Home » Business » Covid and holidays with the quarantine nightmare. Tourists stuck, here are the rules

Covid and holidays with the quarantine nightmare. Tourists stuck, here are the rules

Stuck on vacation. The Delta variant has already forced many Italians to spend their holidays in quarantine or in isolation. In a refuge in Mezzoldo (the Madonna delle nevi), in the Bergamo area, seven young people, between 15 and 25 years old, tested positive for Covid and are under the control of some Ats Bergamo nurses. Consequently, since Thursday all those present in the structure – namely 56 people, including guests and staff of the shelter – are in isolation, for those who are positive for Coronavirus, and in quarantine for those who have been in close contact. The first to discover that he had been infected was a 22-year-old from Rome. All the guests of the structure were thus subjected to the swab and six other positives emerged. The doubt and fear that there were other cases among those present in the mountain structure had arisen immediately: no one however presented serious symptoms, nor was hospitalization necessary. The group of boys, who came from all over Italy to Mezzoldo, is made up of fifty young people, in addition to six other employees of the refuge. The young guests come from Verona, Monza and Brianza and also from Switzerland. It was the same Ats …

Stuck on vacation. There Delta variant has already forced many Italians to pass theirs holidays in quarantine or in solitary confinement. In a Mezzoldo refuge (the Madonna delle snow), in the Bergamo area, seven young people, between 15 and 25 years old, tested positive for Covid and are under the control of some Ats Bergamo nurses. Consequently, from Thursday everyone present in the facility – that is to sayand 56 people, including guests and refuge staff – I am in isolation, for those who are positive for Coronavirus, and in quarantine for those who have been in close contact. The first to discover that he had been infected was a 22-year-old from Rome. All the guests of the structure were thus subjected to the swab and six other positives emerged. The doubt and fear that there were other cases among those present in the mountain structure had arisen immediately: no one however presented serious symptoms, nor was hospitalization necessary.

The group of boys, who came from all over Italy to Mezzoldo, is made up of fifty young people, in addition to other sand the employees of the shelter. The young guests come from Verona, Monza and Brianza and also from Switzerland. It was Ats Bergamo itself who programmed the molecular swabs for all present, after having isolated the initially positive person on Thursday: since the guests of the mountain facility could not reach the nearest hospital, that of San Giovanni Bianco, on their own, it was the Ats technicians who went to Mezzoldo to monitor the case. Investigations were also started to reconstruct his contacts and thus trace any positivity among those who have had to do, in recent days, with the 22-year-old Roman. Reason for which the Ats and the Local Health Authorities of the Municipalities where all the subjects who tested positive live were also notified.

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by Luca Bolognini

The nightmare of anyone who goes on vacation. What happens to those who become infected or come into contact with a positive while they are hundreds of kilometers from home or even abroad? Should I be quarantined even if I am already vaccinated? Let’s try to do some clarity.

Quarantine and isolation

Meanwhile, we must distinguish between these two terms. A healthy person ends up in quarantine when it is a close contact (to fall into this category it is enough to have been for more than 15 minutes less than two meters away from a positive) of someone who has contracted Covid. Isolation, on the other hand, is the period that people affected by Sars-Cov-2 must spend separated from the rest of the community.

How long does the isolation last

Asymptomatic people who have tested positive can return to the community after a period of isolation of at least 10 days from the appearance of the positivity (of which, if symptomatic, at least the last 3 days without symptoms). Before returning to normal life, however, a swab (rapid or molecular) must be carried out, which must give a negative result. Those who continue to test positive, the so-called ‘Long Covid’, will be able to stop isolation after twenty-one days, if they have had no symptoms in the past seven. Those who have contracted a variant other than the English one will be able to interrupt the isolation only after the negativization of the molecular test has taken place.

How long is the quarantine

The close contacts of a positive must alert their doctor, who will advise or provide directions to contact the prevention department of the competent ASL or Ats, which will arrange the quarantine and surveillance. In general, you can return to the community after a quarantine period of at least 10 days from the last exposure to the case, at the end of which a swab (rapid or molecular) is performed with negative results or after fourteen days without developing symptoms.

The quarantine for the vaccinated

At the moment, the same rules apply as for non-vaccinated people and for those who have received only the first injection or single-dose serum for less than 14 days. According to the latest indications, the government will shorten the quarantine period from ten to seven days.

Isolation on vacation

For asymptomatic people, home isolation is triggered: it is necessary to avoid contact with other family members and remain, if possible, in a single room, without receiving visits. In theory, you could also stay in your hotel, but it is easier for the health authorities to arrange the transfer to one of the so-called Covid hotels. Under no circumstances can you return to your home, even if you would make the journey with your own car. Employees can turn the holiday period into sickness.

The quarantine on vacation

Anyone identified as a close contact of a Covid positive will have to observe the quarantine period. This means that if you take a plane and there is a person who has contracted the Coronavirus on board, once you receive the notification you will have to remain closed in your home or hotel for at least ten days from the last exposure. You cannot return to your home, even if you would travel with your own car. Employees can turn the holiday period into sickness.

What if i’m abroad

If you test positive or are identified with a close contact, the revocation of the Green pass is immediately triggered. Obviously you will not be able to return to Italy immediately, but you will have to follow the specific anti-contagion rules of the country you are in. In most cases you will be placed in a Covid hotel or similar structure almost always (but not in all cases) at the expense of the host state. In any case, you can receive assistance from the Italian Embassy.

Who pays the costs if they are abroad

It depends on the rules of the country you are in and on the agreements signed with Italy. This is why it is always a good idea to take out insurance that covers expenses (medical and repatriation) in case you decide to go on vacation abroad.

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