ANDan open letter addressed to the Minister of Health, the Minister of Education and Director-General Health, subscribers say that the XTravel issued today a statement that “refuses to cancel the finalist trip / Festival Village (FV2020)” to Punta Umbría, between 28 March and 03 of April, “which enrolls about 10,000 students who paid 475 euros for the trip and another 120 [euros] for a concert ticket “.
“In view of the concerns of the parents who requested the cancellation of the trip, the agency refuses to assume this responsibility and responds with a proposal, with four hypotheses, none of which contemplating the return of the monies already paid by the students”, reads in the published letter, at 19:00, on the social network Facebbok, counting, at 23:00, with more than 1,000 comments.
In a statement published in the Facebook that triggered the reaction of guardians, the travel agency recalls that “there are contractual links that link the Xtravel to event organizers and, in turn, to hotel, transport, production, artist, service providers, among others, and who aim and aim to guarantee the production of the FV2020 responsibly “.
THE XTravel adds that “it is not unrelated to the conditions surrounding the health of its customers and the inherent risks, prioritizing above all their safety and well-being”, but asks all customers to express, as of 10:00 on Wednesday through access to area client, which is the desired option of the four provided.
The options are participation in the trip, according to the contracted, between 28 March to 03 April 2020, participation in the event, but in December this year (16 to 22 December), or the cancellation of the registration with a refund of 30% of the amount already paid, for customers who have paid the entire travel package within the established deadlines.
The fourth option is to cancel the registration with a credit corresponding to 50% of the amount already paid, for customers who have paid the entire travel package, within the established deadlines, for use in other products of the Xtravel, such as trips to other destinations, excluding and editing the FV2021.
The travel agency stresses that customers who do not comment by 11:59 pm on Thursday March) “lose the right to change, thus remaining in the contractual condition they were in at the time”.
“These gentlemen, shielding themselves that the Government has not closed borders or banned travel, refuse to fulfill their obligation to their parents and, above all, their civic duty to a world that faces a pandemic“, says the parents’ open letter.
“In view of the seriousness of this situation, we, the parents, call for a clear position on the part of the Government and health authorities of this country, refusing to be held hostage to the economic interests of an agency with no civic sense and admitting to move forward with a action collective in court, “reads.
On 27 February, the Prime Minister stated that it is necessary to act withoutsingle unnecessary “in the question of the new coronavirus, said that, at that time, there was no need to close borders or schools, but advised against student trips in time of Easter.
“There is an international coordination that has been adopted identifying what good practices are and what each country should do and this is how we should act, without pasingle unnecessary, but also unconscious of not realizing that there is obviously a risk, “said António Costa.
“Are health authorities going to allow a concentration of 10,000 students, divided into rooms of three and four people? Will the Ministry of Health allow a travel agency to carry out an event that could translate into thousands of students infected or at the very least, quarantined? Can the health authorities ask the Portuguese every day for containment measures and agree with this trip, in the middle of an epidemic outbreak? “, Ask the parents in the letter.
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