BajaNomad

Los Cabos Visitors to be Tested for COVID

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JDCanuck - 1-23-2022 at 11:32 AM

Quote: Originally posted by pauldavidmena  
Quote: Originally posted by 100X  
https://www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/dhs-requires-non-us-tr...


I feel better flying from Boston to Cabo next week knowing that my fellow travelers need to show proof of vaccination.

On a somewhat related note, I wonder how early I need to be at the airport for a 6AM flight?


Hi PaulDavid:I take it from this post you have found a source indicating that they will require a vaccine passport to fly to Cabo now? When we last flew in they required a questionaire to be filled in and when we arrived in Cabo they didn't wish to see it and just waved us through. Has this changed?

JDCanuck - 1-23-2022 at 11:42 AM

British Columbia and several countries begin relaxing restrictions based on the present Science. Canada, US and Mexico don't appear to be quite there yet and are adding additional ones due to reduced Health care staffing. Mid Feb maybe?



https://vancouversun.com/health/flu-ization-why-omicron-is-c...

[Edited on 1-23-2022 by JDCanuck]

John Harper - 1-23-2022 at 11:46 AM

Quote: Originally posted by 100X  
Am I going crazy or did I have a post removed from this thread?

I believe at least one other was removed and another post might have been modified but does not note that a modification was done.

Is this a common occurrence?

How do I find out why it was removed?


Welcome to the Jungle, Baby!!!!

John

pacificobob - 1-23-2022 at 11:50 AM

Quote: Originally posted by Tioloco  
Quote: Originally posted by 100X  
Am I going crazy or did I have a post removed from this thread?

I believe at least one other was removed and another post might have been modified but does not note that a modification was done.

Is this a common occurrence?

How do I find out why it was removed?


Yes, you and JZ got your responses removed. MtGoat can insult and be a pig.
That is why many have abandoned this site.


Any chance you will be joining them?

pauldavidmena - 1-23-2022 at 04:24 PM

Quote: Originally posted by JDCanuck  
Quote: Originally posted by pauldavidmena  
Quote: Originally posted by 100X  
https://www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/dhs-requires-non-us-tr...


I feel better flying from Boston to Cabo next week knowing that my fellow travelers need to show proof of vaccination.


Hi PaulDavid:I take it from this post you have found a source indicating that they will require a vaccine passport to fly to Cabo now? When we last flew in they required a questionaire to be filled in and when we arrived in Cabo they didn't wish to see it and just waved us through. Has this changed?


I read the article too quickly and missed that it was a requirement for "non-US individuals" to show proof of vaccination before entering the U.S. from a Mexican or Canadian port of entry via land. The requirement already exists for air travelers returning to the U.S. from international destinations (covered in a different thread).

JDCanuck - 1-23-2022 at 05:46 PM

Hi PaulDavid: Thanks, yes, I will definitely have to be aware of what the land crossing requirements become in future for driving across the US.
Good at present, but that could change any time, so am prepared to fly over the US and just meet the much milder Mexico entry requirements in a month or two. Ya never know what the future holds in these quickly changing times and they could bar Canadians altogether again from the US anytime.

gnukid - 1-24-2022 at 07:57 AM

Quote: Originally posted by John Harper  
Quote: Originally posted by 100X  
Am I going crazy or did I have a post removed from this thread?

I believe at least one other was removed and another post might have been modified but does not note that a modification was done.

Is this a common occurrence?

How do I find out why it was removed?


Welcome to the Jungle, Baby!!!!

John


A large portion of posts are removed, particularly, those with links to peer reviewed studies, or public statements from CDC, WHO, FDA that apparently demonstrate changing narratives over time, not sure why the admin would want to delete such a large a thorough library or collected research that is easily searchable.

I copy the posts and save them since they are valuable to maintain context, but the site loses a great deal of value by such broad strokes of censure based on short sighted moderation. I doubt he even read the studies or comments?

Now most of these threads are left with only insults from a few posters and the substance is removed? Is it quite frustrating and odd.

pacificobob - 1-24-2022 at 08:35 AM

The todos santos/pescadero area is rife with covid

pauldavidmena - 1-24-2022 at 09:24 AM

Quote: Originally posted by pacificobob  
The todos santos/pescadero area is rife with covid


We have until 1/27 to cancel our AirBnB reservation without losing the entire cost - we'd still be out the 50% deposit. We're not adverse to canceling, and are continuing to communicate with friends and acquaintances who live in the area. Some events have been canceled, but others continue unabated. We made our plans nearly 6 months ago, when things were looking much more optimistic. It's tough to make a final call from over 3,000 miles away.

gnukid - 1-24-2022 at 10:37 AM

People are in fear, which results in stress and many catch a cold, sniffles, congestion, a cough, etc, it's inconvenient but it passes with common treatments to reduce symptoms, hot soups, tea, vitamin B, C, D, Zinc decongestants etc. You can easily create a emergency cold symptom treatment protocol with typical medicine and vitamins and bring it with you or purchase when you arrive.

