Santo Domingo, RD.
Airport authorities on Wednesday implemented new health checks at the Americas Airport (AILA) that includes a military check, as part of preventive measures to prevent the expansion of the Covid-19, amid an increase in the influx of passengers into the country from abroad on the occasion of the Christmas festivities.
At the entrance to the terminal, a reinforcement was established on Route 66 a few meters from the facilities of Les Americas Airport with military and police personnel monitoring each vehicle to ensure that they do not carry an amount. higher than agreed by the Public Health Authorities.
The measure states that only two people attend the airport to pick up a relative who arrives or leaves the country.
In the early hours of this Wednesday morning, long lines of vehicles were observed at the scene, the drivers hoping to go through the military inspection and go to look for or take their relatives. However, fall in the early afternoon the situation was reduced.
With the measure the Public Health and airport authorities seek to control the congestion of people in the passenger departure area and prevent the site from becoming a focus of coronavirus contagion.
It had recently been reported that the passenger departure area was crowded with an excessive number of people coming to receive relatives arriving from abroad on the occasion of the good night and New Year festivities.
INCREASES FLOW OF PASSENGERS TO THE WING
In the case of passenger movement, according to unofficial data, more than 160,000 predominantly absent Dominican passengers have arrived in the country, through airports granted by the company Aeroports Dominicans XXI.
Of this figure according to the same preliminary data provided by the airport authorities, 87% percent have entered through the International Airport of the Americas, José Fráncico Peña Gómez, in which it goes this December.
Mostly absent Dominican passengers come from New York, Brooklyn, New Jersey, Boston, Philadelphia, Massachusetts and San Juan Puerto Rico.
The influx of travelers and flights from countries on the European continent such as Madrid, Spain, Paris, France, Rome, Italy, the Netherlands, Havana, Cuba and the Caribbean islands has also intensified.
Not only are they arriving, but also the order of departure many people are taking advantage of the Christmas period to travel on holiday abroad.
The counters of the airlines located on the second level of the terminal register an unusual presence of passengers queuing to check their documents on the airlines to leave the country.
Most travelers leave for cities in the United States and Europe alongside women and younger children to enjoy the good night and New Year period.
PARKING FACILITIES
Aerodom also ordered the installation of five new parking machines with the aim of speeding up the process of collection and departure of passengers from the parking area, as well as the extension of the grace period of 15 45 minutes to the car park.
With these facilities travelers with their vehicles can leave the airport parking area more quickly.
At Christmas time in this area of the terminal there are long lines of passenger vehicles returning to the country, from various points outside, essentially when two and three flights arrive at the same time.
COVID 19 TESTS FOR PASSENGERS
In the application of the sanitary measures in the AILA the ministry of Public Health is receiving the collaboration in the process of personnel of the General Direction of Migration, measuring the temperature, assuring the physical distancing and watching over the use of masks to passengers.
The general manager of the company Aeroports Dominicans Segle 21 (Aerodom), Monika Infant de Henríquez stated that the random tests performed by the Public Health staff cover terminals B and that they operate at the airport.
“Right now the government through the Executive Director of the Airport Department, Victor Pichardo conducted a tour of all areas of the airport overseeing and verifying the areas where tests against Covid-19 are being applied to passengers.” he pointed out.
He added that the average random test is 15%, but that it can be increased in peak hours, high traffic and decreasing in low traffic hours to ensure a maximum of 15 minutes in the waiting area.
INCREASES CLASS SECURITY
At the terminal, the officers of the Specialized Body for Tourist Security (Cestur) and the Specialized Body for Airport Security and Civil Aviation (CESAC) have been increased to speed up the flow of flights and ensure compliance with the protocols.
While in the passenger waiting area and in the vicinity of the airline caunters on the second level of the terminal, a greater presence of CESAC, Cestur and police agents could be observed this Wednesday. National.