Flight Cancelled

I see Tui Fly have just cancelled all May flights up to & including 7 June.

This is grim news for those who want to leave the country, added to which there are no repatriation flights.  Embassies don't want to know.  DR is not important enough for them.
As already mentioned going via the US is not possible because of the transit Visa requirements so Europeans are really stuck here. And even if it were possible the thought of going via NY terrifies me with such a Covid-19 problem there.

Ducketts

No other flights stopping else where then Europe even if out of the way?

What happened in Puerto Plata?

There was a massive following of a religious fanatic, aided by various political figures and police.  Literally thousands of people out gathering in the malecon in a caravan!  Something like 40% without mask, zero social distancing.

Now the city is in lock down.  No travel in or out except food delivery and water.  Enforced stay at home.  Military and police actively looking for the sick and contagious!   7 days and extendable!

This will extend issues and flight cancellations will continue.

A sign of things to come?

Coronavirus: Argentina bans commercial flight sales until 1 September

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-52450654

Depressing news.

And all this because these countries have no idea about containment-just look at the fiasco in Puerta Plata on Sunday.  The Gov fobbed off their responsibilities to the local administration.


Why is it countries like Greece can succeed and countries like DR totally fail:

Greece, probably poorest of EU members, has handled Covid with skill. Moved quickly into containment mode that worked. With 11m people, it has recorded only 2,534 cases, lost 136 lives. Now preparing  for 2nd wave later this year.

Ducketts

We can all speculate and get angry about it. But, its our reality so we have to deal with the hand we are dealt. 

Puerto Plata definitely set things back!

My Brit house guest is anxious to return


His embassy tells him he can get to Madrid next week from SDQ... and the UK from there

They will confirm

I've heard the same-I can get to BCN  from there.

With my underlying health issues I'm so worried about catching the virus on the trip-3 airports and the flight-jammed packed like sardines.  Very nervous

Ducketts

https://news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-billionaire-investor-warren-buffett-sells-all-his-stakes-in-us-airlines-11982477

Coronavirus: Billionaire investor Warren Buffett sells all his stakes in US airlines

This is very significant news imo.

Travel and tourism is probably going to change for ever in response to adapting and living with covid19.

Buffett thinks so.

Coronavirus: What global travel may look like ahead of a vaccine

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-52450038

WillieWeb wrote:

My Brit house guest is anxious to return


His embassy tells him he can get to Madrid next week from SDQ... and the UK from there

They will confirm

He has not heard back yet....
But my daughter - Cdn Citizen on a UK permanent visa - has been rejected

Not an EU National.........
She has 5 yrs there and qualifies for a passport (citizenship) but has not yet applied

Odd.... most/all other countries are allowing legal residents

Not sure why she's been rejected.

As of today whilst the UK has left the EU it's still in negotiations for a trade deal, so it should affect her.

We were going to apply, as we were contacted by the British embassy in SD.  I am a British national and my wife is a Russian national but we have permanent residency in the EU.

Unfortunately my wife is not well and therefore unable to travel.  Let's hope there might be further repatriation flights.  Madrid for us would have been great as our car is in Barcelona and we live 2 hours away in France.

Ducketts

She has UK residency -
I do not expect that translates to EU admission

Her visa is UK only - not EU oriented

He is more keen to return than she is
He has family and a different job

My daughter can work from here (RD)
He is having difficulty

Well it depends on the terms of her residency.

She needs to find out if her residency was issued under EU regulations or under the UK.

I say that because my wife has permanent UK residency issued under European regulations and therefore accepted in all 27 member states.

In fact it should be clearly marked either in her passport or if she has a ID card on that.  Many people are not aware of these differences.

Ducketts

DRVisitor wrote:

Secretary of Treasury in the US said international travel may not start up this year for US.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/n … 077347001/

Immunity Passport

A very good analysis here in an article in The Lancet about the concept of immunity passports for future international travel and links in with the uncertainties expressed by the US Secretary in the above post, which is very relevant to DR with many Dominicans living in the USA, plus a number of residents:

COVID-19 immunity passports and vaccination certificates: scientific, equitable, and legal challenges

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanc … S0140-6736(20)31034-5/fulltext

Many governments are looking for paths out of restrictive physical distancing measures imposed to control the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). With a potential vaccine against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) many months away,1 one proposal that some governments have suggested, including Chile, Germany, Italy, the UK, and the USA,2 is the use of immunity passports—ie, digital or physical documents that certify an individual has been infected and is purportedly immune to SARS-CoV-2. Individuals in possession of an immunity passport could be exempt from physical restrictions and could return to work, school, and daily life. However, immunity passports pose considerable scientific, practical, equitable, and legal challenges.