Life goes on. Most people have already caught the cold and it passed. Baja is a wilderness, if you want to go out for a hike or swim alone you can easily be alone, if you feel like being social you can be social.

There is no reason to cancel a trip if you are healthy and have the time and resources to go, unless the fear is overwhelming for you. It is important to manage your personal health, both mental and physical and stay busy, work, hobbies, learning, etc.

bajaben - 1-24-2022 at 12:04 PM

Quote: Originally posted by pauldavidmena  
Quote: Originally posted by pacificobob  
The todos santos/pescadero area is rife with covid


We have until 1/27 to cancel our AirBnB reservation without losing the entire cost - we'd still be out the 50% deposit. We're not adverse to canceling, and are continuing to communicate with friends and acquaintances who live in the area. Some events have been canceled, but others continue unabated. We made our plans nearly 6 months ago, when things were looking much more optimistic. It's tough to make a final call from over 3,000 miles away.


Sometimes a host will allow you to change a reservation for a later date due to extenuating circumstances. If this does not qualify for that I don't know what else would.



[Edited on 1-24-2022 by bajaben]

surabi - 1-24-2022 at 01:19 PM

Quote: Originally posted by bajaben  
Quote: Originally posted by pauldavidmena  
Quote: Originally posted by pacificobob  
The todos santos/pescadero area is rife with covid


We have until 1/27 to cancel our AirBnB reservation without losing the entire cost - we'd still be out the 50% deposit. We're not adverse to canceling, and are continuing to communicate with friends and acquaintances who live in the area. Some events have been canceled, but others continue unabated. We made our plans nearly 6 months ago, when things were looking much more optimistic. It's tough to make a final call from over 3,000 miles away.


Sometimes a host will allow you to change a reservation for a later date due to extenuating circumstances. If this does not qualify for that I don't know what else would.



[Edited on 1-24-2022 by bajaben]


Yes, sometimes hosts would offer this. They will also sometimes offer to refund what the guest loses by cancelling if the host is able to rebook the cancelled dates, although they are under no obligation to do this.

But it is absolutely not an extenuating circumstance. Airbnb refunded all guests in full back in March/April 2020 due to Covid, when everone wass taken by surprise, but at this point it is evident to everyone that travelling during a pandemis is risky, whether it means exposing oneself to Covid, having flights cancelled with little warning, ever-changing regulations and quarantine and testing requirements, lockdowns, or rising rates of infection.

So a smart traveler would spring for travel insurance- Airbnb hosts are not de facto travel insurers and it's rude to block a host's calendar with one's booking, only to cancel last minute because one is wary about travelling and then expect some kind of refund beyond what one is entitled to under the liisting's cancellation policy, or agreement to a date change. If the host is amenable, great, but they are under no obligation to do so.

The only Covid-related circumstance presently covered by the Airbnb extenuating circumstances policy is if the guest tests positive for Covidand can provide Airbnb with documentation thereof.

JZ - 1-24-2022 at 01:46 PM

The good airlines have stopped charging change fees (examples: Delta, Alaska). Delta just sent me an email last week extending the date to use eCredits until the end of 2023. If you pay a little more you can get $'s back instead of just a credit.

Most hotels allow you to cancel right up to a few days of your stay. Even then, if you have Gold status on someone like Hotels.com they will call the hotel for you and generally get it cancelled for free.

Bad airlines like United and American, good luck.

Travel insurance has so many caveats that it is pretty worthless.

Hopefully your AirBnB host is nicer than the Little Lady.

Skipjack Joe - 1-24-2022 at 02:56 PM

It is common to think that the posts you post have merit and should stay while those who don't agree with you have no merit.

pauldavidmena - 1-25-2022 at 06:10 AM

My AirBnB host has been very gracious, even setting aside the property for five additional days should I test positive for Covid before my scheduled departure. Given that this is prime tourist season, he would be missing out on some nice income should I test negative.

