AMSTERDAM - Travel agency Corendon is working on a plan to test tourists on corona before departure. The organization says that vacation in a resort and a meter and a half away is not compatible, unless you are sure that no one is infected.
Steven van der Heijden, CEO Corendon: “A holiday where you have to keep 1.5 metres apart or wear mouth masks is not a holiday for us. We want our customers to be able to move freely during their holiday and we will take care of that from 26 June. Both during the flight and at the hotel, our guests can relax and be pampered as much as under normal circumstances. The only restriction is that guests cannot leave the resort because we can no longer guarantee their safety. Experience has shown, however, that many customers often do not leave the resort during their holidays, because it offers everything; both culinary and in the field of animation. We, therefore, assume that the majority of our holidaymakers would like to do this again to be able to celebrate a carefree holiday again.”
The tour operator has set up a test street in its Corendon City hotel in Amsterdam in recent weeks. Hundreds of Corendon employees volunteered last weekend for a rapid test to demonstrate the presence of antibodies to COVID-19. Experienced medical teams perform the tests and the results are assessed by qualified doctors. If this trial is successful, everyone will be able to make a reservation from Wednesday 13 May to undergo this test. This test is not the same as the test that will soon be offered to holidaymakers. The antibody test shows whether people have been in contact with the coronavirus and have therefore developed a certain immunity; the corona test that will soon be offered to holidaymakers shows the presence of the virus itself.
Holidaymakers will soon be tested at the Corendon Village Hotel, near Schiphol, shortly before the flight’s departure. After that, Corendon ensures that holidaymakers stay in a protective environment as much as possible. This means that the bus drivers of the transfer to Schiphol, pilots and cabin crew of Corendon Dutch Airlines and the employees of the hotel are also regularly tested for corona. During the flight, normal service can also be provided and holidaymakers can travel without a mask. Nor do they need to be kept 1.5 metres away from each other. The costs for the test are approximately € 50 per person.
Corendon hopes to be able to organize all-inclusive trips starting the end of July. The travel agency was initially supposed to have half a million people go on vacation this year. That will now be a maximum of 300,000. So many tests are needed.
