June 2020 Baja Bulletin

COVID-19 Updates for Baja California

-The U.S.-Mexico land borders will remain closed to non-essential travel at least until June 22, 2020. U.S. Citizens and Canadian Citizens have been allowed to cross back north into the U.S.

-Starting June 1, certain regions of Mexico will be allowed to begin reopening in phases. Baja California (norte) and California Sur are still in one of Mexico’s “red zones” and will remain closed for non-essential activity until an undecided date in June.

-Some of the California/Baja land borders are now operating on reduced hours. The following are the current hours for border crossings:
San Ysidro: open 24 hours
(PedWest is closed but PedEast remains open 24 hours)
Otay Mesa: open 6am-10pm
Tecate: 5am-2pm daily
Calexico West: open 24 hours
Calexico East: open 6am-2pm
Andrade: open 6am-2pm

-For up-to-date information about COVID-19 in the state of Baja California (norte) please visit the Baja California COVID-19 page. For up-to-date information about COVID-19 in Baja Sur, please visit the BCS COVID-19 website.

-For Emergency Assistance for U.S. citizens in Mexico, call 55-8526-2561 from Mexico or 1-844-528-6611 from the United States. The U.S. Embassy in Mexico has put together a COVID-19 webpage or you can follow them on Facebook for updates.

-You can find the latest updates on our Road Conditions Page.

Trusted Travel Enrollment Center Closures and Extensions

The Trusted Travel Enrollment Centers will remain temporarily closed until July 6. The temporary closure applies to all public access Global Entry enrollment centers and SENTRI enrollment centers. Global Entry mobile enrollment events are also paused until further notice. In addition, CBP will extend for up to 18 months the Trusted Traveler Program benefits of members who apply for renewal before their current membership expires. For more information, see the CBP press release.

Hotels Reopening in Baja

There are certain hotels that have had permission to remain open at a limited capacity in order to serve essential travelers. More hotels are opening along the peninsula this month. The Hotel Misión Santa Maria in San Quintín and the Hotel Misión Cataviña are now open to travelers. All guests are required to wear face masks and will have their temperatures taken at check in.

Yahoo Email Addresses

The Discover Baja insurance renewal system has been unable to deliver mail to Yahoo email addresses. If you have a Yahoo email address on file with us, it’s possible that you are not receiving your reminder emails for membership and insurance renewals. If you have another type of email address you could use instead, please let us know by calling the office at 800-727-2252.

Assisting Baja During COVID-19

Baja Californian families have been deeply affected by COVID-19. There are a number of charities providing relief programs to help the region during this time and we encourage you to help if you are able.

Project Mercy Baja
Project Mercy Baja is a non-profit that builds houses for those in need in the Tijuana/Tecate areas of Baja California. They need assistance raising funds to purchase materials for construction. You can find out more on the Project Mercy Baja website and can donate by going to their GoFundMe campaign.

Ensenada Rotary Clubs
Five Rotary Clubs in Ensenada have banded together to help raise funds to assist with COVID-19 needs. The funds will help to purchase PPE for medical personnel at the General Hospital in Ensenada and will also help to give food to families in need who were affected by COVID-19. You can find out more on their Facebook page or donate on their Moneypool platform.

International Community  Foundation
ICF is working to help families in Mexico who have been deprived of income, food, and access to health services during the COVID-19 pandemic. ICF’s local nonprofit partners will distribute the funds to address these critical needs of the communities in the form of food baskets, medical and hygiene supplies, and support for first responders. You can learn more and make a donation on the ICF website.