THE Balearic government has revealed that it will cover the cost to repatriate any tourist that is diagnosed with coronavirus while on holiday and has to therefore embark on the mandatory 10-day quarantine.

With more and more countries now making it a requirement for travellers to prove they are not carrying the virus to be able to return home, the Balearic government has launched an initiative to put holidaymakers’ minds at ease if they do indeed test positive for COVID-19 while in Formentera, Ibiza, Mallorca or Menorca.

Aptly named the ‘Safety Pack’, the campaign aims to attract holidaymakers to the archipelago this summer, driving home the message that the Balearic Islands is a safe destination for travel.

This initiative means that the government will pay for the flight home for any tourist that tests positive for COVID-19, provided that they quarantine in one of their regulated hotels.

However, if the individual decides to quarantine in their own hotel or holiday home they will have to cover the cost for their own flight home.

Under the Balearic rules, a COVID-19 positive result means that an individual must quarantine for a minimum of 10 days and if this scenario arises during a holiday, it will likely lead to cancelling a flight home without receiving a refund.

The government will also pay to repatriate any tourist who dies from COVID-19 while on holiday.

As well as this ‘insurance’, a dedicated call centre with Spanish, German and English handlers will be set up in the coming weeks to help any tourist who has a COVID-19 related question, such as – ‘Where can I go to get my PCR?’ or ‘What shall I do if I am presenting symptoms of the virus?’.

In this plan, the government will also ensure that there will be a maximum price for all PCR and antigen tests taken across the Balearics, which will be €75 and €30 respectively.

This benchmark will be approved in parliament this week to be incorporated in the Official Gazette (BOE) on Friday.

It comes as the government said that it has ‘risked the tourist season in May so that it is saved for the rest of the summer’ after they introduced a new set of restrictions which will stay in place until the end of the month.

Speaking at a press conference today, minster Mercedes Garrido said: “We are in the final month of the de-escalation plan and we cannot show the world that we have relaxed our fight against coronavirus.

“The state of alarm has ended, but the virus continues to be with us and until the vaccination plan is completed, we must continue to protect citizens.”

She continued that everyone must ‘hold on to the hope that hotels and restaurants will continue to reopen’, but for this to happen, ‘we must remain responsible and not accelerate the process’.

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