More than a thousand passengers who were unable to travel to the United States on Tuesday through the Las Americas International Airport (AILA) because they did not have the PCR tests required by the authorities of that country, a necessary requirement to enter North American territory to enter.
The data was provided by Aeropuertos Dominicanos XXI (Aerodom) Director of Corporate Communications, Luis José López, who said that travelers were stranded and could not submit the test results in writing.
He also explained that Amadita’s clinical lab, which had trouble preparing for tests in the morning, started operating Tuesday afternoon, allowing many passengers to take the test quickly and travel.
Most affected travelers had reservations with JetBlue Airways, which operates regular flights from AILA to cities in the United States.
For this day airlines of this type planned 28 flights towards the United States.
“We hope that with the lab working, many passengers will undergo the COVID-19 test and board their flight to the United States that way,” said López.
85 travelers stayed on United Airlines’ maiden flight, and in the afternoon about 62 were hit, all of whom were stranded in the Las Américas terminal.
The new US government measures, which went into effect on Tuesday, state that international passengers two years of age or older will have to submit a negative test for COVID-19 as a preventive measure to stop the spread of the virus.
According to the data provided, airlines will bear additional costs to travelers for ticket changes and departure dates, taking into account the situation created by the pandemic.
In addition, they contribute so that stranded travelers can be placed on other flights of the same airlines.
Some passengers complained that due to not being able to travel to the United States on time, they were in danger of losing their jobs by not showing up by the time their vacation expired.
Manuel Rosario Martínez, one of the affected travelers who was unable to travel on Tuesday morning, explained that he works in a factory and had until the 27th to report.
“My situation is difficult because, as you know, jobs are difficult in the United States after the pandemic and anyone who has a safe source of work should take care of it,” said Rosario Martínez, a resident of Villa Francisca de Santo Domingo.
Others harmed by the situation include Rosa Rodríguez Sánchez, who passed the rapid test and was waiting for a seat on one of the JetBlue Airways flights, which was due to depart in the early hours of the morning bound for New York .
“I work in Manhattan and have been taking care of an older man for a number of years and I cannot lose my job. I came here to visit my family and I had to return, and now I am going through this situation ”, the lady said.
There were cases of travelers who acted quickly and managed to complete the rapid test and transfer them to the airport.
Countless people with the document in their hands could be observed in front of the airline counters demanding their transfer to the United States.