Most of Mexico has almost zero Covid regulations
Ok, that is not entirely true. The nation has Covid regulations but it appears to be rather subjectively or randomly enforced. I have a few friends that are currently in various places in Mexcio: Some of them live there and others are simply visiting.
A couple of these people recently arrived in Bucerias, which is a coastal town about 30 minutes north of Puerto Vallarta. This is a relatively popular beach destination on the Pacific side of the country and although I have never been there, it does seem lovely, particularly for those that are fed up with being told that you can't do this or that because of Covid.
Obviously, the pandemic has had a rather dramatic impact on the tourism in the region, and there are a number of ways that you can look at this: You can feel bad for the people (which you should, be compassionate!) or you can get down there and take advantage of the massive discounts that are currently going on here and many other places in the gigantic country of Mexico.
Bucerías is located very far south and because it is in a "cove" of sorts the waves are kept to a minimum. The awesome white sands, ocean-front cafes and bars, as well as a wide range of heavily discounted accommodation make this a really wonderful destination option for people that have the ability to travel right now (PRO TIP: You almost certainly have the legal capacity to travel right now.)
My Spanish is a bit rough around the edges but that shirt says something along the lines of "Covid sucks!"
There is very little in the way of social distancing and almost nobody is wearing masks. I don't want to get into a debate about whether or not people should be wearing masks I am merely pointing out the fact that a large portion of the globe's population feel as though masks are stupid, never really had an impact on the spread, and are fed up with it. If you fall in that category than traveling here might be the right thing for you. If you are afraid of a maskless, no social distancing society, simply stay at home. It's your life after-all!
According to my friends who live in this area about half of the year normally, in the past having the beaches be this empty is something that almost never happens. You can basically have the place to yourself if you want to but some of the more popular areas in the center of town still can have a crowd during certain times of day.
Of course loads of places are open that have one of my favorite things on the planet: Made from scratch guacamole and salsa! This setup that you are looking at right now costs about $2.50 and that was at a place that normally is quite touristy. Sure the locals probably pay half that much but that is still a tremendous bargain in my world. I would love to be eating that right now.
Here is the better news: Flights to nearby Puerta Vallarta cost just over $100 to $150 one way from almost all of the major airports in the United States. For some reason this does not apply to NYC and I can't figure out why. Oh well, not everyone lives in NYC, thank goodness.
Now, I want to say that I am not encouraging anyone to live irresponsibly and I would still advise carrying a mask with you and you go into a place and the locals are wearing masks you should do the same. However, once you get to the beach areas you are basically allowed to do whatever you want and while some of the staff were wearing masks, most likely because they are required to, the Mexican customers generally were not doing so. So some regulations do exist but I think (this is in no way official) that the authorities are laying off a bit in order to try to get as much tourism as possible. Mexico is suffering just like the rest of the world and every little bit helps.
If you are American you do not need a visa to enter Mexico, but if you want to stay long-term it is a good idea to get one anyway since these can easily be extended in the country.
I might have to make my way down there myself... at $100 for a flight, it seems as though they are practically giving these things away.