FUZ-moto Scouting Michoacán, Mexico Sat Jun 20, 2020

Traveling during the Covid-19 Pandemic

Covid-19 has made some changes to air travel. But between the USA and Mexico, restrictions are relatively minor.

Masks must be worn in PDX airport, on the Volaris flight, and in the GDL airport. So I donned mask and gloves when I got out of the car at PDX and didn't take them off until I got into Jerry's car in Guadalajara.

I'd say mask wearing compliance in PDX was about 75--80% and in GDL 100%.

The flight to Mexico was about 70% full with about 1 empty seat per row on average, but I had the two exit rows to myself!

In GDL they took travelers' temperature and gave us squirts of hand sanitizer as we entered the international arrivals processing area.
There were also extra forms to fill about to aid contact tracing.
On the plane the boarding and de-boarding processes were more civilized with people being much more orderly and not rushing and pushing.
Not quite 2 meter spacing, but still much better.

Travel Policies of Various Countries as of June 29, 2020

In mid June, I investigated travel policies of a few countries with an eye to planning summer travel. Here are some notes:

Mexico

No particular restrictions at the airports. But we experienced roadblocks / police checkpoints several times within Mexico. But the policies at these checkpoints are not formalized. For example, there is a checkpoint on the highway into Chapala from Guadalajara where they turned back people from GDL who did not live in Chapala. Jerry carries a phone bill in his car to prove residence just in case, but usually just saying "I'm going to my home in Ajijic" is sufficient. Motorcycles seem to always get waved through. Similarly at the checkpoint between Jojotapec and Ajijic.

Inside Michoacán, near the border, we encountered 9 police checkpoints, each with different, arbitrary policies. Most of those were super informal with lots of guns and sometimes no uniforms. They seemed more interested in searching us for guns than anything about virus control. But ultimately we were allowed to tour inside Michoacán when we offered to wear masks under our helmets(!)

Within the many small towns we passed through, invariably the central plaza was excluded with barrier tape and the park benches were wrapped with plastic. Mask wearing outdoors was around 50%. Indoors, the staff of hotels and restaurants 100% wore masks and sometimes face shields as well. In small shops like Oxxo about 2/3 of the time the cashier was wearing a mask. Similarly for gas station attendants.

USA

In the United States during the Trump era, it's a political mess with little relation to scientific health policy. There are no restrictions on international arrivals from Mexico via airports. However, the land borders are closed to anyone not holding a US passport or permanent residence card and the US has stopped taking asylum applications.

The US Swiss Embassy says “The Department of State advises U.S. citizens to avoid all international travel due to the global impact of COVID-19. Please see the Global Level 4 Health Advisory – Do Not Travel for details.” but as far as I can see, this is an advisory that only suggests that travel be avoided. There are in fact no air travel restrictions on re-entering the USA.

Canada

Canada allows travel from the USA only to Canadian passport holders, permanent residents, or their immediate family. Hey, I qualify. I'd just need to bring a copy of Nicole's birth certificate and her residency documents. But....

You must have a plan to quarantine for 14 days when you arrive in Canada, including

a place to stay
how you’ll
- get to your destination
- get your groceries
- access essential services and medical care

This plan is mandatory, even if you have no symptoms. If you don’t have a plan, you should not travel to Canada. Otherwise, you may not be allowed to enter the country. A border services officer will determine if you can enter the country.

The penalties for not following your quarantine plan once you’re in the country can include

a fine of up to CAD$750,000 (USD$548,000)
6 months of jail time
being found inadmissible, removed from Canada and banned from entering for 1 year

Only people who provide essential services, for example truck drivers who regularly cross the border to maintain the flow of goods, are exempt from the quarantine requirements.

So while travel to Canada is possible, it's a pretty big ordeal to satisfy the quarantine requirement.

Switzerland

The border control authority will not allow you to enter Switzerland from a high-risk country (i.e. from any country that is not a Schengen state [That means you Mr. USA Citizen]) unless you meet at least one of the following requirements:

You are a Swiss citizen.
You hold a travel document (e.g. a passport or identity card) and
- - a residence permit, i.e. a Swiss residence permit (L / B / C / Ci permits);
- - a cross-border permit (G permit; only for work-related purposes),
- - an FDFA legitimation card;
- - a D visa issued by Switzerland;
- - a C visa issued by Switzerland after 16 March 2020 in a valid exceptional case;
- - a C visa issued by Switzerland in order to work on a short-term contract;
- - an assurance of a residence permit from a cantonal migration authority or an entry permit with a visa issued by Switzerland (an employment contract is not sufficient to cross the Swiss border. Persons with an assurance of a residence permit may enter Switzerland at the earliest three days before the date on which assurance becomes valid.)
You have a refugee’s travel document issued by Switzerland and a valid residence or permanent residence permit or a valid F permit.
You have rights of free movement
You are simply travelling directly through Switzerland to another country that you are permitted to enter.
You are in a situation of special necessity. The border control authority will assess the necessity of your situation.
You are a specialist in the healthcare sector who needs to enter Switzerland for important work-related reasons and you hold a confirmation of notification, an assurance of a residence permit or an entry permit with a visa issued by Switzerland.

You must be able to prove that you meet the above-mentioned requirements. Suitable documentary proof must be produced at the border.

Please note that the airlines themselves decide on the conditions on which they carry passengers. Please ask the airline concerned about the conditions that they apply.

When I looked this up about 3 weeks ago, they were also not allowing entry by anyone if they had been in Italy withing the last 2 weeks. But, as of June 29, that restriction seems to have been lifted.

EU

The EU continues its non-essential travel ban from most countries in the world including the United States. This was planned to be gradually lifted as of July 1, but the review found insufficient progress so the ban continues. Doesn't look good for any tavel to Europe from the USA in 2020.

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