The Dominican Republic has today assured that it has 400,000 antigen tests to detect the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, which it will offer to tourists from the United States free of charge for when they need to return to that country, starting January 26 every visitor to get negative To test.
“With this number of tests, the country will not experience any problems and we have a step forward with regard to all countries in the region that come under our jurisdiction in the tourism sector,” said the line’s Dominican minister David Collado in the reopening. in Bayahibe (east) of a hotel of the Spanish Iberostar chain.
The official stressed that, in addition to antigen tests, which will be offered free of charge, the country also guarantees free health insurance for tourists staying at its hotels.
“The government is fighting for tourism because the sector provides 500,000 jobs. The same hotel today has another 500 workers who are excited and the reopening itself is stimulating other sectors such as agriculture,” added Collado.
Regarding the determination of the new US president, Joe Biden, that the United States will quarantine any traveler who lands in that country, Collado said this will have “significant” consequences for tourism, but that this measure does not yet is carried out.
The measures are not yet in effect; President Biden has asked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (of that country) to recommend a protocol within 14 days. We need to see what happens, if that happens, it will affect tourism. significantly, but meanwhile the first measures are those of the tests and we are ahead of all countries in the region, ”he added.
Biden announced, hours after taking office on Wednesday, that those traveling to the United States from another country will be required to pass a test before boarding the plane and be quarantined when they arrive.
The requirement of proof had already been ordered by his predecessor Donald Trump.
As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, tourism in the Dominican Republic collapsed and it wasn’t until the last quarter of last year that it showed some recovery, but within the crisis situation.
Until the arrival of the pandemic, according to sources from the Dominican Central Bank (issuer), it was the main source of foreign exchange income, now holding more than $ 8,000 million in remittances last year.
Collado attended the reopening of the Iberostar Selection Hacienda Dominicus hotel to “verify” the health protocols required by the authorities for the sector, “as tourism represents 15% of our economy”.
Iberostar has five other hotels in Punta Cana and one in Puerto Plata (north).