PCR tests to travel: one more expense for some, an unaffordable cost for others
We asked ourselves a few months ago: Will the coronavirus make flying more expensive? Fast answer: no, tickets will not generally be more expensive . But not cheaper either. However, there have been new expenses associated with traveling to another country that can make leaving Spain more expensive: the obligation to undergo PCR tests that guarantee entry to the destination that we want to visit.
About 200 countries today impose limitations on the entry of foreigners . They must, directly, they ban it , such as Norway, Malaysia or Indonesia, but also those that limit it by forcing them to quarantine in a hotel before being able to roam the land or to present a negative PCR. This limitation 'steals' tourists' travel time, as well as burning a hole in their pockets , already battered, of the average traveler in a pandemic.
Switzerland is one of the countries that requires passing the test , which can be booked directly online and take place at the arrival airport . The results are known in 24 hours, but both the cost of the PCR itself and the hotel stay in which one must be isolated during the wait, must be paid by the traveler. The cost of the test ranges between 140 and 160 francs ( between 127 and 145 euros).
In the case of the United Kingdom, for example, a test must be taken in the three days prior to the trip. With the negative result, you can travel to the country, but there, on the second day of travel, you must pay for another test. And another one on the eighth day . As detailed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, passengers must book and pay the cost of 210 pounds (243 euros) of the two tests that are carried out in the country before the start of the trip. And that the Spaniards can take these two tests while traveling through the country; many foreigners must serve a 10-day quarantine at their own expense before they can move freely on British soil.
The beautiful Switzerland is one of the countries that require a PCR test
Also the same Spaniards, when returning to their place of origin from countries with a cumulative incidence of more than 150 per 100,000 inhabitants in the last 14 days, they must undergo a PCR test within 72 hours before returning to Spain . This list is reviewed fortnightly, and right now part of it is 38 world territories , among which are tourist destinations such as Germany, Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, France, Greece, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Portugal...
At the other extreme are the countries that do not impose any entry restrictions . Among them are Mexico, Brazil, Ecuador, South Africa, Serbia, Kosovo, Armenia, Dominican Republic, Namibia... However, when returning from many of them to enter Spain, it is necessary to quarantine of ten days. On the seventh day, a PCR can be carried out - again, paid for by the traveler - to alleviate the last two days of confinement.
Finally, there are some countries that already allow everyone who is vaccinated to travel freely. That yes, as it happens in Iceland, despite not having to present a negative PCR before entering, yes, they must pay for one upon arrival in the country . Meanwhile, the traveler you have to stay at the hotel until negative results are returned to you.
ONE MORE EXPENSE FOR SOME; AN UNASSUMABLE COST FOR MANY
It seems clear that the obligation to carry out PCR tests on departure, on arrival and, sometimes, even during the trip itself, is one more expense that we must add to the total costs of our vacations, at least for a while. Does that mean that we will travel, then, even less ? "The requirement of PCR tests at destination, paid for by the traveler, supposes a major limitation for travelers with a medium or low budget , since, in many cases, we are talking about a extra cost of about 300 or 400 euros per person and trip -and that counting only with a PCR on the way out and another on the way back, because there are places where that amount increases-. This is especially noticeable in short-term getaways, in which, in the vast majority of cases, it can mean not make the trip . If to this we add the quarantines on arrival (which, in the destinations where they are requested, are between two and ten days), the measures are, basically, a way to avoid the entry of tourists almost 100% ", points out Luis de Paz, founder of the tailor-made travel agency Mundo Expedition.
PCR is not required to enter Mexico, but it is required to re-enter Spain
"Additionally, the uncertainty of testing positive upon return to Spain and having to stay in quarantine due to being positive already at the destination of the trip, the cost of which may be covered (or not) by insurance, results in Travelers think a lot about whether it is worth going on a trip with this situation or not, regardless of the health risks that exist, "he continues. Faced with such an uncertain panorama that changes so often, from Expedition World they have seen Increased demand for advice : "The client who wants to travel and has the budget to do so relies completely on us and our knowledge (updated almost daily) regarding destinations, openings, tests and limitations", they say, thus evidencing that those who have the most will not see necessarily impaired their ability to travel.
For Jesús Blázquez, one of the founders of the Rutas Pangea bicycle travel agency and the Spanish Center for Responsible Tourism, the situation is part of a broader question: " Does COVID-19 widen the gap between rich and poor? ". And he adds: "Extending the obligation to present a PCR when traveling between countries can cost between 100 and 300 euros, depending on the destination. If you have to add quarantines, those amounts skyrocket. That leads us to think that trips will rise in price and become less accessible ", he recounts.
For Blázquez, the pandemic " has created dystopian scenarios that seem taken from cinematographic fiction". "Governments want to establish measures that encourage the economy, but ethical doubts arise and it does not seem that we are going to be able to harmonize and coordinate common measures for all ", he assures.
Even the 'health passport', of which we are already seeing signs in the countries that leave the vaccinated free to enter, seems to him to be an idea that results in this difference between those who have less and those who have more : "For many, the passport is the way to recover the much-desired economic and social activity in a safe way. However, forgetting that vaccination progresses slowly and unevenly and that many governments are going to take years to achieve effective coverage of vaccination in their countries raises fears that the development gap is widened . You have to have a more caring approach to get out of the crisis caused by the pandemic: the world will continue to be threatened as long as regions where COVID-19 is not under control persist, and that includes not only the countries considered relevant for tourism, but also everyone equally ", Blázquez summarizes.
DOES INSURANCE COVER PCR TESTS?
As de Paz pointed out, there is the possibility that the PCR tests are covered by travel insurance, although it is not the most common. The specialized travel insurer InterMundial boasts, in fact, of having launched the only one that includes a PCR test before traveling, Totaltravel passport. "With this insurance, the traveler will be doubly protected, since he has the PCR diagnostic test to travel to destinations that require a negative COVID certificate and, if positive, you have the cancellation included and they will be able to recover the costs of canceling the trip ", they tell us from the company.
This is in addition to the measures taken by the insurer in recent months, in which she had already added COVID-19 coverage to all its policies "so that travelers can start their journeys with complete peace of mind and be protected before and during the trip in the event of a positive test". Thus, they have guarantees such as the extension of stay due to quarantine due to coronavirus: "In the event that the traveler cannot return home due to being sick with COVID-19 and must quarantine at the destination accommodation, InterMundial will be responsible for the expenses caused by said extension of stay , up to the limit set in the conditions of each insurance", they explain.
In the case of the travel insurer IATI, for example, the only thing included in the price of its policies with COVID-19 coverage in relation to diagnostic tests are the PCR that could be prescribed by health personnel during the trip. The rest of the specialized insurers consulted by Traveler do not cover any expenses for PCR tests in their policies.
All this results in the idea pointed out by Blázquez and de Paz: travel, at least in the coming months, will be more expensive , whether we have to take out insurance or pay our own expenses. And not many will be able to afford these new increases and the terms required by the PCRs, either due to lack of money or even because you have little travel time.