PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Q. Roo.- The Federal Commission for Protection against Sanitary Risks (Cofepris) confirmed that the beaches of Cozumel, Tulum and Solidaridad are not a danger for the health of thousands of tourists that visit the destinations of Quintana Roo, despite of the high presence of sargasso.
The agency reported that 23 seawater samples were taken at different points in the three mentioned municipalities. Each sample was 400 milliliters of water.
According to a representative of Cofepris, there is no organic waste that puts swimmers at risk from the sargassum that has begun to decompose in some parts of the coast, turning the water murky.
The Cofepris informed that they carried out the examinations to give certainty to the tourism sector and the local population, that the water is in normal conditions for people to swim (just as it was during Semana Santa).
The standard marks 200 units of Probable Number (NMP) of enterococci per 100 milliliters, the source confirmed that the samples taken barely reached an average of 50 NMP.
19 most popular beaches in the area were analyzed, from which 23 samples were taken, in cases such as Punta Esmeralda, in Playa del Carmen, due to the size of the maritime site, they took up to two samples.
In the last two weeks, sargassum has not stopped arriving in high quantities to the coast all along the Riviera Maya.
Lenin Amaro Betancourt, president of the Association of Owners, Investors and Providers of Tourist Services of the Riviera Maya, said that visitors continue to arrive to the hotels of the Riviera Maya, but many of them are avoiding the beach, and performing recreational activities elsewhere.
The Yucatan Times Newsroom with information from SIPSE