As for cancellation, the website redirects me to "My Trips" which spells out the timelines:



My understanding is that I could file a claim for a full refund in the event that I test positive a few days of my trip, in which case I would have to provide documentation in support of that claim. There is no recourse for getting cold feet, and yes, although the virus seemed to be under control when we made our plans 6 months ago, we did know that there was risk involved.

surabi - 1-25-2022 at 11:01 PM

Quote: Originally posted by pauldavidmena  
My AirBnB host has been very gracious, even setting aside the property for five additional days should I test positive for Covid before my scheduled departure.

My understanding is that I could file a claim for a full refund in the event that I test positive a few days of my trip, in which case I would have to provide documentation in support of that claim. There is no recourse for getting cold feet, and yes, although the virus seemed to be under control when we made our plans 6 months ago, we did know that there was risk involved.


That is very nice of your host. But cancelling for a full refund if you test positive wouldn't be a very nice thing to do to the host. Airbnb has been doing this, so of course guests use it, but I can tell you that hosts are really upset about it. People's reservations blocking their calendars to other bookings, only to have the guests cancel last minute, with no time to get the dates rebooked. It is really harming hosts' livelihoods who depend on their rental income. Airbnb is treating hosts like de facto travel insurers.

surabi - 1-25-2022 at 11:10 PM

Quote: Originally posted by JZ  
The good airlines have stopped charging change fees (examples: Delta, Alaska). Delta just sent me an email last week extending the date to use eCredits until the end of 2023. If you pay a little more you can get $'s back instead of just a credit.

Most hotels allow you to cancel right up to a few days of your stay. Even then, if you have Gold status on someone like Hotels.com they will call the hotel for you and generally get it cancelled for free.

Bad airlines like United and American, good luck.

Travel insurance has so many caveats that it is pretty worthless.

Hopefully your AirBnB host is nicer than the Little Lady.


Airbnbs are not hotels or airlines. Most are run by average people running it as a small business, they aren't mega businesses. Every cancellation hurts.
Hotels have 24 hr. reception. If a booking gets cancelled, chances are someone else walks in the door and takes the room. Chances are an airline will fill the seat that got cancelled.

It has nothing to do with being "nice". When you book an Airbnb, you are agreeing to the cancellation policy for that listing. It's a contract. There are Airbnb's with flexible cancellation policies, meaning you can cancel up to 24 hrs before check-in and get a full refund. If a guest doesn't want to be held to a stronger cancellation policy, they shouldn't book listings that have them.

And Airbnb itself, does not refund their service fee on any cancellation policies after the first 48 hrs. Which has nothing to do with hosts.

[Edited on 1-26-2022 by surabi]

pauldavidmena - 1-26-2022 at 07:53 AM

Quote: Originally posted by surabi  
Quote: Originally posted by pauldavidmena  
My AirBnB host has been very gracious, even setting aside the property for five additional days should I test positive for Covid before my scheduled departure.

My understanding is that I could file a claim for a full refund in the event that I test positive a few days of my trip, in which case I would have to provide documentation in support of that claim. There is no recourse for getting cold feet, and yes, although the virus seemed to be under control when we made our plans 6 months ago, we did know that there was risk involved.


That is very nice of your host. But cancelling for a full refund if you test positive wouldn't be a very nice thing to do to the host. Airbnb has been doing this, so of course guests use it, but I can tell you that hosts are really upset about it. People's reservations blocking their calendars to other bookings, only to have the guests cancel last minute, with no time to get the dates rebooked. It is really harming hosts' livelihoods who depend on their rental income. Airbnb is treating hosts like de facto travel insurers.


We're testing ourselves before our trip not as a pretext to cancel our AirBnB reservations, but rather as a courtesy to our fellow travelers. It's my opinion anyone flying should be either vaccinated or present a negative test result, and we're practicing what we preach. A positive test is extremely doubtful because we both work from home and limit our public activities.

At this point, we're committed to be in Todos Santos next Thursday.

pauldavidmena - 1-26-2022 at 08:45 AM

I can't imagine why we'd want to leave...

JDCanuck - 1-26-2022 at 12:54 PM

For short term stays, or stays that are likely to change due to unforeseen issues that arise, like flight cancellations, we always book a hotel room, and leave the more costly airbnb stays for longer term visits. Hotels can accommodate sudden changes far easier and generally we have found them very willing to alter bookings. If someone (at present about 30% likely) tests positive for Omicron they have already contaminated the space and extending a booking for that room is not too disruptive for a hotel, but is for someone who was counting on continuous bookings for Airbnb. Another reason to avoid Airbnb altogether during this upset.
I especially would NOT want to stay at an Airbnb that booked a contaminated room to me right after the previous occupants tested positive and they were informed of the positive tests. If they cancelled my booking for that reason I would be very grateful.

