On the island washed by the Atlantic Ocean, there is an influx of Lithuanians: here we feel safer than in Lithuania

“Currently, we feel safer here than in Lithuania,” Ieva, a lawyer from Vilnius, did not even try to hide.

It has been unofficially announced that around a thousand Lithuanian citizens live in Tenerife, but now that Lithuania has strict quarantine conditions, there are several times as many Lithuanians: compatriots scattered all over the island not only on vacation, but also working remotely. Many families have arrived with children for whom school classes are also held remotely.

“As Lithuania and Tenerife are separated by a period of two hours, the children get up very early, around 5.30 o’clock, and sit in front of the computers at 6 o’clock. Local time, but this early hour redeems it. they get during the day, ”Živilė, a mother of two, did not hide from Vilnius.

The woman, who runs the entertainment events agency, flew to Tenerife in early January, initially planning to spend a month here with family and friends, but then decided to extend her stay: “After all, there are still strict quarantine conditions in Lithuania. We decided it would be better to stay here longer than at home. “

Getting to Tenerife from Lithuania is not easy, because so far the regular airlines do not fly directly, many choose connecting flights via Milan (Italy) and Frankfurt (Germany), a large number of Lithuanians arrive at the airport in the south of Tenerife from the neighboring Warsaw.

Lithuanians arriving on the island off the coast of Africa and bathed by the Atlantic Ocean must have a negative COVID-19 test certificate in English or Spanish, as well as fill out the health control form in advance. By the way, all tourists who arrive in Tenerife are covered by medical insurance by decision of the Canary Islands Government, so they should not have to pay for treatment if they become infected with the coronavirus.

Although the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not recommended going to Spain for more than a week due to the new variants of COVID-19, even more Lithuanians appeared in Tenerife on Friday, including two planes flown from Vilnius by tour operators operating in Lithuania.

“I will not hide – we see many Lithuanians, some come on vacation, others – to work remotely, because it is much more pleasant here,” said Paulius, who has his own cafe in Playa de las Américas. “The number of Lithuanians increased especially two or three weeks ago, when it became clear that the quarantine restrictions in Lithuania had been extended until March.”

According to Paul, who has lived in Tenerife with his family for more than a year, the main customers in the Canary Islands are British, but they are currently forbidden to come: “You see a lot of Lithuanians because there are no other tourists – when there were a lot of British people, we drowned in that stream. When there are almost only Lithuanians here, you can see them immediately ”.

The physical trainer Giedrius de Kaunas has also been living in Tenerife for a month; the man said he did not regret the decision to leave Lithuania during the quarantine.

“Like most Lithuanians, we escaped the dreary weather, and it is hot here, and the child can study remotely; I was already joking that he could always live here,” Giedrius said.

The man, who remained unemployed during the quarantine, revealed that he has several trainings, which he also performs remotely. “But my main objective is to get to know the island more closely, and I really liked what we have already seen, because the nature is incredible, the climate is also good,” said Giedrius.

Although it is necessary to wear masks that cover the face and nose in public places, this does not cause difficulties for Kaunas residents: “The masks don’t really interfere with travel, maybe it was more uncomfortable with them in Lithuania, because it’s cold, The mask gets wet and discomfort occurs. The Spanish are quite disciplined, they wear masks, they keep their distance, which surprised me a lot, because we saw a completely different image in Lithuania. Here, even in stores, it is safe: employees immediately disinfect the items touched by the buyer. They take all this very seriously, which we do not have in Lithuania, perhaps that is why we have a lot of morbidity ”.

The man does not cause any inconvenience in Tenerife from 23 to 6 in the morning. The curfew was introduced in the morning: “I think it’s just to reduce night traffic; a lot of people spend time in restaurants and beaches.”

Vilnius lawyer Ieva said that time was running out very fast in Tenerife. “We have been here a month: we work, rest, play sports, eat delicious food; Because we get up earlier due to different time zones and the workday ends earlier for us, we are actually free in the afternoon. Is it difficult reconcile? I think it’s a creative theme, but anything is possible. “

According to the lawyer, Tenerife is currently the best place for Lithuanians to come.

“The feeling is that we feel safer than in Lithuania, but of course we consciously keep our distance, we protect ourselves and it is definitely not like it was before the quarantine,” Ieva said. – But, it must be admitted, the feeling of security is significantly different from what we have in Lithuania. Of course, there is a sense of quarantine: we walk down the street with masks, we keep our distances in shops and restaurants, in restaurants a larger company does not have the opportunity to sit in one place. “

The woman did not hide that after spending a month on the island she met many Lithuanians: “But this is a very nice factor, and we are with a lot of company, we are very happy not to be alone.”

What a pleasure to meet the compatriots, who are currently very numerous on the island, they did not hide and Delphi Rasa was interviewed with her husband: the spouses who had spent a month in Tenerife at the end of last year had returned to Lithuania for a short time, but immediately planned a return trip and now plan to spend another two months in the Canary Islands.

“Now is a very good time, because there are not many tourists, and some of our children live in Tenerife, so we want to stay with our grandchildren,” said Rasa.

He was surprised that it is now easier for Lithuanians to reach more than 4,000. km to Tenerife than to visit relatives who live in another city in Lithuania.

“It is very easy to fly here, of course, perhaps more difficult for those who do not have the financial means,” said the woman.

“Tenerife is completely safe, there are restaurants, shops and beauty salons,” said Rasa. – It seems very strange to me why shops are not opened in Lithuania, because here the situation is perfectly controlled – vendors are everywhere, they give disinfectant liquid, in addition, the situation is monitored by the police – there is a person, they take off the mask, And it could be like that in Lithuania: of course, the store employees should have more control over the situation, maybe the police should monitor and warn people more often than punish them, because now many are unemployed and it is really hard to pay. fines “.

When asked how they value their compatriots, who condemn Lithuanians who have fled abroad from quarantine in Lithuania, the woman said: “I am not angry with them at all, but they are angry that they cannot go alone. But at the end of the day, before we go we do tests, and we all come back checked and as soon as we return we do not attack anyone, we also isolate ourselves. And if all goes well, then, like everyone else, we return to normal life. “

Similarly, Gintarė, a communication specialist who worked remotely from Tenerife for two weeks, said: “I did nothing wrong when I came here, I paid for the test myself, I bought plane tickets, I pay my life, my whole life , and traveling is not prohibited. I live alone in Vilnius, I have been working remotely since spring, so changing the environment was the best solution. Of course, working is not easy, because some people think that I went on vacation under the pretext of teleworking, so I have to work even more so that the employer understands that that decision I have made is beneficial not only for me, but also for him “.

The woman did not hide that she met many compatriots who worked remotely from Tenerife and was very surprised that some employees even hid their employers who work outside the home in Lithuania. “Of course, they take a lot of risks, because this way of working has to be coordinated with the employer, who is responsible for his employee even if he works remotely,” said the communication specialist.

She stressed that during her temporary stay in Tenerife, she realized that she would have to spend her full salary, although she could dedicate herself to saving working from home, but now she is in a much more important emotional state for her. Furthermore, according to the woman, the prices of many food products in the Canary Islands are even lower than in Lithuania, where you can always buy fresh fish and seafood.

“There is an opportunity to combine work and play, so I take this opportunity,” he said.