Covid surging in Bonaire

[tursiops]

If I or my husband test positive on arrival (if done) or on the 5 day test will the spouse be required to quarantine for the duration?

Can isolation be completed at our rental or alternative rental of our choice? This would be ideal since I could stay where I have already paid and with a kitchen. Or if at end of stay, a cheap alternative also with a kitchen.

Apparently Yes, but it seems to be negotiable.

Not all places have set-aside space for quarantinees (is that a word?). The bigger resorts do, but private rentals may need to kick you out to let the next renters come in. It appears from reports on the FB/Bonaire/Covid group that you have to find your own quarantine place if where you are cannot support it.

BonaireCrisis.com has definitions of quarantine and isolation, they are not quite the same:

 

[NDL_Diver]

Most of the info to respond is found throughout this thread if you read through. Admittedly it is a few pages long.

Test specificity and sensitivity rates are given by the manufacturers and are done under ideal conditions. This was certainly the case when covid tests first hit the market.

Yes, false positives on antigen tests are rare but they do happen. That is why a confirmatory retest, idealy PCR, is recommended when possible. There is one known instance of a test recall related to false positives but more typically false positives are technique related and can include cross contamination and simple human error.

It seems, per other posters, that the “PCR” test given in Bonaire is the Abbott ID now test and results are known in less than an hour.

Yes, one day can make a difference but for 9 out of 40? Not saying it can’t happen but it seems quite notable. Especially when going from PCR to antigen. I would more easily accept the reverse.

But if you received a positive on the antigen test to fly home, would you not retest yourself? 1st thing I would do is go to another lab and retest. If negative, fly home.
Seems likely they would have retested. Seems likely they were positive. Seems likely they, since they were part of a group, infected each other.
Occam's razor.

 

[uncfnp]

But if you received a positive on the antigen test to fly home, would you not retest yourself? 1st thing I would do is go to another lab and retest. If negative, fly home.
Seems likely they would have retested. Seems likely they were positive. Seems likely they, since they were part of a group, infected each other.
Occam's razor.

Hmm. Not sure your point. My response was to request a retest which you seem to agree with. I have no info beyond that.

 

[scubadada]

Just back from a group dive trip to Bonaire over New Years. Two people in our group and 8-10 in another US group tested positive. At first they were saying we all needed to quarantine 5 days even if we tested negative. This was two days before our scheduled departure. After a day in quarantine and some pressure from the US consulate those who tested negative on another test were released from quarantine. i made it home and felt fortunate that we only missed one day of diving.

Divi Flamingo.

Speaking of my earlier post above, our dive shop travel coordinator just told me that she had had 40 people in Bonaire last week (Fully Vaccinated) and 9 tested POSITIVE the day before they were supposed to come back and are now “enjoying” quarantine.

As I said previously, international travelers better be prepared for an “extended stay” as it’s currently more likely to test positive than at any other time in the pandemic to date, I’d say.

If you choose to venture out to international destinations, make sure that you have proper Covid travel insurance that covers hotel, medical bills, meals etc… or you could be on the hook for some large, unexpected expenses!

There was a report posted on Undercurrent yesterday describing the larger group at Divi Flamingo. I don't know if this is the same group mentioned by @Joneill as their accommodations are not yet posted. I do not feel at liberty to post the Undercurrent report. If you are a member, you can view it in its entirety.

In brief, there was a group of 42 divers who traveled to Bonaire for a week trip, Dec 29-Jan 5, and stayed at Divi Flamingo. They had the required negative NAAT test before travel and took the self-test given on arrival. Apparently 11 of the 42 turned Covid +. It looks like it was on the day 5 NAAT test, but the report is not perfectly written. The group was put into quarantine at Divi. There was retesting, method not designated, and all but 11 were allowed to leave as planned. The 11 remained in quarantine at Divi, food was delivered to the room. Apparently, the last of them left Bonaire yesterday.

