method before. It implies that they lied to the airline about being negative, as tests are not required within Mexico! Perhaps a bus would have been a better option, as they just take temperatures, and don’t ask awkward questions. Or they could have even rented a one-way car?

So I think that the better way deal with this is that you should not be tested at a resort, even though it’s free. If you are, and the result is positive, regardless of if the result is accurate, they will make you stay in isolation even if you do not think you have the virus. Additional tests will be at your expense.

So the best solution, from my perspective, is to take the test off-site, don’t give your passport number and if you actually have the coronavirus (or at least tested positive) you’ll have choices.

Some of your choices are informing the the hotel about the offsite positive test before being tested there, just re-tested at the hotel to see if you are positive and decide if you should stay there, free or not. Or even not being tested at the hotel and make other plans.

What the article didn’t address is what happens if you actually become ill! The article didn’t say if the vacationers bought Mexican medical insurance? Mexico has a good medical system, but communication may all be in Spanish, which may be a problem for Americans.

I suggest that you do need to have Mexican medical insurance or otherwise you may get a hefty cash Mexican bill when you recover, and not be able to leave the hospital until you wire the money to them. They know they will never see you again.  And if trapped in Mexico, you’ll not have an option of getting back to the United States and entering hospital there.

Your other choices are taking a bus to the US border and walking across, or renting a one-way car and driving there. Or another decision based on circumstances, rather than be cornered by the hotel. Your choice.

The article – USA Today.