It is not a good idea to allow the infected young people who were in Spain with travel companies Summer Bash and Youth Travel to return to their families. That is what professor of general medicine Dirk Devroey said on Radio 2. He argues in favor of keeping them together.
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Two buses from travel organization Youth Travel with 122 infected young people on board, mainly minors, arrived in Belgium on Friday afternoon from the Spanish party destinations Lloret de Mar and Calella. Most of them got off in Ghent, another part rode along to Kontich. According to Youth Travel, the journey went smoothly, and no young people are seriously ill.
All young people must now all be in isolation for ten days. Family members who pick up the infected young person by definition become high-risk contacts. They must therefore also be quarantined and tested. This also applies to bus drivers who transport the young people.
The chance that the young people will infect family members is high. Professor of general practice Dirk Devroey therefore does not think it is a good idea to have their home quarantined.
“As soon as those young people arrive in our country, you can’t just let them go to their family,” he said on Radio 2. “We know that most infections happen within a family, then we are not going to let these young people return to their homes.” parents? In this way you create one of the largest sources of contamination out there.’
Where better to go then? Keep them together, says Devroey. ‘Actually they should go to some sort of camp for two weeks, all quarantined together and wait there until they are sure they are no longer infected. That way we can avoid 110 people, many of whom are probably super spreaders, from infecting a lot of other people.’
Don’t get off in France
The youth travel buses have been ready in Spain since Wednesday. Taking care of the necessary formalities turned out to be a real job. “We needed permission from the French authorities to drive through their territory with positively tested people,” says business manager Katrien Corens. They received that permission on Thursday afternoon, shortly before departure.
There were some conditions. The young people were not allowed to get out and were not allowed to sit near the drivers. They also have to wash their hands regularly and it is not possible to get off for a visit to the toilet. Once in Belgium they were allowed to get some fresh air.
Tested again
Negatively tested travelers who are in Spain with Youth Travel will fly back on Saturday with Brussels Airlines. Summer Bash hopes that three buses can leave for home on Friday, carrying the negatively tested young people.
The youngsters will be tested again before departure, but because the organization does self-tests and no official tests, the youngsters will be tested again at UZ Gent upon arrival in our country, Moonens has confirmed. The buses will make a stopover at UZ Gent on Saturday morning. The young people who then test positive must be in isolation. Anyone who tests negative must be quarantined as he or she has had a high-risk contact.
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