Locked-down vacay: 200 Dutch tourists arrive in Rhodes to test safe holidays amid COVID

Nearly 200 Dutch tourists arrived on the Greek island of Rhodes to have a 10 day holiday in Greece looking forward to voluntarily quarantine at a resort. The group escaped the eight-day lockdown in the Netherlands imposed for containment of the new surge of COVID-19. As many as 25,000 Dutch tourists signed for the government experiment to spend a week in Greece in confinement for what they described a ‘covid vacation’ as the summers set in. The government introduced the staycation to see if safe tourism can thrive during the coronavirus pandemic that requires the arrivals to quarantine at the luxury hotels and resorts. 

According to Euronews, the travellers, all aged between 18 to 70, were asked to quarantine at the five-star beach-front Mitsis Grand Hotel, they had all, although, diagnosed negative to the COVID-19 PCR test. An all-inclusive stay was allotted to them to isolate and were even allowed to swim at the private pools of the resort, but prohibited to leave the premises or visit the Mediterranean Sea beaches.  The Netherlands entered lockdown in November, last year, and had since left several measures activated to curb the variant surge. The country, however, plans to ease the restrictions in a phased manner by mid-May for tourism to pick up. 

Greece’s government ran a ‘hotel quarantine’ pilot program earlier this month initiated by Dutch operator Sunweb in collaboration with the Netherlands government. The scheme attracted flak on social media with residents describing the covid vacation in the likeness of a prison. Some argued that the tourists under strict confinement would only be “looking at the walls.” Some noted that the government’s scheme resembled a ‘camp’. Regardless, the tourists arrived at the Aegean island of Rhodes on Monday wearing face masks and carrying their luggage excited to quarantine at Rhodes resort. The quarantine was arranged at the Mitsis Grand Hotel Beach, which recently resumed operation in a “grand reopening” after a prolonged closure of the hospitality sector to mitigate the virus spread and deter the tourists from travelling.

“We have just opened our doors and we are ready to welcome you all back to the only 5* ultra all-inclusive sea-front hotel at the heart of Rhode,” the quarantine resort wrote in an Instagram post. 

Negative PCR test mandatory

Each room where the dutch tourist will isolate had an Aegean sea view from the balcony and the resort dons infinity pool on its terrace. The property, however, prohibited the guests from mixing with other tourists and strictly staying within their quarters. The room cost €399 (£345) each, and the tourists told Greece’s public broadcaster Open TV that isolation at Rhodes was a better option as many did not have a pool facility or a view back at their homes. Tourists entered Greece with negative Covid-19 tests taken at least 3 days before their departure from the homeland country.