The pandemic strengthened sanitary discipline in Puerto Vallarta restaurants

Jorge Carbajal Díaz, president of Canirac Puerto Vallarta-Riviera Nayarit and Costa Alegre, said that the end of the COVID-19 health emergency was good news, and among the lessons learned, he highlighted the importance of frequent hand washing and the use of hand sanitizer. However, they were not prepared for such a pandemic, as 150 restaurants were closed in 2020 for a period of about six months.

The businessman commented that they did not imagine what the COVID-19 pandemic would entail since no industry was prepared, but one of the lessons they learned, and even one that came back was the use of hand sanitizer since they had already learned it in 2009 when the influenza epidemic arrived.

Also, continuing to disinfect the common areas, such as the handrails and doorknobs of the bathrooms, is also part of the main lesson they learned and continue to apply.

“Some closed temporarily in Puerto Vallarta and reopened, others did not, many transferred their business and opened new restaurants, that is, one brand disappeared and another appeared. Today we can say that the restaurants that closed have reopened and more have opened”.

Carbajal Diaz pointed out that in 2020, 150 restaurants closed in Puerto Vallarta, but gradually they opened as the economy of this destination was reactivated.

“In Puerto Vallarta, since last year we were already talking about a 100% recovery and all last year this destination did well in all aspects of tourism, restaurants, hotels, flights, boats and more, so all the figures we heard about the long weekends were favorable, so we can say that Puerto Vallarta was one of the main municipalities that have benefited from all this”.

Finally, the president of the National Chamber of the Restaurant Industry and Seasoned Food in this city, pointed out that the pandemic has left them with a lack of manpower, there are about 1,200 vacancies at this moment that need to be filled.

With reporting by Brenda Beltrán for Tribuna de la Bahía