 

[drrich2]

I'm not sure how he'll get home...does he have to satisfy the requirements of Switzerland, Mexico, the airlines and any countries he has to connect in just so he can get home?

In the U.S. for some travel, it's my understanding one can travel with a physician's letter stating the person had COVID-19 and is fully recovered. This is important because a PCR test may test positive for a long time after acute infection in some people.

I wonder whether one could get something similar done on Bonaire, or in some other places? After a given number of asymptomatic days? If so, would persistently testing positive on an antigen test still be grounds for light refusal, etc...?

Spending an unplanned extra week holed up on a hotel room on a Caribbean island eating delivery food is one thing; if we start talking about a month, that's another thing...

 

[uncfnp]

In the U.S. for some travel, it's my understanding one can travel with a physician's letter stating the person had COVID-19 and is fully recovered. This is important because a PCR test may test positive for a long time after acute infection in some people.

I wonder whether one could get something similar done on Bonaire, or in some other places? After a given number of asymptomatic days? If so, would persistently testing positive on an antigen test still be grounds for light refusal, etc...?

Spending an unplanned extra week holed up on a hotel room on a Caribbean island eating delivery food is one thing; if we start talking about a month, that's another thing...

It would seem logical, since this is a US requirement, that any conditions that meet those requirements would be accepted including the 5 day, no fever and sx improvement with the addition of letter to travel. So again, using that logic, ideally a letter from Bonaire Health that conditions were met. I wonder as an alternative if it would be possible to do a telehealth visit with a US doctor and get an email letter of release.

 

[O-ring]

In the U.S. for some travel, it's my understanding one can travel with a physician's letter stating the person had COVID-19 and is fully recovered. This is important because a PCR test may test positive for a long time after acute infection in some people.

I wonder whether one could get something similar done on Bonaire, or in some other places? After a given number of asymptomatic days? If so, would persistently testing positive on an antigen test still be grounds for light refusal, etc...?

Spending an unplanned extra week holed up on a hotel room on a Caribbean island eating delivery food is one thing; if we start talking about a month, that's another thing...

Agreed. Not only do you have to deal with the stress of possibly testing positive and missing your trip, but then there's the stress at the tail end of the trip when you start wondering whether or not you will test positive and get to go home. Since the situation is so fluid and countries are changing their policies so rapidly you also can't guarantee that the situation you thought you were facing when you left home (testing requirements, quarantine durations, etc.) will be the same at the tail end of your trip when you try to fly back home.

 

[tbriggsnh]

Just want to make sure I understand. It looks like 42 divers arrived on Wednesday and 11 went into quarantine (allowed brief walks outside but not allowed to dive) on Monday.

Thirty-one dove on Monday & Tuesday then flew home on Wednesday.

Eleven divers remained in quarantine from Monday until the following Monday although some of them may have cleared and flew home between Thursday and Monday.

Am I reading that right?

 

[scubadada]

Just want to make sure I understand. It looks like 42 divers arrived on Wednesday and 11 went into quarantine (allowed brief walks outside but not allowed to dive) on Monday.

Thirty-one dove on Monday & Tuesday then flew home on Wednesday.

Eleven divers remained in quarantine from Monday until the following Monday although some of them may have cleared and flew home between Thursday and Monday.

Am I reading that right?

What are you reading, the Undercurrent report? Your post has little resemblance to mine. I do not see some of your details in the Undercurrent report either

Day 5 was Monday, it looks like they got their day 5 test early in the morning. Their boat was brought back to the dock after dive 1, after Divi was notified. It appears that everyone in the group was quarantined until after the retest. There is no information regarding additionl diving on Monday or Tuesday. The 11 that were maintained in quarantine were apparently, not allowed outside of their rooms, even on their patios.

Read the Undercurrent report if you are able.

 

[tursiops]

There was a report posted on Undercurrent yesterday

Where are you seeing this? I can't find anything....