On April 24, 2020, WHO highlighted current knowledge and technical limitations, advising “[t]here is currently no evidence that people who have recovered from COVID-19 and have antibodies are protected from a second infection…[a]t this point in the pandemic, there is not enough evidence about the effectiveness of antibody-mediated immunity to guarantee the accuracy of an ‘immunity passport'”.3 In a follow-up tweet, WHO clarified that it is expected that infection with SARS-CoV-2 will result in some form of immunity.4 Caution is warranted about how population level serology studies and individual tests are used. It is not yet established whether the presence of detectable antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 confers immunity to further infection in humans and, if so, what amount of antibody is needed for protection or how long any such immunity lasts.3 Data from sufficiently representative serological studies will be important for understanding the proportion of a population that has been infected with SARS-CoV-2. These data might inform decisions to ease physical distancing restrictions at the community level, provided that they are used in combination with other public health approaches.5 The use of seroprevalence data to inform policy making will depend on the accuracy and reliability of tests, particularly the number of false-positive and false-negative results, and requires further validation.6 At the individual level, this reliability could have public health ramifications: a false-positive result might lead to an individual changing their behaviour despite still being susceptible to infection, potentially becoming infected, and unknowingly transmitting the virus to others. Individual-targeted policies predicated on antibody testing, such as immunity passports, are not only impractical given these current gaps in knowledge and technical limitations, but also pose considerable equitable and legal concerns, even if such limitations are rectified.

Immunity passports would impose an artificial restriction on who can and cannot participate in social, civic, and economic activities and might create a perverse incentive for individuals to seek out infection, especially people who are unable to afford a period of workforce exclusion, compounding existing gender, race, ethnicity, and nationality inequities.7 Such behaviour would pose a health risk not only to these individuals but also to the people they come into contact with. In countries without universal access to health care, those most incentivised to seek out infection might also be those unable or understandably hesitant to seek medical care due to cost and discriminatory access.8 Such incentives must be understood in the context of the pressure governments might face from businesses seeking to adopt policies that return employees to the workforce, with corporate entities being the beneficiaries of the immunocapital of workers.9 Furthermore, immunity passports risk alleviating the duty on governments to adopt policies that protect economic, housing, and health rights across society by providing an apparent quick fix.

Like all such privileges administered by a government, immunity passports would be ripe for both corruption and implicit bias. Existing socioeconomic, racial, and ethnic inequities might be reflected in the administration of such certification, governing who can access antibody testing, who is front of the queue for certification, and the burden of the application process. By replicating existing inequities, use of immunity passports would exacerbate the harm inflicted by COVID-19 on already vulnerable populations.

The potential discriminatory consequences of immunity passports might not be expressly addressed by existing legal regimes, because immunity from disease (or lack thereof) as a health status is a novel concept for legal protections, despite historical examples of the discriminatory impacts of immunoprivilege such as with yellow fever in New Orleans during the 19th century.9 Depending on the jurisdiction, anti-discrimination laws might cover health status generally as a protected class, and also those for whom infection poses disproportionate risk—eg, older individuals, people who are pregnant, individuals with disabilities, or those with comorbidities. This inequity is not a consequence that can be legislated out of existence: adopting laws that prevent discrimination on the basis of immune status is incongruous with a process expressly intended to privilege socioeconomic participation according to such status. Under international human rights law, states have obligations to prevent discrimination, while also taking steps to progressively achieve the full realisation of social and economic rights.10 Immunity passports would risk enshrining such discrimination in law and undermine the right to health of individuals and the population through the perverse incentives they create.

When larger scale international travel recommences, countries might require travellers to provide evidence of immunity as a condition of entry. Under the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR), states can implement health measures that “achieve the same or greater level of health protection than WHO recommendations”; however, such measures must have a health rationale, be non-discriminatory, consider the human rights of travellers, and not be more restrictive of international traffic than reasonably available alternatives.11 Given current uncertainties about the accuracy and interpretation of individual serology testing, immunity passports are unlikely to satisfy this health rationale evidentiary burden12 and are inconsistent with the WHO recommendations against interference with international travel that were issued when the WHO Director-General declared COVID-19 a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).13 Given the discriminatory impact of immunity passports, any changes to WHO's recommendations should be considered in the context of the IHR's human rights protections.

