The timing couldn’t be worse: You’re enjoying your first trip abroad since the pandemic began and suddenly your Covid-19 rapid test comes back positive. In view of the persistent spread of the Omicron variant, getting infected with the coronavirus is still a real possibility at any time, including when travelling.
What happens next when you test positive while on holiday depends on a number of factors – such as which country you are in or the severity of your symptoms. It also makes a difference whether the trip is organised by a tour operator or whether you are travelling independently.
Here are some answers to the most important questions.
Of course, no one will learn about the result of a self-administered rapid antigen test, unless you choose to share that information. “But if I go to a test centre, I have to expect that the positive result will be reported to the authorities,” says Thorsten Muth from the German company A3M, which provides early warnings on travel during times of crisis.
Some destinations require a test immediately after entry. If it comes back positive, government agencies are usually informed automatically. That’s the case in Malaysia, Thailand and Abu Dhabi, for example, according to Muth.
“Then you may have to go into government-monitored quarantine,” says the travel expert, adding that in such cases, “you run the risk of missing your vacation.”
Or at least part of it.
Most countries have different approaches to how they handle an official positive test taken by someone on vacation, according to Muth. In Spain, for example, there were hotlines that those affected should call. In Portugal, you were contacted by the authorities. However, it can be difficult for the authorities to trace anyone who takes an official test and only gives their e-mail address.
With a positive result from a self-administered test, “you might just fall through the cracks,” Muth says. In some countries, people with symptoms are simply advised to isolate. Sometimes it’s not even possible to take an official test, depending on testing capacity. How to deal with a positive test result therefore becomes a question for your own judgment.
Many travellers who test positive with a rapid antigen test are unlikely to have any contact with the authorities. If you have booked a package holiday, the tour operator is primarily responsible.
Tour operators are guided by the requirements of the destination country. Travel agency Tui, for example, accommodates guests with positive test results in Turkey, Greece and Italy in a special wing of the hotel or a quarantine hotel. However, in Spain, Austria and Germany guests are allowed to quarantine in their own room.
Munich-based operator Studiosus says it isolates affected guests and looks after them while they are ill. “For example, we make sure that our guest has sufficient food,” says CEO Edwin Doldi. The company also takes care of flight re-bookings, if necessary.
“Our advice is, of course, to consistently isolate,” says Thorsten Muth. The best place to do this is usually one’s hotel room. How to get food then becomes one of the first questions to be clarified, especially for families.
“The basic supplies are needed,” says the expert, adding that you should ask the hotel for help if there are no other options, which then usually delivers food to your door.
This varies from country to country. The trend is generally toward shorter quarantine periods – often down from 14 to 10 or seven days. “Sweden and Greece, for example, have mandated only five days,” Muth says. “That already makes a big difference. If I’m somewhere for three weeks, 14 days of quarantine is awful, but five days I can manage.”
When self-isolating in your hotel room for several days, you might be tempted to go for a short walk with your mask on. Surely, getting a quick bite to eat from the vendor across the street won’t harm anyone?
Travel health expert Thomas Jelinek from Berlin disagrees: “You can infect anyone with whom you come into contact.”
Although the risk of transmission outdoors while wearing a mask may be very low, Jelinek advises against making any exceptions. “You can never be completely sure what will happen out on the street,” he adds.
So that means it’s best to stay in self-isolation. It’s important however to make arrangements with the hotel for when the room is being cleaned, because it’s safer to leave it during that time.
If you violate the country’s regulations, then absolutely, says Muth. In most countries, these kinds of violations are illegal. And they can be expensive.
In Switzerland, for example, the fine for breaking quarantine rules can be up to CHF5,000 (RM22,317) – a high price to pay for a quick trip to the supermarket.
The question, of course, is whether anyone will even notice. Muth, however, still advises to be cautious: “Even if quarantine is not strictly monitored in some countries, checks can still occur.”
If you are still testing positive at the end of your vacation, you may simply have to extend it. Special Covid-19 travel insurance covers the costs of new flights and additional hotel nights. Tour operators such as Tui, among others, offer such insurance up to a certain maximum amount. In some cases it is already included in the booking.
Omicron infections are not always mild. If you have to be hospitalised, costs can start to pile up. A good travel health insurance policy that also covers a coronavirus infection protects holidaymakers from incurring high costs.
Before leaving your hotel room for good, it is important to no longer have any symptoms and that the Covid-19 test comes back negative. “You should be symptom-free for two days before you get tested again,” advises travel health expert Jelinek. This significantly increases the likelihood of a negative test result.
It is important to note that even if the second line on the testing stick can barely be seen, it should still be treated as a positive result. “You are particularly contagious in the first few days of the disease,” says Jelinek.
In general, as the infection progresses, the viral load decreases significantly. – dpa
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