Holidays in Egypt have been extended: a Lithuanian who has received three positive tests says he is healthy, but does not know if he will be allowed to board the plane

After the government tightens the procedure for arriving in Lithuania, Lithuanians on vacation or traveling for work can return home only if they have a negative response to the COVID-19 test. As a result, not everyone ends the vacation successfully: many compatriots have already had to isolate themselves abroad and wait for them to recover, and some do not get a negative test even after two weeks of isolation.

More than two weeks ago, on March 11, Robert, who was due to fly home from Egypt, underwent the mandatory COVID test before returning home and sadly received a positive response. In another hotel building, an isolated man tested positive again after 6 days of repeating the PCR test. The result did not change after 6 days. Robert is pleased that the Egyptian authorities have promised to pay for accommodation, meals and even treatment for the sick in the country if necessary.

True, after spending a week in strict isolation, the guy was allowed to move freely around the hotel grounds, the beach, and the cafes, but he must wear a protective mask.

The man, who has received three positive tests and is currently isolated for more than two weeks, says he does not feel any symptoms of the disease and is healthy. According to him, the requirement that returning Lithuanian citizens have a negative COVID test confuses him because there is a lack of information on what to do without it and whether he will be accepted on a plane.

Lithuanian travel forums discuss cases where Lithuanians who fall ill during the holidays do not receive a negative PCR test after illness, so they cannot return home, because a sick passenger will infect the entire plane. Delphi he wondered how tourists should behave in such cases.

According to Saulius Čaplinskas, an infectious disease specialist and doctor of medical sciences, in some cases the PCR test can remain positive for up to 92 days, even if the person is no longer spreading the virus. “It just came to our knowledge then. So the PCR test is still positive and the person may no longer be infected,” he explained.

When asked whether, after two weeks of illness, despite a positive PCR, it is safe for a person to be distributed on a plane with healthy passengers, the professor said that the person is likely no longer spreading the virus, but yes the proper use of protective masks is essential.

“Hard to say. If the symptoms occur and then go away, then the person is no longer really spreading the infection. In some cases, it has been found that after 8 to 9 days, the person is no longer spreading the virus, but this is only can be determined accurately by other more detailed tests. We have data from a study in which several people from China flew on a long-haul transatlantic flight, including those who tested positive. Those wearing masks were not contagious even when sitting together to the sick. Aircraft ventilation can considerably reduce the risk. Now is a new stage in the reality of life with this disease, when it is necessary to think about how to reduce individual risk, because it will continue for some time, and that ” for some time “it may be up to 2-3 years”, Delphi S. Čaplinskas said.

Lithuanians share information in groups of travelers that after two weeks of isolation, after receiving a positive result again, it is possible to contact local doctors and request a sealed certificate, which would confirm that the person has been in quarantine for 14 days and there is no longer a carrier. Travel guide Tadas Kertenis also agreed to help Robert trapped in Egypt, who suggested that the Lithuanian perform an antigen test, which will help determine if a person has an active COVID-19 infection.

Delphi after contacting NVSC representatives, they assured that such a document was appropriate and that the man in Egypt could return, as the survivors were not required to test negative and were not subject to isolation. According to NVSC representatives, since March 22, monitoring of arrivals flows to airports and seaports shows that in the last 90 days, 3-5% have delivered a certificate that they have relocated. passengers.

“Under current requirements, survivors of COVID-19 are not isolated. For this exemption to apply, persons arriving in Lithuania must provide inspection officers at the airport or seaport with a document confirming the recurrence of COVID. -19 when the diagnosis was confirmed on the basis of a positive PCR test for SARS-Co-V2. Or antigen test and no more than 90 days have passed since the positive result of the investigation before arriving in Lithuania ”, the NVSC responded.

Tour operators who cater to tourists say sick travelers are also helped by representatives working in the country, who provide the necessary information and help with all the paperwork.

“Before leaving on vacation, we always recommend that you know in detail all the regulations and security requirements in force in that country and take out adequate insurance. When tourists go to the chosen country, our partners and representatives abroad always help: they provide information on where travelers can take tests, help to register, advise on how to get to the right place, if the test can be done at the hotel where travelers are staying, help organize the whole process. “- says Dovilė Zapkutė , a representative of Novaturas.

It also recommends that all travelers attend meetings with tour guides when visiting hotels, as these meetings provide travelers with information on how to test safely and quickly prior to departure and answer any questions about travel requirements. security in the country.

“Each case of a traveler who has a positive test result can be different. It is also always necessary to follow the updates of the rules and requirements for a safe travel for travelers, so our guides often provide additional information with the responsible institutions operating in Lithuania, as in this case, ”said D. Zapkutė.