Immunity passports have been compared to international certificates of vaccination, such as the “Carte Jaune” for yellow fever.14 However, there are significant differences between the two types of documents, occasioning fundamentally different burdens on individuals' health risk and bodily integrity, the public health risk, and an individual's capacity to consent and control. The main distinction between the two is the nature of the incentive. Vaccination certificates incentivise individuals to obtain vaccination against the virus, which is a social good. By contrast, immunity passports incentivise infection. Under the IHR, states can require travellers to provide vaccination certificates, but this is limited to specific diseases expressly listed in Annex 7, which currently only includes yellow fever, and if included in WHO recommendations, such as those issued following the declaration of a PHEIC as is the case for polio.11 Once, and if, a vaccine is developed, COVID-19 vaccination certificates could be included in revised WHO recommendations for the COVID-19 PHEIC, while member states could consider requesting standing recommendations or revising the IHR's Annex 7 for the longer term.

Until a COVID-19 vaccine is available, and accessible, which is not guaranteed, the way out of this crisis will be built on the established public health practices of testing, contact tracing, quarantine of contacts, and isolation of cases. The success of these practices is largely dependent on public trust, solidarity, and addressing—not entrenching—the inequities and injustices that contributed to this outbreak becoming a pandemic.

I declare no competing interests.

Good article the problem is many people/Govs don't agree with WHO who themselves have made huge mistakes, particarly reference to China back  in Jan/Feb 2020.

Having a "special passport" is utter nonsense open to to abuse and fraud.  Just test people and quarantine the.

Ducketts

ducketts wrote:

Good article the problem is many people/Govs don't agree with WHO who themselves have made huge mistakes, particarly reference to China back  in Jan/Feb 2020.

Having a "special passport" is utter nonsense open to to abuse and fraud.  Just test people and quarantine the.

Ducketts

Justify that statement! It doesn't stand scrutiny.

The WHO are the only organization capable of handling such a pandemic yet politicians through they knew better and are being proven wrong every passing day without a coordinated world response.

Small countries must stick with WHO/PAHO for their lead.

All I'm saying is its is now well documented WHO made some serious errors of judgement and were very slow to react the the virus.

As far a small er countries like DR there are not enough controls nor testing.  I walked  around yesterday, people completely ignoring social distancing and not wearing marks.

Ducketts

https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/27 … --covid-19

I rely on facts and not propaganda.

WHO/PAHO are the only organizations that will care about small developing countries like DR.

Travel Bubbles

Coronavirus: 'Travel bubble' plan to help kick-start flights

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-52526272

Rather than the unlikely immunity passport idea which is far from being proven at this time, I foresee the idea of travel bubbles emerging between nations that have controlled the virus down to zero or very few active cases.

New Zealand and Australia are looking at this as article.

This is inevitable in the Caribbean too ,imo, as some of the small islands are coming out of several weeks of 24 hour curfew and no new cases,  The regional airlines are looking to fly between islands again soon.

If DR gets to that point in June or July as forecast, we could join that bubble which allows a slow restart of tourism regionally.

I note that there has been no cessation to flights from SDQ to PTP and there are flights from PTP to Paris with Air France, I think once a week.

The bubble concept is interesting will follow that with interest.

Ducketts

Ties in with all the bits and pieces of information that have been floated out there in terms of most hotel start ups deferred to November and domestic tourism being the starting point. A long slow road ahead for DR tourism seems likely.

Ministry of Tourism and businessmen of the sector coordinate its relaunch[b]

https://www.eldinero.com.do/106063/mini … nzamiento/

The national tourism sector is in the analysis and adoption of new strategies, which include incentives for internal tourism and permanent and continuous connection with the external market, to gradually relaunch this vital field of the economy, when the incidents of the covid-19 have ended. in the Dominican Republic.

This was revealed by business leaders Joel Santos and Andrés Marranzini, past president and current vice president of the National Association of Hotels and Restaurants (Asonahores), respectively, and the marketing adviser to the Ministry of Tourism, Magaly Toribio, when participating in two special editions on tourism perspectives, carried out by the radio program "The Government of Women".

Interviewed by Tatiana Rosario, Rosa Alcántara and Patricia Arache, the representatives of the sector trusted the prompt normalization of tourist activities and guaranteed that they work in the dynamics of maintaining sanitary protocols and being able to relaunch internal and external tourist offers.

