What if I/we test positive prior to return to the US?

[Jake 10]

@Outbound suggested the following at the other thread and I agree as a start-up plan : and I quote"

" .. Arrange accommodations for a place that allows no-fee cancelations as late as possible, with potential stay starting on the day you are supposed to depart for US. US policy is that you need a negative test three days prior to the day of departure, which effectively means four days before the day of departure. The CDC webpage gives the example that a person due to depart on a Friday can take his/her test as early as the Tuesday before. Take the test as early as possible. If you test negative, cancel the hotel reservations. If positive, then you'll be staying a while longer. "

 

[Martijn]

I know of guests who are staying at Plaza at the moment being tested positive. They are required to stay inside of their room, and they are having a guard sitting outside.

Of course the room needs to be payed. It is not Bonaire paying for it, so it comes from your own pocket, or maybe if you're lucky your travel insurance?

 

[O-ring]

I know of guests who are staying at Plaza at the moment being tested positive. They are required to stay inside of their room, and they are having a guard sitting outside.

Of course the room needs to be payed. It is not Bonaire paying for it, so it comes from your own pocket, or maybe if you're lucky your travel insurance?

I looked back at the DiveAssure policy I bought for Turks and depending on the level of insurance you buy it pays $75/day, $100/day or $125/day for "covid 19 related quarantine expenses". I don't remember what a night at the Plaza runs, but I am guessing quite a bit more than that. Still, not too shabby for a $100 policy.

 

[BoltSnap]

I know of guests who are staying at Plaza at the moment being tested positive. They are required to stay inside of their room, and they are having a guard sitting outside.

Of course the room needs to be payed. It is not Bonaire paying for it, so it comes from your own pocket, or maybe if you're lucky your travel insurance?

Ouch, and the Plaza isn't cheap at all AFAIK.

 

[Lorenzoid]

Looking at insurance policies that cover quarantining after testing positive, I see things like this: "A confirmed diagnosis and proof of illness from a physician is required."

I looked back at the DiveAssure policy I bought for Turks and depending on the level of insurance you buy it pays $75/day, $100/day or $125/day for "covid 19 related quarantine expenses". I don't remember what a night at the Plaza runs, but I am guessing quite a bit more than that. Still, not too shabby for a $100 policy.

For me, the Elite plan (the one that pays $125/day up to a maximum of $1250) the quote was $134--probably depends on one's age. Also, I note these provisions:

9.2.2 There will be a 20% co-insurance in case of a Covid-19 related cancellation or curtailment.
9.2.3 For coverage to apply, the program must be purchased at least 14 days before your Trip Departure Date. This condition can be waived if you are departing within 14 days of purchasing this coverage, as long as you have a negative Covid-19 test taken within 48 hours of when you purchased this coverage.

If I understand "co-insurance," that means I'm responsible for 20% of quarantine expenses right off the top. Also, I'm leaving next week, so I can't meet the "14 days before Your Trip Departure Date" condition unless they were to grant me a waiver, which I wouldn't know until I have already purchased the coverage and gotten a Covid-19 test within the next 48 hours, if I'm reading this correctly.

I'm looking at policy from Allianz that includes an Epidemic Coverage Endorsement, but it quoted me almost twice what Diveassure did.

 

[O-ring]

Looking at insurance policies that cover quarantining after testing positive, I see things like this: "A confirmed diagnosis and proof of illness from a physician is required."


For me, the Elite plan (the one that pays $125/day up to a maximum of $1250) the quote was $134--probably depends on one's age. Also, I note these provisions:

9.2.2 There will be a 20% co-insurance in case of a Covid-19 related cancellation or curtailment.
9.2.3 For coverage to apply, the program must be purchased at least 14 days before your Trip Departure Date. This condition can be waived if you are departing within 14 days of purchasing this coverage, as long as you have a negative Covid-19 test taken within 48 hours of when you purchased this coverage.

If I understand "co-insurance," that means I'm responsible for 20% of quarantine expenses right off the top. Also, I'm leaving next week, so I can't meet the "14 days before Your Trip Departure Date" condition unless they were to grant me a waiver, which I wouldn't know until I have already purchased the coverage and gotten a Covid-19 test within the next 48 hours, if I'm reading this correctly.

I'm looking at policy from Allianz that includes an Epidemic Coverage Endorsement, but it quoted me almost twice what Diveassure did.

The fine print is one of the reasons I self-insure for most things. Turks said I had to have it so I bought it. I obviously didn't read it very well.

 

[Kimela]

Looking at insurance policies that cover quarantining after testing positive, I see things like this: "A confirmed diagnosis and proof of illness from a physician is required."


