About 3,000 tourists are estimated by the Association of Hotels and Tourism of the Dominican Republic (Asonahores) to stop arriving in the country from the United Kingdom, after the Government announced the cancellation of flights from this destination from the last December 22, for the detection of a new strain of the Covid-19.
Asonahores Executive Vice President Andres Marranzini, while saying it is too early to assess the impact of the move, has indicated that with the suspension of British Airways’ three weekly flights it could affect about 3,000 passengers. about.
He said, however, that this measure to suspend flights, while reducing the arrival of tourists from this destination, sends a positive signal to visitors from other countries regarding the security offered by the Dominican Republic to those who decide to vacation. in their lands.
“We’re going to focus on the fact that this decision was made because it had to be made, a right decision, not what we lost, we won because others who are traveling to the Dominican Republic feel the security that (the country) it does not receive tourists to receive tourists but it has security criteria “, he explained.
Faced with the situation generated in the United Kingdom with the new strain of coronavirus, the Public Health and Tourism authorities asked the Civil Aviation Board (JAC) to suspend flights from this nation as a preventive measure, which was approved and put into effect since last December 22nd.
Marranzini stressed that currently the country cannot focus on what it loses but on what it gains when it takes responsible measures that send the message to tourists from other countries that the Dominican Republic is a safe destination. He added that a good number of flights continue to arrive from America and from Dominicans living abroad.
Quarantine passengers
All passengers who have been in the UK in the last two weeks will be subject to mandatory quarantine upon arrival in the Dominican Republic, as part of new preventive measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19 infection in the country.
The measure is being applied to travelers to airports operated by the company Dominican Airports XXI (Aerodom), as explained by Luis López Mena, corporate director of Communication of this consortium.
“Now what has been established is that all people who have been in the UK, the last two weeks must undergo mandatory quarantine on arrival in the country, as a preventive measure of health against Covid-19 “, he argued.
Nor do they come from Italy
According to data from the Dominican Association of Tour Operators (Adotur), the country is also not receiving tourists from England and Italy. “We are receiving a weekly charter flight from Spain, France and Germany. We are receiving commercial flights every day,” explained Adotur President Jacinto Fernández. Adotur brings together 105 travel agent companies.
In accordance with the flight itinerary from the 28th of this month to the 3rd of January 2021, of the East Airport Corporation, SA, flight A320, from London, England, is registered for the Frontier Airlines airline, this Monday 28 with the route ORD-PUJ-ORD. (Chicago / Punta Cana).
In addition, there are flights from the United States and Canada and Spain, countries in which the new variant of the coronavirus is circulating.
KNOW MORE
2019
At the beginning of the pandemic Public Health established at the airport the Americas two centers where travelers were sent to mandatory quarantine.
One of the centers enabled by Public Health operated in the Naval base of Small Mouth and another one in Club of Customs, of the avenue the Americas.