[Edited on 1-26-2022 by JDCanuck]

Lee - 1-26-2022 at 01:19 PM

Quote: Originally posted by pacificobob  
The todos santos/pescadero area is rife with covid


Quote: Originally posted by pauldavidmena  

At this point, we're committed to be in Todos Santos next Thursday.


Have you communicated with Bob, Paul?

Maybe Bob will elaborate on his comments. Bob?

surabi - 1-26-2022 at 02:57 PM

Quote: Originally posted by JDCanuck  

I especially would NOT want to stay at an Airbnb that booked a contaminated room to me right after the previous occupants tested positive and they were informed of the positive tests. If they cancelled my booking for that reason I would be very grateful.

[Edited on 1-26-2022 by JDCanuck]


At this point in time, if a guest or host reports a positive Covid test or infection while the guest is in residence, Airbnb actually is suspending the listing for a week and cancelling and refunding any guests booked in for that week.

Airbnb hosts had to agree to follow the Airbnb Covid cleaning protocol way back in March of 2020 or get their listings suspended. That protocol contained some ridiculous things that have since been eliminated, like washing the ceiling, but all the sterlization requirements remain.

Of course, Airbnb is just an online booking platform, they don't have field agents who go around checking on cleaning standards, it relies on guest reports to know if places are unacceptable. Obviously if a guest arrives to find the place isn't at all clean, it's a good bet the host or their cleaner isn't cleaning to Covid standards.

Many hosts have been leaving a day or two between bookings since Covid to air the place out and do a thorough cleaning and sterlization. If an Airbnb had great reviews and 5* cleanliness ratings, I'd actually trust staying there over a hotel. Because good reviews are so crucial to small-time Airbnb hosts, they are often way cleaner than hotel rooms. The Airbnbs I wouldn't trust are those run by big property management companies, with scores or hundreds of listings, as they often tend to cut corners and get so many hundreds of reviews that they don't stress out over some bad ones.

JZ - 1-26-2022 at 04:01 PM

Sterilization of rooms is over blown. That's not the way you catch Covid.

Probably spent 50 nights in hotels in 2020. They never closed in the US. Even at the beginning.

gnukid - 1-27-2022 at 07:30 PM

The primary issue is that the jab is untested on animals or double blind studies, unapproved and experimental synthetic gene modification, demonstrated over time to not protect from any infection or transmission of anything related to covid, absolutely causes adverse affects such as clotting, heart inflammation, seizures, paralysis, injury and death.

Why would someone submit to permanent gene modification that causes permanent immune system harm and does not provide reduced infection nor transmission of covid?

RFClark - 1-27-2022 at 10:00 PM

I’m not sure where PB got the information that Todos Santos is “rife with COVID”! We just returned from 2 weeks there working on our house. The place was packed (Todos Santos), the bars were open and there was no line in front of St Jude’s and very few decomposing bodies in the streets! (That may be due to the fact that the dead cart goes through town twice a day with the driver crying bring out your dead!)

Some Baja Sur cities have banned alcohol sales but not Todos Santos and Cerritos!

pauldavidmena - 1-28-2022 at 07:02 AM

Quote: Originally posted by RFClark  
I’m not sure where PB got the information that Todos Santos is “rife with COVID”! We just returned from 2 weeks there working on our house. The place was packed (Todos Santos), the bars were open and there was no line in front of St Jude’s and very few decomposing bodies in the streets! (That may be due to the fact that the dead cart goes through town twice a day with the driver crying bring out your dead!)

Some Baja Sur cities have banned alcohol sales but not Todos Santos and Cerritos!


Good to know about alcohol sales given that we are 28 days into Sober January. My sense was that Todos Santos has cancelled some events (e.g. the Open Studios Art Tour) but that restaurants and shops remained open, music was still being booked, etc. The red carpet remains rolled out for day trippers, and I plan to steer away from those crowds.

