Santo Domingo, RD.
Many brought forward their trips to the United States due to the entry into force on Tuesday of the new measures that the U.S. government requires passengers to enter that country, including a negative PCR or antigen test against Covid-19 and a 14-day quarantine, such as preventive measures to prevent the to stop the spread of the new corona virus.
To bypass the Covid-19 test and enter a possible mandatory quarantine upon arrival in the United States, many passengers preferred to bring their journey forward to this Monday the 25th, a day before the restrictive measures take effect became.
The Corporate Director of Communications of Airports Dominicanos XXI (Aerodom), a French capital company of the Vinci Airports group, Luis José López Mena, pointed out that there was an unusual flow of passengers to the United States this Monday.
López Mena explained that there was a greater influx of travelers to cities in the United States, higher than in previous days. He indicated that the flights departed with a significant amount of staff, always respecting protocol measures of physical distance and the use of a mask.
“While we don’t have the data to hand, we believe the increase is why many people prefer to advance their travel to avoid inconveniences and not go through the process of taking tests and possibly quarantining,” explains the director explains. from Aerodom.
New measures
The new restrictive measures to be applied in the early hours of the morning of this Tuesday at the Las Américas terminal, José Francisco Peña Gómez, have been coordinated between all sectors that converge in the airport terminal’s operations.
The government has donated a significant set of tests through the Traveler Assistance Plan that will be distributed to passengers free of charge. Likewise, the staff of the private clinical laboratory Amadita, which operates at the airport, is ready to assist passengers who need any type of testing, be it PCR or emergency antigen.
Beginning Tuesday, January 26, the U.S. government requires that all passengers two years of age or older traveling to the country from an international location submit a negative PCR or COVID-19 antigen test within three days prior to your flight departure. and a 14-day quarantine.
In terms of the verification process that the airlines will use within the new measures, these will be similar to the regular verification carried out by the passport staff and the passenger’s visa prior to authorization for boarding.
At the time of pre-check-up, in addition to regular travel documents, the passenger will be required to provide the negative tests for Covid-19 by means of a written document issued by a clinical laboratory or by email.
In the hypothetical event that the traveler does not have the supporting document, the airline staff will recommend that they go to the clinical laboratory which will operate at the same level as the airline counters to get an emergency test of PCR, of which the results in a matter of 15 to 20 minutes.
As for tourists, they are supposed to arrive at the terminal with their proof in hand, but if for some reason they can’t, the airport will provide them with the facilities to receive them.
At the airport, these would be sent to the Amadita laboratory and they will receive the test for free through the health insurance scheme, instituted by the Ministry of Tourism, in favor of foreign visitors, so that they will not have any inconvenience to travel.
The North American government measure requiring PCR and Covid-19 antigen testing for passengers as requirements to enter the United States was enforced on Tuesday at dawn with the departure of a JetBlu Airways flight to the city from New York from AILA.
The JetBlue flight was scheduled to depart this Tuesday around 1:15 AM with approximately 100 passengers.
Some airlines have warned their passengers that they will not allow them to board the aircraft destined for the United States unless they provide negative written or electronic Covid proof.
Among these airlines is American Airlines, which warned that it will not allow passengers who have reservations to travel to the United States and the written document that guarantees that Covid-19’s negative PCR or antigen tests cannot provide 72 hours in advance.
American Airlines operates regular flights from the Las Americas terminal, José Francisco Peña Gómez, to Miami, the United States and other cities in South Florida. In addition, it has daily flights departing from other national terminals.
In addition to American Airlines, Delta Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Spirit and United Airlines also operate regular flights from the Las Americas terminal to the United States, carrying an average of 2,200 to 2,300 passengers daily.