A group of British holidaymakers stranded in a hotel under quarantine in Tenerife are being allowed to return to the UK from today (Monday) if they test negative for coronavirus.
The 160 tourists in lock down for a week at the H10 Costa Adeje Palace had previously been told they would have to be quarantine until March 10 after at least four guests tested positive for the virus.
However, Jet2holidays and Tui confirmed that they have been told by Public Health England that the British contingent can return home if they are free of the virus.
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Jet2holidays said: “We are pleased to confirm that Jet2holidays customers at the H10 Costa Adeje Palace will be flying back to the UK with us on a dedicated flight tomorrow (Monday) afternoon, following their negative test results for COVID-19 and subject to them showing no symptoms on departure.
“The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Public Health England will be advising customers about the steps they need to follow once back in the UK.
“As we have made explicitly clear, our number one priority is the health and safety of our customers, our colleagues, and the general public.
“We have been working closely with the FCO, Public Health England and the hotel, to find a solution which ensured the best outcome for our customers in the hotel, whilst making sure we fulfilled those responsibilities.
“We have been in contact with our customers throughout, and we would like to sincerely thank them for their patience and understanding.”
Tui said: “We can confirm Tui UK customers staying in the H10 Costa Adeje Palace in Tenerife have received notification from Public Health England that they are free to return home pending a negative Covoid 19 test result.
“We are in contact with them and are making arrangements for them to travel back to the UK.
“Any customers due to travel to the H10 Costa Adeje Palace Hotel up until 9 March have been proactively contacted to discuss their options. All other holidays to Tenerife will operate as planned.”
The regional health department on the island reported that all five positive cases of coronavirus continue to be in good health and remain in isolation in hospital in Tenerife.
They came from Italy – the centre of the largest coronavirus outbreak in Europe – and belong to a group of ten people who were travelling together. The rest continue to be isolated in their hotel rooms.
The Tenerife Tourism Board last night reported that 83 people had left the hotel in the south of the island.
“The Spanish Ministry of Health has, together with the regional Health Department, drawn up the protocol for the departure of the remaining hotel guests, based on their situation and the time they have been on the island,” a spokesperson said.
The first group is made up of those people who have shown symptoms and have tested positive – the five people hospitalised up to now. They will be treated in Spain and return to their country when once they are discharged from hospital.
The group also includes the other travellers who had close contact with the hospitalised patients as well as those who have shown mild symptoms at some point during the medical assessments, with negative test results, who currently remain isolated in their hotel rooms.
The second group is made up of guests who arrived at the hotel on February 24.
“These are considered to have no risk whatsoever of exposure and may now leave the hotel and return to their home countries with no additional measures required,” the tourism board spokesperson added.
“This is the group of up to 130 people who have gradually been leaving the hotel.
“The members of the third group, comprised of those people who entered the hotel before February 24, have been closely monitored and are all asymptomatic.
“They are also allowed to leave the hotel and fly back to their countries, provided they fulfil three conditions: they continue to be asymptomatic; medical tests carried out 24 hours before their departure come back negative, and that their countries of origin have established the procedure for their return and guarantee to continue monitoring them when once they arrive home.”
The tourism board stressed that there is a state of “absolute normality” around the rest of the island with ports and airports operating as normal with no restrictions on arrivals or departures.
“Furthermore, the annual Santa Cruz de Tenerife Carnival, which also took place with complete normality, enjoyed one of its busiest ever days yesterday, with around 450,000 people joining in the celebrations,” the spokesperson added.