Covid surging in Bonaire

[Mod63]

Does anybody have inside info on the Vaccine Certificate being proposed by the EU to ease travel for those who have been vaccinated? Would the Netherlands (and by default Bonaire) have to comply as a member of the EU? I am fully vaccinated with the Moderna Vaccine and am scheduled for Bonaire the last week in July...seriously ready to return to Bon.

Short answer: It's complicated and nobody knows yet. The current scheme under discussion is primarly to have a unfied system within the EU; no decission yet on what the effect will be on people traveling into the EU. To make it more complicated, you have to consider that there is also the Schengen Area (which is not the EU) that has a common entry requirement and then Bonaire is neither part of the EU nor the Schengen Area. . So it depends

 

[Steelyeyes]

I read this morning that 2/3 of the cases on Curacao are the UK variant. I've only heard of 6 of Bonaire's cases being the UK variant but testing takes time since it gets sent back to the Netherlands.

We're up to 129 active case as of noon today. There may be a backlog in the testing process though. I got my vaccination appointments arranged. That system is clumsy from one end to the other. They've average 114 people a day. The plan was to get it all done in 6 weeks but at this rate it will be a year. To sign up you can use a website, when it works. It only likes certain browsers and only works some of the time. It kept rejecting me when I entered my residency ID but accepted my passport number. The phone system is the same one for requesting a Covid test and it's overwhelmed a lot.

 

[scuba127]

Adults are being vaccinated on Bonaire correct? I would think this would eventually quell the "ever-increasing surge on Bonaire itself." If the vaccine program on Bonaire concludes by 1 June I would suspect herd immunity on the island by then unless a major portion of the population turns it down. The EU referring to "other vaccines" along with EU approved vaccines suggests to me there may be some integration when it comes to other countries outside the EU. If the US was to recognize the EU Cert I would think the EU would have respond in kind to the US Vaccine Passport. I would suspect the US airlines will get what they want in the end. As far as equity goes, at least here in the US, there is going to be a surplus of vaccine within a couple of months. If one turns it down why should the rest of us be restricted? I suspect the pressure on Biden to go with the vaccine passport will win out in the end.

 

[Joneill]

Who considers flying the primary source/cause of transmission of the varients? I don't see how thats possible with the airlines requiring masks and their use of HEPA filters in the plane ventilation system. I'd have to see some data to be convinced that flying is "the" primary source of transmission.

Unless infected people from Brazil or South Africa are swimming to other countries separated by oceans, it would seem that the variants are arriving via air travelers (remember - a negative test does no mean you are virus free - just that you are below detection limits at the time of the test).

 

[tkaelin]

I'd have to see some data to be convinced that flying is "the" primary source of transmission.

You can fight with the CDC on this one but clearly variants in one country are coming over to another country via planes if unless that the variant is occurring most everywhere and they are only named geographically where they are first identified. I don't know. But as far as the CDC's position I believe I heard it as recently this morning articulated by someone either from the CDC or attempting to repeat their position.

 

[tkaelin]

BTW CUR's numbers are going up again with most with one of the new variants.

 

[tursiops]

Who considers flying the primary source/cause of transmission of the varients? I don't see how thats possible with the airlines requiring masks and their use of HEPA filters in the plane ventilation system. I'd have to see some data to be convinced that flying is "the" primary source of transmission.

I think in this context "flying" just means a way to get to the island. It is those arriving on the island -- flying is incidental -- that bring in the variants.
After all, how else would the variants arrive?

 

[Joneill]

What the EU does for travel within the EU may be interesting, but probably will not apply to non-EU countries....like the US.
What the US does may be interesting, but probably will not apply to travel within the EU.
At the moment the biggest problems for US flights to Bonaire are (a) the Netherlands policies being applied to Bonaire, (b) the every-increasing surge within Bonaire itself, and (c) the reluctance of US airlines/health-care companies to provide the early-in-the-morning testing required by the NL...an expensive proposition to set up to travel to just one country, a requirement which may go away if the airlines just sit on their hands for a while.

This is aside from the growing concern about "equity," i.e., what about those who have not yet been able to get vaccinated, or can't be vaccinated (allergies, religion, etc), or don't want to be vaccinated (although I have no sympathy for this latter group)?

"Equity" needs to balance the risks/benefits of allowing vaccinated folks to travel and start to revive tourism-based economies vs waiting until everyone can be vaccinated and the additional financial hardships that will cause. Unfortunately, for those who can't be vaccinated for medical reasons, they'll need to stay put until this is behind us. For those that just choose not to get vaccinated for whatever non-medical reason - that's your choice, but then don't complain if you lose certain freedoms like international travel in the near term.

 

[DustyC]

. They've average 114 people a day.

As a government employee of well over 20 years, I say as an expert, that ANY government could screw up a wet dream. My agency worked with a private hospital system as it was easier to just pay them and take part in what they did. They were averaging 300 people AN HOUR. And that was the first day they were released. No government on earth could hope to do that.

 

[Centrals]

I think in this context "flying" just means a way to get to the island. It is those arriving on the island -- flying is incidental -- that bring in the variants.
After all, how else would the variants arrive?

I am still scratching my head why so many people did not realize that!
We are still detecting infected person arriving in our airport regularly and even possessed a -ve test result for the virus!!!!!
10% of all the new cases in HK last wks was from the people arrived at the airport!