The FCDO has updated its Mexico travel advice to include detailed warnings about Hurricane Simon, a rapidly intensifying Category-3 system forecast to make landfall near Manzanillo late on 11 October. The storm is expected to push north-east across Jalisco, an area popular with UK holiday-home owners and business-travellers shuttling between Guadalajara’s tech parks and Mexico City. British nationals are urged to stay indoors once local authorities issue the ‘Alerta Roja’ (red alert), monitor Mexico’s civil-protection bulletins and register with the ‘Protección Civil’ emergency SMS system. Travellers should also reconfirm flights: Guadalajara International Airport has indicated potential runway closures if crosswinds exceed safety thresholds. Hurricane-related disruption comes on top of a complex security picture: the FCDO already advises against all but essential travel to large parts of Sinaloa, Michoacán and Zacatecas because of cartel violence. Companies running supply-chain operations through the Port of Manzanillo face a double-hit—container port shutdowns due to both weather and security restrictions. Global mobility teams with assignees in the region should check corporate evacuation insurance, verify that emergency shelters meet company health-and-safety standards and ensure employees have a 72-hour ‘go-bag’. Remote workers temporarily based in Puerto Vallarta under digital-nomad arrangements should inform UK payroll teams of any enforced relocation, which can trigger permanent-establishment concerns if stays extend beyond 183 days. Looking ahead, the FCDO says British nationals should factor in post-storm infrastructure damage, particularly to Highway 200, a key link between Colima and Jalisco. Flooding and landslides could also hinder access to medical facilities, so travellers with chronic conditions are advised to carry extra medication.
Source: GOV.UK – FCDO Travel Advice