"The Government of Women" is carried out through the Skype platform and broadcast by the Neón 89.3 FM radio station, as well as by DomiplayRD. NET and the platforms of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and its YouTube channel.

They assured that the government of President Danilo Medina has provided all the facilities, through the Ministry of Tourism, led by Francisco Javier García, so that the sector prepares to regain splendor and reinvigorate itself as the most widely accepted in the region.

The business leaders and the Tourism official agreed to project that the activities of the area [b]may begin to normalize in a period of 18 to 24 months, after which the sector would reach the potential that it had up to the time of the covid-19 and which has generated important national and international awards and recognitions.

"A series of protocols is being worked together, because there is full awareness in the tourism sector that the way we work will be key to success in the face of this situation. Let us remember that we have experience in succeeding in times of crisis and we are very sure that we will succeed again, ”said Joel Santos.

On his side, Marranzini said that the sector is counting on national tourism, internal tourism as a starting point for its relaunch, aware that "Dominicans have a desire to set foot in the sand, after so long a time of social distancing "

Magaly Toribio, Marketing advisor to the Ministry of Tourism, explained that the public and private sectors work in a strategic alliance to relaunch the sector and take advantage of social distancing to promote music, culture, landscapes and monuments, through virtual platforms. they receive thousands of visits a day.

As an interesting strategy, he said, from these platforms "we promote Dominican gastronomy and all our idiosyncrasies to keep alive the interest of foreigners to come to know or relive what the Dominican Republic offers, as soon as the pandemic passes."

Also:

IATA notifies commercial flight protocol to DR civil aviation

https://www.arecoa.com/destinos/2020/05 … -civil-rd/

The Dominican Institute of Civil Aviation ( IDAC ) received a notification from the International Air Transport Association ( IATA ) about the first version of what they call the "road map for the restart of commercial flights worldwide", in which they detail new recommendations on the matter..............

Don't expect because airlines show flights to DR that they will be allowing anybody to fly and no conditions. Wait and see......

Control the virus is stated step one and then slowly open up and as the leaked document tourism was end August and that may well be domestic tourism initially as above.

I don't understand why SDQ  shows flight operation today and yet they are not.  They are shown as "scheduled"not cancelled other than one flight from Miami  Why do they do this?  Better to have no flights if they're not operating

However I notice Jet Blue are operating NY.   Extraordinary they are allowed to operate these flights considering how bad things are out there.

According to ICAO the whole of DR is closed except for cargo & repatriation flights.

Ducketts

ducketts they are evacuation flights either carrying Dominicans home or US citizens back home.

Every flight needs special clearance to land.

Yes, consider everything else cancelled!!!  No other flights are operating regardless of what their websites say.

I understand that.

Normally yo would state that.  However I doubt there are evacuation flights from Guadeloupe to DR!

NY I can understand but they should state what these flights are.  I realise all flights need permission but some are shown as normal everyday flights and that is incorrect.  If you look at the departure of  London Heathrow say you would see all schedule flights for that day and along side them these flights would be shown as cancelled or something else.  If there are no remarks then it assumed the flight is operating normally.  I appreciate these are not normal times.

Never mind though.

Ducketts

Yes Dominicans are spread far and wide in all the islands with communities into may thousands in each of the islands. now this could also be consolidation from places like nearby Dominica or even Antigua or Montserrat.

There are Dominican repatriations from countries worldwide and the Caribbean. over the last week or so and publicised in the press. There was even one from the UK the other day to POP on TUI.

UK 'to bring in 14-day quarantine for air passengers'

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-52594023

France already has this in place apart from EU countries.

This is significant and the thinking of many countries now.

We need to get these virus numbers way down! Or a vaccine.

I think both would be good

Let's see if Oxford University (laboratories) can bring one out by September-they seem confident!

Ducketts

Is the Haiti/Dominican border open?

DRVisitor wrote:

Is the Haiti/Dominican border open?

No, and the government sent more troops to day prevent any illegal entry.

Haiti does not seem to have that many cases or testing not being done?

No effective government and zero social distancing.

With no testing, and no effective health care - work that out.

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavir … try/haiti/   -  tests stated as 100

Yes, Haiti is one big question mark where no reliable info or controls seem to be in effect.

Is this the blueprint for the Caribbean and Caribbean tourist industry?

Cayman Islands borders are to be closed until at least September. Including to cruise ships.

https://www.caymancompass.com/2020/05/0 … september/

Bloody grim news

Ducketts