TOURISTS WITH A POSITIVE TEST WILL ISOLATE THEMSELVES IN HOTELS

Tobi Hughes·
News Blog

The President of the Government said today that the tests will cost Madeira between 500 and 600 thousand euros per month. Albuquerque also said that if people test positive, everything is planned so that visitors are welcomed in isolation spaces, in the hotel units.

From JM

 

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Tobi Hughes

17 Responses

  1. I think we need a lot more detail than that before people will think about booking, Tobi.

    1. I do t even think the government will know what wilm happen till people start traveling. I don’t see more than 20% of tourists coming before September, and prob not even 40% for the rest of this year.

  2. What if you have booked an AL? You could isolate there, but need to get to it and need to get shopping etc in. So you’d be coming into contact with local people. A real dilemma.

  3. I think that tourists should be made to have the test before flying, and the money should be spent on helping the locals instead

  4. Sounds to me like they’ll be put in rooms in certain hotels where things are set up for quarantine rather than just the hotel room where they happened to have booked / AL accommodation scattered across the island which would be far less secure, harder to manage / keep them isolated and bring them provisions and check on their health status.

    There is also the issue of what happens to anyone travelling with someone who tests positive. Do they stay in the same hotel room also or will they be free to roam around or themselves expected to isolate themselves separately (while presumably being under surveillance as contacts of infected people are currently.) What about other people who were on the same plane as someone who tested positive, will they be asked to isolate or will they be under active surveillance? Also if someone tests positive and are still infected by the time their return flight is scheduled to leave what is the plan then?

    I guess more will come out in time from the government but surely for prospective tourists the sooner they know what they’re facing the better so that they can make an informed decision.

    1. We’ve written this year off. As much as we love the island and should have been there in June we are going to wait until the dust settles. Thinking of coming out for an extended break around March/April with a few days over on Porto Santo included to make up for this peculiar year.

      1. Well worth adding a few days in Porto Santo if you haven’t been before, its so peaceful it makes Madeira seem like London in comparison!

  5. A lot of news today, two more bits of fodder – Madeira will receive 700 – 800 million euros from the EU. Self employed will get double financial help and layoff will be paid at 100% by the government…….something tells me that this is a small people bribe…..sweeten everyone whilst giving the news about no barrier control once we are open to tourism next month. This to me in a nutshell, shows that at the end of the month the government no longer play their part in the control of the pandemic, as now we the islanders are going to have to take that upon ourselves to police. We still have that grey area of the 12 hour test and results. As more people come, I can’t see how this is going to work in the time constraint…not that it really matters as everyone is free to go about their business anyway. Once people arrive to their chosen accommodation (either hotel or private rental) and if unlucky enough to receive a positive result will have to self isolate at their accommodation. They will not be whisked off to quarantine as that facility will no longer exist. But this really does open up problems for the smaller business…..Policing guests to ensure they stay put (as they have a habit of throwing caution to the wind and will go off on walk abouts as has already been proven)! There will be a bigger responsibility (not to mention work involved and unpaid) to ensure that the guest has supplies brought in, medical care if they need it, and so on….cancellation of future bookings if the guest has to stay put for two weeks or longer as we know some people can have a positive result for up to two months. Who will reimburse the holiday home owner for all of this? Then you have the track and trace app……and all the people they have had contact with in that first 12 hours. Any frequented external business such as a restaurant for example is going to have to close to disinfect…staff may have to self isolate etc….but hey thats ok isn’t it because the government will pay 100% of that layoff cost….this is not a rant. BUT, so many questions on how this will work. But then again, question is this. Why after everything that has been achieved during lock down and the severe restrictions we are all having to conduct on a daily basis when we have no active community infection here right now, nor have had for weeks and weeks…..and then we suddenly open the flood gates with no barrier in place. Makes you wonder if the government know something we don’t. Maybe this Pandemic has been a complete over reaction and no one has the guts to come clean! Know I will get some angry responses to this, but it simply does not add up.

    1. Totally agree to all you have said, and there will be far more people losing everything they had, which will involve their families than the number of people that have died from this pandemic so far. And where is all the support money, I know lots of people that haven’t seen a cent for 3 months.

  6. The hotel isolation as been in operation from the beginning here, its work well but it needs everyone to comply with isolation if potential to infect others is a risk.

  7. I still think that people should be tested before they travel to places like Madeira. Yes they rely so much on tourism but at the same time, they could go back to square one if their not careful. All it needs is one person to be tested positive.

  8. Here in the UK the Government have furloughed a huge part of the workforce until October. Those on furlough are paid 80% of their wage up to £2,500 per month, entirely paid by the Goverment from Tax Revenues. Two problems have occurred, there are no tax revenues and it is such a good idea no one wants to go back to work and why not ? Add on the savings of the costs of travel, lunches,and coffees and people can be better off. Half the country has been on 11 weeks paid holiday. Dammed statistics say that the week after the Goverment said people should go back to work where possible, an extra 4% returned. The Madeirans I read have been given 60% of their wage paid equally by the Goverment and the employer. I find it hard to believe the Goverment will now in effect fully pay everyone to not go to work and bail out every tourist dependent business, if they do I ask where will the money come from. Fact is no tourists = no employment = no Tax revenue = no Goverment intervention = huge hardship. I believe Madeira has done a brilliant job to get to where they are. If you want to know how to manage a Covid Virus pandemic please don’t start emulating the UK. You must restart the Tourist industry. To any ex-Pats on pensions, who are going to tell me health comes first, look at your cleaner or kitchen porter, are they looking a little thinner ?

  9. @Tobi: what I miss in general in all comments sections, is a „like“ button which counts agreements.
    Now that is probably a bit harder to program, as one reader can only have one count per comment…

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