From what I have been told from clients who stayed at quarantine hotels, it appears that one is not confined to your room and are free to roam the premises, use the facilities, eat in the restaurant, drink at the bar, and mix with other residents. Masks are worn by staff and residents other than when eating and drinking. Not sure if guests are required to wear them by the pool or on the beach, if it is a seaside hotel. They are required to have a negative PCR test before their flight and on landing at airport and are escorted to the boat in a private bus which has been fully cleaned and decontaminated. I just got this back from the boat.
Hi Dom,
Just back to bali after indeed what was a fantastic cruise and experience with lovely people.
Well to answer your questions:
All the guests had received at least 2 jabs before coming
All the guests made a PCR test before leaving their country
All the guests made a PCR test just after landing in Manado
The crew is fully vaccinated and fully PCR tested between each cruise
During the cruise the boat has a quarantine flag: nobody is allowed to jump into the boat while no-one on board is allowed to interact with the locals. No visit on land.
The penultimate day of the cruise a team is coming on board to test everyone (new PCR and antigen tests that not only marks the end of the quarantine but the results will be used by the guests to fly back to their country).
When you put everything together, you understand that the chances to get sick during the cruise are very low but if someone is tested positive: then yes the procedure is to confine him/her in a cabin until he/she is led to a quarantine facility once back to the land or obviously to an hospital if needed.
I agree it may not be the perfect solution and those who choose to join a boat may have greater risk from the close proximity of other divers. However we have recently had clients on liveaboards in the Maldives, Galapagos, Malpelo, Socorro, Cocos, Bahamas, Fiji, Palau, Oman, Red Sea, French Polynesia, Turks & Caicos, Belize, and so far we have had just once case of someone who had mild symptoms just before they disembarked and tested positive and were asked to quarantine in a hotel room for 7 days. They never got very sick and were served meals in their room and visited by a doctor who declared them fit to travel after seven days.
I think that as long as such protocols are followed, that it is no less safe than being in one's home country or going out to work, where one may have an equal chance of catching something. I am one who is very cautious and I wear mask, wash hands and social distance in airports and on transport.
I feel very sad for the devastation this virus has caused so many people but I am also of the belief that all travel has risks - now maybe more so than ever before - but for the world to continue, we should get vaccinated and a 3rd jab and we should support those in most need.
I am happy to send more details of these programs to anyone who asks. We are an agent but they do not have to book it thru us. We can provide the information and people can make their onw decisions.
Hope you guys are able to get thru this sooner than later - we do understand your pain.