The first charter flight with Moldovans left for Turkey on July 4 and the 173 tourists went through all the necessary procedures, obeying the anti-COVID-19 measures, and are now vacationing on the Turkish seaside. The next flight was planned for July 11 and all the tickets were already booked, as were the tickets for the flights set for July 14, 16 and 18.

Contacted by IPN for details, Viorica Cașu, director of a travel agency, said the operators have to keep six seats free aboard in case someone becomes infected and will have to be brought home.

There were also inpatient tourists who didn’t wait for the first charter flight to Antalya and reached Turkey on July 1 by regular flights with stopover in Istanbul.

The tourists who flew on July 4 had their body temperature measured. No one needed to be tested. Each of the tourists received a package of masks and disinfectants. In the buses by which they travelled to hotels, only the window seats were occupied and social distancing was maintained. The hotels are only 20% filled and the tourists feel better treated. The Swedish buffet was replaced by food behind glass.

There are special places on the territory of hotels where tourists can get a mask. The activities remained practically the same. Access to children’s clubs, saunas and gyms is based on appointment scheduling. If someone leaves the hotel, they have their body temperature measured on return.

The Moldovan tourists could purchase COVID-19 insurance, if they wanted, directly at the airport or in Moldova. They can buy insurance that costs €1 a day. This includes two tests and treatment for seven days, either ambulatory or isolation at the hotel, without a plane ticket back home. The COVID plus insurance costs €4 a day. This covers 14-day treatment, ambulatory or at the hotel, and the plane ticket back home.

Viorica Cașu said the demand for trips gladdens the operators in this period as they will be able to pay back the money to the tourists who cancelled their vacations. If a person planned a vacation, but has fever, for example, they should call the operator so as to identify a solution and reschedule the trip and to avoid risks