Kendal Blust/KJZZ

The popular beach town of San Carlos now holds the distinction of magical town.

Officials in neighboring Sonora have so far been relaxed about health requirements for visitors to popular tourist destinations during spring break and Semana Santa. But they say they will be strictly enforcing the rules this holiday weekend.

With Sonora poised for a third wave of coronavirus cases and deaths, health officials say they’re cracking down on travel during the busy Easter weekend to avoid further spread of the virus.

Checkpoints have been installed outside of popular destinations, like San Carlos and Kino Bay, where officials are requiring would-be visitors to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test no more than 72 hours old.

"Starting today, the checkpoints will be stricter," said a clearly irritated Health Secretary Enrique Clausen. "There are long lines. Don't waste your time. Don't go to the beaches or the towns. Stay home and enjoy the holiday safely with your family."

Just weeks ago, Sonora had finally reached what the Mexican government considers low-risk for coronavirus spread, but it has already been bumped back up to medium. And Clausen says several communities are now poised to return to high risk as cases continue to climb.