There are 18 beaches in the country that exceed permitted levels of enterococcus bacteria, says Cofepris

From the Editorial Staff

The newspaper La Jornada
Thursday, July 18, 2024, p. 12

The Federal Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risks (Cofepris) reported that most of the country’s beaches are suitable for recreational use, but 18 beaches located in Baja California, Colima, Jalisco, Oaxaca and Veracruz were found to exceed the permitted limits for enterococcus bacteria.

These are: Tijuana and Tijuana I, in Baja California; La Audiencia and Santiago, in Manzanillo, Colima; Oasis, in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco; La Bocana, in Huatulco, Oaxaca; Puerto Angelito and Playa Principal in Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca.

Also in Veracruz, the beaches with high levels of this bacteria are Antón Lizardo, Santa Ana, Tumbao, Mocambo, Gaviota, Pelícano, La Bamba and Regatas; and in San Andrés Tuxtla, Balzapote and Hermosa.

Cofepris indicated that 93.8 percent of the beaches comply with the permitted levels of enterococci.

Monitoring is carried out every year through the state Health Risk Protection Areas (Apcrs) to assess the quality of seawater in the country’s 17 coastal states.

Sampling on the coasts of 76 tourist sites

Now, before the start of the summer holiday period, samples were taken at 289 beaches distributed in 76 tourist destinations. The analysis included a total of 2,315 samples obtained at 393 points, the agency said.

Regarding beaches that could represent a risk to the health of visitors, the health agency indicated that sanitation actions are being carried out with the APCRs of the five entities.

He also urged the population to keep the beaches clean during the holiday season and throughout the year, in order to preserve these natural spaces.