These days, it doesn’t take much to create a rift among social media users. What caused the recent divide was hundreds, if not thousands, of people gathering at the beautiful site of Tulum, Mexico to welcome 2021.
January has always been the month to visit Tulum due to a variety of reasons including the pleasant Tulum weather. Then, why do seeing celebrities, influencers, and other people partying at one of the ideal beach destinations is offending people? Well, maybe because there’s a global pandemic wreaking havoc.
Tulum: a tourist’s fantasy
What does a tourist look for in an ideal destination? Natural scenery, historical significance, mouthwatering cuisines, and (maybe) luxurious hotels to stay in, right? Enter Tulum, Mexico, the hub of Mayan ruins resting above the Caribbean Sea. Tulum is situated in Yucatán Peninsula. The beaches in Tulum do a phenomenal job of making you forget about all the hassles of life. Tulum weather is just amazing!
Every year, countless people, not only from the US but from all over the world, visit this magical little town. While 2020 was a challenging year for the global tourism industry owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, it wasn’t challenging enough to stop people from populating the town on the New Year’s Eve.
Celebrating the end of the pandemic before the end of the pandemic
Even though it feels like ages, it has only been about 10 months since all of us were forced to quarantine in our houses and restrict outdoor traveling. However, taking a quick peek at some of the mesmerizing Instagram photos snapped at Tulum around New Year’s Eve makes it seem like the pandemic is long gone.
Almost nobody is wearing a mask; everyone is ignoring the social-distancing guidelines and whatnot! In fact, these pictures could be used to educate people on what not to do amidst a fatal virus currently in its second wave.
Visiting Tulum: a disaster for the locals
While social media’s criticism was mainly directed towards the partygoers, the ones who visited Tulum solely to bask in the glory of the beautiful town weren’t spared either. This is because even such people can bring the virus with them and infect the housekeepers, airport personnel, and other people they (or their belongings) come in contact with.
But tourists undergo COVID-19 tests before hopping on a plane? That’s true but false-negative results are a thing.
In light of the surging COVID-19 cases in Mexico, the CDC advised last month against touring to Mexico. To nobody’s surprise, the advice was ignored.
The longer one stays out, the longer others have to stay- in
While there are people who are ignoring the CDC guidelines, there are plenty of others who are doing everything in their power to comply. Over the last couple of weeks, various celebrities, influencers, and other people touring not just to Tulum but other COVID-19 hotspots as well, have been called out by people practicing precautions.
The argument between the people supporting traveling amidst the pandemic and those criticizing it escalated when renowned singer Dua Lipa posted pictures of her in Tulum, on her social media profiles.
It’s true that the aforementioned pictures don’t show the singer showcasing irresponsible behavior. In fact, she can be seen posing with her inner circle only.
However, social media users criticizing this behavior claim that not only is Dua Lipa risking the safety of staff tasked with organizing her stay, but that she is also being selfish by enjoying a luxurious outdoor vacation while millions are forced to stay at home.
Do we have a right to call someone out for their traveling choices?
Social media is on fire as of late, courtesy of the debate between the pro-traveling people and the ones resisting it.
When it comes to Dua Lipa, the concern arises due to the fact that she is based in Los Angeles. For those of you unaware, LA is a city badly struck by the COVID-19 pandemic with its ICUs running at a full capacity.
So, travelers departing from LA (or any other city in California) to Mexico are only making matters worse for the Mexicans.
The fact of the matter
In the end, the argument boils down to whether the ones ditching the stay-at-home guidelines are being irresponsible or not. Almost everyone is tired of not being able to attend concerts, eat outside, travel, watch games and sports events live from the venue, etc.
But the ones still compromising on their interests to flatten the curve have all the right to be offended by those not sharing their beliefs. Now, who is in the right and who is in the wrong is something that we can’t determine.
People are pulling out different definitions of “compassion”, “responsible behavior”, etc. At this time, all we hope is that the vaccine puts an end to this pandemic and the arguments stemming from it.