Mexico closed a tourist site in Yucatan ruins due to an increase in the number of unmasked visitors, according to The Associated Press.
Authorities are closing the site of the Chichén Itzá Maya ruin from April 1 to 4 in an attempt to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, the AP reported.
The media noted that the temple complex normally attracts 1.8 million tourists a year.
Lucio Hernández Gutiérrez, chief of the interim police for the state of Quintana Roo, told the AP that it was “unfortunate” to see how things got worse in the area.
“It is unfortunate to see how things have become unruly,” he told the AP. “It was really frustrating to see hundreds of people walking around without masks.”
He added that tourists are the “worst criminals”.
The AP also reported that the multi-day ceremony of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ will be held in Mexico City without spectators for the second consecutive year, citing the risk of a pandemic.
The news comes a day after Mexico surpassed 200,000 coronavirus deaths on Thursday, according to Reuters.
A count of Johns Hopkins University estimates the death toll in the country at 200,211 on Friday afternoon.
The death toll in Mexico follows Brazil, which recorded 303,462 deaths, and the United States, which recorded 546,822 deaths.
Mexico has recorded more than 2.2 million coronavirus infections since the start of the pandemic.