When will DR open for International travel??????

[MikeFisher]

I should point out, that few, if any of these repatriation flights are free. If i decided to return my family (4) to Canada, the cost would be $3,200cdn. My Swiss friend had a chance to return to his country...only 850 euros. He decided to stay here. As for Europeans complaining, for almost 2 weeks in mid April, there were a couple of Condor and Lufthansa flights landing daily in PUJ, along with less frequent Air France, British Airways, Finnair, Thomas Cook Scandinavia, Edelweiss and Air Europa flights to repatriate Europeans. Even LATAM out of Chile was flying repatriation flights to Europe.

thats also correct for europeans who life here and would have wanted to fly to europe/in my case germany etc.
the ferry flights(in case of europe)been only "free" for those stranded Tourists/visitors who been here on vacation and their regular flights got canceled,so those people already had a flight ticket hme paid for, but their airline couldnt bring them.
of course people who never bought a flight, like you and me, living here, would not get a Freebie flight out, there would not be any necesity for such.
we live here and to fly to Canada(in your case) or to Germany (in my case), is a pleasure flight, vacation, i dont see why our government/tax moneys should pay for such flights of ours.
I had my usual 7 weeks summer vacation sheduled with my 9 years old daughter at the Grannies in germany.
as the shit show started, i switched it to a 3 weeks quicky over christmas and new years.
but now i canceled all together, as my parents are 78 and 84, so i do not want to pass through the busy airports PC and Frankfurt and straight to hug my parents, putting the ole folks at any risk.
they are isolated at a nice house with big property, spacy garden, can do their anyways prime work, gardening, so the only thing missing is to do shopping themselfs, which is since 10 weeks done by my 2 sisters and BIL's, living just around 6km away.
so we keep ém in comfy home quarantine til a suitable solution, maybe next summer/fall 2021 a vaccine, is available, and then we will hit the party again.
but free ferry flights for expats living full time in the DR with their whole DR family, I dont see the need for that.

 

[tht]

So that is you on the beach with the Cubana and the Colombiana.

La Venezolana huyo corriendo a la captal.

 

[Chirimoya]

hahaha, bueno.
y que esperaron estos?
que en la Base Aerea se lo cambiaron todas las instalaciones anteriores en equipos nuevos para la comodidad de los que deciden ahora, en medio de pandemia, a regresar "a casa"?
ellos sabia exactamente que tipo de servicio y acomodacion de esperar cuandom decidian de ir a RD en este moment.
tambien podrian decidir quedarse de a donde estaban.
hwy the fock people always claim to awaitin a different country to receive all stuff by the standards they are used to in an other country?
let them pay 5 bucks per bottle of water.

The person I know of was a 16-year old Dominican girl returning early from her student exchange year at the decision of the organisers. Would you have wanted your young daughter to stay in those conditions unaccompanied for two weeks? With all the hotels in the Boca Chica area wouldn't it make more sense for the authorities to requisition their installations for this purpose? Personally I wouldn't demand five-star comforts but at least basic hygiene and safety, or the option to self-isolate at home.

 

[windeguy]

here I personally totally disagree.
thats what each has his/her country for, to assist in exceptional cases, to take care about it's citizens under non foreseable circumstances.
US flights brought into the DR tourist passengers even 1 !!! day before the since days announced/known closure of the borders.
when a country allows his people to go "there", then it also has to offer a plan to go back "home".
never leave a citizen behind, thats what the priority under such situations should be, and for most countries anyways is.
the costs of such ferry flights, doesnt matter how few citizens are brought home per flight,
are a complete unimportant value to any country's yearly/monthly/daily stupid unimportant stuff expensions.
if you say that ferry flights should not be run by the different countries on their tax payers expense,
then you can say that at the moment you leave your home country(doesnt matter where you are from),
from that monet you are always on your onw and have no rights to anything by your home country.

