Government officials in Quintana Roo announced the region is now under an orange epidemiological light advisory due to an increase in confirmed COVID-19 cases.

According to the Riviera Maya News , Quintana Roo Governor Carlos Joaquin revealed that while only cities in the northern portion of the state were previously in orange—such as Cancun and Playa del Carmen—the entire region is now under the same rules and regulations.

As part of the change, business capacity and activities in cities such as Chetumal and Mahahual will be adjusted and increased health and safety protocols will be enforced. The ruling went into effect Monday and will remain in place through February 14.

“We spent two months in yellow and with the prospect of having better conditions in the recovery, but it wasn’t like that,” Carlos Joaquin said.

The Quintana Roo governor and other officials said local communities need to work diligently to adapt to the” new habits, preventive measures and application of protocols” to avoid potentially rolling back the epidemiological scale even further.

Despite the recent surge in COVID-19 cases and additional warnings from health officials, beaches in popular Mexican Caribbean destinations will remain open.

In January, tourism officials in Quintana Roo announced they were working with international travelers on acquiring the mandatory COVID-19 tests to re-enter the United States.