For me, the Elite plan (the one that pays $125/day up to a maximum of $1250) the quote was $134--probably depends on one's age. Also, I note these provisions:

9.2.2 There will be a 20% co-insurance in case of a Covid-19 related cancellation or curtailment.
9.2.3 For coverage to apply, the program must be purchased at least 14 days before your Trip Departure Date. This condition can be waived if you are departing within 14 days of purchasing this coverage, as long as you have a negative Covid-19 test taken within 48 hours of when you purchased this coverage.

If I understand "co-insurance," that means I'm responsible for 20% of quarantine expenses right off the top. Also, I'm leaving next week, so I can't meet the "14 days before Your Trip Departure Date" condition unless they were to grant me a waiver, which I wouldn't know until I have already purchased the coverage and gotten a Covid-19 test within the next 48 hours, if I'm reading this correctly.

I'm looking at policy from Allianz that includes an Epidemic Coverage Endorsement, but it quoted me almost twice what Diveassure did.

Dive Assure said they don't offer coverage where I'm going! I tried changing the country to Caribbean Netherlands too. Allianz is muddy in their wording - they'll cover, if your delay is long enough - with receipts up to a certain amount - without receipts up to a different amount - but no indication of what sort of lodging/food you might be looking at. Would it be at the place your'e staying? What if the Plaza has no rooms available? What if nobody on the island is willing to rent a room to someone who has tested positive for covid?

Still haven't heard back from the Plaza. I don't have a good feeling about this.

 

[Outbound]

Dive Assure said they don't offer coverage where I'm going! I tried changing the country to Caribbean Netherlands too. Allianz is muddy in their wording - they'll cover, if your delay is long enough - with receipts up to a certain amount - without receipts up to a different amount - but no indication of what sort of lodging/food you might be looking at. Would it be at the place your'e staying? What if the Plaza has no rooms available? What if nobody on the island is willing to rent a room to someone who has tested positive for covid?

Still haven't heard back from the Plaza. I don't have a good feeling about this.

View attachment 675936

While I think it is important to do your due diligence and to have a backup plan if possible, you should also keep in mind that your risk of contracting COVID while staying at the Plaza is very low. It's certainly not zero, but it's low. You can lower that risk even more by making sure you dine separately from others in your group, wearing a mask whenever you are close to people even while outdoors, etc. Our group usually gets a large table at the restaurant and we gather for meals. My wife and I won't be doing that this time; we'll be getting our own table away from other people. I'm contemplating wearing a mask on the dive boat, at least while everyone is boarding and getting their gear sorted and we aren't under way yet. Once under way there is a strong breeze to whisk away any viral particles. And we'll be taking our re-entry COVID tests three days before the day of our return. Why wait until the day before, giving you several more days of potential exposure?

Of course, the level of risk you are willing to assume is completely up to you. I'm just saying try not to let the risk/reward calculations get too skewed to the risk side given the actual probabilities.

 

[Kimela]

I just spoke with someone at the Plaza and here's what they said. If you test positive you are quarantined for 10 days and retested. Both the staff and the health department will call to check in on you. If there is availability at the Plaza you will stay there. The price has not yet been determined - they are in discussions within the hotel management about that issue. If they do not have availability they will move you to a location that has a kitchen so you can prepare your own meals. Don't know how you get groceries. If one person has tested negative they will be the contact person.

She also said that the people who have tested positive have been the folks who are not vaccinated.

I know there are still some missing answers, and I will probably call closer to our trip to get those filled in. But at least I know there will be food/lodging if I test positive and have to quarantine.

 

[Lorenzoid]

While I think it is important to do your due diligence and to have a backup plan if possible, you should also keep in mind that your risk of contracting COVID while staying at the Plaza is very low. It's certainly not zero, but it's low. You can lower that risk even more by . . .

Of course, the level of risk you are willing to assume is completely up to you. I'm just saying try not to let the risk/reward calculations get too skewed to the risk side given the actual probabilities.

This is what I was getting at in a previous post. For many years I have self-insured--that is, borne all the financial risk--for most travel risks, including so-called Trip Interruption--because I felt I had an rough intuitive grasp of how "low" the probability of me getting stuck somewhere was and the costs I might have to bear. But for Covid, especially the more transmissible (how much more?!) variant(s), I just don't feel I have a reasonable grasp of the risk. Before the rise of Delta, experts told us (at least as I recall it) that the likelihood of transmission while walking past people on a sidewalk was so low that we didn't need to be concerned about it. Same for open-air dining with well-spaced tables. Now, they are saying Delta is much more transmissible, but I haven't heard any similar real-world examples, such as walking past people on a sidewalk or dining outside. So I don't know how to judge the new probabilities. As for the costs, an unexpected night in a hotel and dinner is one thing, but 10 days at whatever resort on Bonaire might be willing to put up quarantiners is another. Pre-covid, paying $100 for mainly a Trip Interruption benefit didn't seem worthwhile to me. Now?

I'm fairly confident that being vaxed, I wouldn't have any serious symptoms if I were to test positive. But, as I understand it, even vaxed people can contract enough virus to test positive.