All participants who took part in the test holiday to Rhodes have tested negative for the coronavirus and can now fly back to the Netherlands, according to travel organisation Sunweb, who helped organise the initiative alongside low-cost airline Transavia.
The pilot project, in which 188 holidaymakers spent eight days on the island in Greece, but were not allowed to leave their resort, is hoped to provide information on how holidays can resume during the coronavirus pandemic.
“The all-inclusive holiday should provide a wealth of information for the travel industry on how to safely holiday while the coronavirus is still circulating,” said Sunweb’s director, Mattijs ten Brink.
Sunweb is in favour of organising a similar initiative in Belgium, where the non-essential travel ban was lifted on Monday.
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Originally, 189 people were selected from the over 25,000 people who applied. They had to present a negative test before departing to Rhodes, which found that one person who was expected to join the group tested positive.
During the stay, four travellers tested positive, after which they and their roommates had to go into quarantine. No one tested positive after new tests were taken before their return flight to the Netherlands, according to reports from VRT News.
Upon arrival, everyone will have to quarantine for five days, after which they can either continue with their quarantine for another five days or undergo another rapid test. If they receive another negative result, they can return back to their normal lives.
The participants will not be checked on whether they comply with the quarantine.
Lauren Walker
The Brussels Times