The positive infection rate in BCS is the highest in Mexico, but it is comparable to Massachusetts, where I'll be flying from. Apart from travel time, which we'll do with N95 masks, I'm thinking we'll be okay if we don't throw caution to the wind. We'll be doing basically the same things we've been doing for the past 2 years here on Cape Cod - minus the wind and snow.

pacificobob - 1-28-2022 at 07:58 AM

Quote: Originally posted by RFClark  
I’m not sure where PB got the information that Todos Santos is “rife with COVID”! We just returned from 2 weeks there working on our house. The place was packed (Todos Santos), the bars were open and there was no line in front of St Jude’s and very few decomposing bodies in the streets! (That may be due to the fact that the dead cart goes through town twice a day with the driver crying bring out your dead!)

Some Baja Sur cities have banned alcohol sales but not Todos Santos and Cerritos!


RF, I have doubts that your 2 weeks in the area has provided you with an accurate idea of what's up.
Yes, there are lots of tourists, restaurants are open. People are out and about doing stuff.
How much time have you spent with local Mexican families, in their home and neighborhoods?
I'm going to guess very little. We have been bringing cooking food the the homes of families we know where the entire household is sick. The gringo dollar is sufficiently critical that they can't afford to not be open for business. The good news, most I know who have been sick are recovering in a few weeks.
It never fails to amaze me how gringos can be here and live in a bubble of other gringos and a handful of English speaking locals who provide them with services.

RFClark - 1-28-2022 at 09:46 AM

PB,

We have spend 2 or more weeks in the area each month for months. We actually work with the Mexican tradespeople not hang out in a “Gringo Bubble”! I’ve worked in Mexico off and on for almost 40 years so I actually speak to tradespeople myself! It saves time and money! “Rife” seems perhaps a little excessive!

RFClark - 1-28-2022 at 07:17 PM

I’m in the Entertainment Industry on the production side. My work in Mexico was on Features and TV projects.

surabi - 1-29-2022 at 11:48 PM

Quote: Originally posted by JZ  
Sterilization of rooms is over blown. That's not the way you catch Covid.


It was a big concern near the beginning of the pandemic, but as they found out more about transmission, it has become much less so. You would need a very specific set of circumstances to contract Covid from surfaces - you'd have to touch a surface that had active virus on it, then put that hand up to your nose or mouth and therefore breathe it in. And it would have to be enough of a viral load to actually infect you.

It helps to know which surfaces the virus remains active on longest. Very short time on porous surfaces like cloth, wood, paper and cardboard, can't survive at all on copper, can last awhile on other metals and plastic is the worst. They just found in one study that the Omicron variant remained active on plastic 10 times longer than other variants did. 196 hrs. But that was under laboratory conditions, and that study hasn't been peer reviewed yet.

UV light deactivates the virus, too, so anything sitting out in the sun for awhile isn't going to be a concern.

I am not doing Airbnb hosting right now, but when I did, and long before Covid, I always wiped down all high touch surfaces in the guest room/bathroom with bleach or sterilizing wipes. Doorknobs, light switches, faucet handles. No telling what anyone might be harboring, from Covid to influenza, Norovirus, etc. While Covid has to be breathed in to infect you, plenty of other nasty stuff doesn't.

I once read that gas pump handles were found to have more bacteria than public toilet seats. And public doorknobs are really bad. I had a friend who traveled in India in her younger days and said she was the only traveler she met there who never got sick. She carried a spray bottle of Dettol in her purse and sprayed every doorknob, bus railing, faucet handle, etc, before she touched it.

JZ - 1-30-2022 at 12:01 AM

Quote: Originally posted by surabi  


It was a big concern near the beginning of the pandemic, but as they found out more about transmission, it has become much less so. You would need a very specific set of circumstances to contract Covid from surfaces - you'd have to touch a surface that had active virus on it, then put that hand up to your nose or mouth and therefore breathe it in. And it would have to be enough of a viral load to actually infect you.

I had a friend who traveled in India in her younger days and said she was the only traveler she met there who never got sick. She carried a spray bottle of Dettol in her purse and sprayed every doorknob, bus railing, faucet handle, etc, before she touched it.



I read a lot about it at the very beginning of the pandemic. In April of 2020. Most experts right away said you were very, very unlikely to get it from touching a surface (for the exact reasons you state). That's why I knew immediately that you could travel as long as you avoided close contact with ppl.

Been to India 4 times and never got sick from it. Never used sanitizer. Just made sure to drink bottled water.

The biggest really bad thing the govt. did in California was to shut down all the hiking trails, beaches, etc. Anyone with any functioning brain matter at all knew being outside and exercising was a very safe and healthy activity. Give dip sh@t politicians an inch and they will take 5 miles.


[Edited on 1-30-2022 by JZ]
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