Then I disagree with respect to ferry flights being paid by a government. I believe in personal responsibility. You leave your country, you take your chances based upon whatever happens while you are gone.

That said, every country has the right to decide on this in their own way how they deal with citizens stranded outside of their borders. If Bahrain wants to pay for their citizens flights back home, more power to them, for example.

As for extending the lack of free ferry flights to citizens rights, those are unrelated issues. A ferry flight is not a "right".

 

[windeguy]

Currently 7 day lockup for returning citizens

Which makes no sense at all based upon what we know about the incubation period of the virus.

 

[windeguy]

I would love to know at what point they actually pull folks out of their homes and remand them to isolation facilities.

When they test positive, as I understand it.

 

[windeguy]

I'd have no problem self isolating for two weeks en la casa. Two weeks in a covid hotel would suck though.

If there is isolation, it won't be at home. It would be at a government location, as you say, a Covid Hotel.

 

[windeguy]

And it will be internal before external. The DR has plenty of resources to get by without the all u can eat buffet drunkards.

Buses, guaguas, public cars

1. Incoming flights need to open.
2. Returning flights need to open.
3. Requirements each way needs to be clear
4. Different Countries may have different requirements.
5. Social and health interaction standards may change by law, both ends.
6. Given how people react, how many are expected to comply and the cost to try to enforce vs let the virus spread.
7. Tourist and "others" don't have a very good track record of being nothing other then selfish. It's all about "ME!".

When the shut down ends, the virus will spread more quickly. That is how pandemics work.
The shut down was done to do one thing, limit the number of cases so health care would not be overwhelmed.
A shut down does not stop a pandemic because people will not shut down for very long.

 

[AlterEgo]

Then I disagree with respect to ferry flights being paid by a government. I believe in personal responsibility. You leave your country, you take your chances based upon whatever happens while you are gone.

That said, every country has the right to decide on this in their own way how they deal with citizens stranded outside of their borders. If Bahrain wants to pay for their citizens flights back home, more power to them, for example.

As for extending the lack of free ferry flights to citizens rights, those are unrelated issues. A ferry flight is not a "right".

Are you saying some of the ferry flights were free? We paid Jet Blue for ours. And STILL waiting for United to refund us.

 

[Onions/Carrots]

I would not be surprised that when they do allow folks to return to the island they impose a 14 day quarantime like many other places are doing. At least in the beginning. That would make a 2 week casual trip pointless.

LOL the DR is a 3rd world country. There are no rules. Just bribe them by lowballing. Don't be the stupid tourist that pays more than you have to.

Probably separate room for infected and not infected people including separate bathroom etc. In other words a normal middle class family house/apartment or better.

You can't achieve herd immunity like that. I'm going to have to talk to Danilo personally on this. We want herd immunity.

 

[Yourmaninvegas]

The question of when(not if) the DR opens borders is risk assessment trade off the DRGOV has to make that balances the need for employment of people in the tourist industry and hard currency against the risk to the greater population of the country (not island). Not only do I not have an idea of when that should be. I am glad I do not have to sit in the big chair and make that decision.
I feel there was a very good example on a micro level of this sort of trade off made when the Captain of a US Navy ship said to his commanding officer "we are not at war". Point being he would have continued to sail into harms way and put his crew at risk if the goal was important enough. He decided it was not.
Here in the DR international tourism is about money. Risking the health of others in order to make money. Now I ask, when is it time to do that?

 

[Cdn_Gringo]

Reopening the borders for tourism should be a low priority. If the DR has not learned their lesson to significantly diversify their economy beyond tourism from this experience, then that message is probably lost for the ages. Not something that can happen overnight and will require a concerted persistent Govt effort. There will be another pandemic someday, another devastating hurricane and don't forget the major earthquake that is long overdue with the potential to shut down the resorts again.

