Earlier this year, I considered taking a summer trip to Greece since that country was supposedly opening up to tourism. Yes, this is only one data point, but it's a pretty bad data point:
A father has revealed how a £4,000 family break has turned into the 'holiday from hell' after being forced to quarantine with his partner and two young children despite the fact that he tested negative for COVID on six separate occasions.
Andy Stanton, 32 was randomly tested for COVID at the airport after arriving on the Greek Island of Zante with his wife Katrina, 31 and their two children; Olly, 3 and Isla, 4 on July 29 for what they thought would be the ideal way to overcome their lockdown blues.
Mr Stanton received a message telling him he was negative but just hours after checking into the four-star Caretta Beach and Water Park resort for their two-week break he was called by Greek health officials and told that he had in fact tested positive.
After being confined to their room at the resort, the family was then moved to a special quarantine hotel, where they have been forced to remain in a room infested with ants and mice. The have also described the food as so poor that their children go to bed crying each night on empty stomachs.
With temperatures on the island reaching 35C, Mr Stanton fumed that the air conditioning in their room does not work all the time while the WIFI is only intermittent.
He sobbed: 'We are desperate, this is the worst thing that has ever happened to us.
'My partner is crying each day and so are the kids and we shouldn't even be in quarantine because I have tested negative six times since arriving in Greece.
'We were so looking forward to this holiday after the long lockdown in Britain. The kids were so excited at having fun in a water park resort and they just don't understand what's going on.'
He added: 'The room we're in is so filthy that if you walk across the floor without any shoes and socks, your feet turn black. It's hot and sticky, there's no WIFI to keep the kids entertained and it's worse than being in prison.'
Spending $5600 on a rat trap is not my idea of a fun vacation. Perhaps if the British Museum offered up the Elgin Marbles, this family's situation would be resolved.
I hope that things are better next year, because I am scheduled to go to Greece with a group tour. The trip has been rescheduled twice.
ReplyDeleteBut, I trust that the tour agency will handle things well. (Even if well is moving the trip again)
Too many people seem clueless as to the fact that foriegn nations often have different laws. Right now, I wouldn't set foot outside the US, although we have many friends who have traveled to Mexico and various Caribbean islands. I'm wary about even venturing outside of Texas, truth be told. This is a cautionary tale, but I'm not sure we'd be treated much differently in De Blasio's New York City.
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