We are going to be able to watch this 2nd potential CV19 DR fiasco unfold in two week installments. In between we can discuss how bad or how good the next phase will be. With no recognized treatments, with no vaccine and without immunity spread broadly across the population, deliberately importing foreign virus shedders no matter how badly the revenue is needed makes zero sense from a public health perspective. I can get onboard with legit business travelers needing to come for short periods to do business, with family reunification and for legal residents who intend to stay long term but I cannot fathom a desire to turn over the population of Punta Cana every two weeks for the sake of foreign hoteliers who do add a lot to the economy but also take a larger chunk of that revenue and move it offshore.

Coincidentally, two weeks being a popular length for a vacation stay is just enough time to get locals and foreigns alike sick only to send them home and bring in a fresh batch of virus shedders to keep the wheels of the infection machine greased. Since we have to get going again, "we" should limit the local population to what it is, achieve a stable level of immunity, whatever that is going to look like, before we even consider importing more virus. You know the media will be watching closely and stories of covidiots traveling and bringing the virus back to their own country is not going to play well for those places that are facilitating this type of cultural exchange.

In my opinion, int'l leisure travel except within specific geographic boundaries (within the EU or with Canada/USA for example) is done for now. Even if the DR resorts open, there will not be enough tourists to make the effort economically viable anywhere near approaching the time before the pandemic. Policies and protocols around travel in the home countries will most likely dissuade all but the most determined to stay within their own borders for a good while yet - at least until the whole family has gotten sick and recovered.

 

[Mcinbrass]

The Dominican Republic is not an island.

When you come to DR you are coming to an Island. Your condescending tone is not appreciated.

 

[Mcinbrass]

Do not count on any inbound tourism flights for a while. Even if they want the income the won't do it.

Why not?

 

[MikeFisher]

Which makes no sense at all based upon what we know about the incubation period of the virus.

anyways, where is written that they reduced the former 14 days quarantne down to just 7 days qyarantine?
just curious, because the only place i read about 7 days quarantine is this post here.
it always was a 14 days of quarantine.

 

[MikeFisher]

If there is isolation, it won't be at home. It would be at a government location, as you say, a Covid Hotel.

no, many positivetested people are isolated/in quarantine at home.
only the ones who's homes are not adequate for quarantine are brought to isloation facilities
and of course the ones in bad shape to a clinic with isolation station.

 

[Africaida]

anyways, where is written that they reduced the former 14 days quarantne down to just 7 days qyarantine?
just curious, because the only place i read about 7 days quarantine is this post here.
it always was a 14 days of quarantine.

I wondered the same thing...It was for first hand account.
But why 7 days when it is 14 days everywhere else on the planet ? Might as well not quarantine since symptoms are supposed to manifest themselves after 2 weeks.

 

[karmatourer]

Canada has 2 ferry flights...... last was 10 days ago - they might be done

US continues - JetBlue (JFK).... UAL has announced only 2 flights to EWR... just 2

All sorts of Euros beefing about no flights for them......

Slim Pickens - for flights - not the rodeo star (no relation to T. Boone)

United is resuming daily flights the 1st week of July to EWR with absurdly high prices the first few days and then closer to normal to my destination.And those prices drop again in July. My experience booking an upscale hotel in July was the prices increased $125 for the week, overnight. And the airfare increased $20 for the same flight, overnight. As most folks here know, airfares are dynamic and possibly even moreso now.

 

[karmatourer]

I would not be surprised that when they do allow folks to return to the island they impose a 14 day quarantime like many other places are doing. At least in the beginning. That would make a 2 week casual trip pointless.

Hawaii is and has been doing it and countries are doing quarantines on arrival according on where you originated.

 

[karmatourer]

Mike,
My daughter's novio (UK citizen) has contacted his Embassy....
they are of NO help.... amny Brits are complaining about this - all over the world
India & Pakistan are getting UK ferry flights - that's it

As Windy says... few gov'ts are willing to help

There have been close to a hundred repatriation flights so far. If someone follows the aviation and airline forums as I do, the info is there. Its something I still do after 32 years in the industry.