Tourism July 12, 2020 - 11:48 am

Tourism in the DR takes a heavy blow after recommendation by the US Embassy to its citizens

The United States Embassy in Santo Domingo issued a level 4 health warning not to travel to the Dominican Republic due to the impact of COVID-19.

The office warned American citizens to reconsider coming to the country in consideration of the situation with the pandemic:

• The Dominican Republic has 43,114 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 864 confirmed deaths.
• Medical care is seriously reduced with many hospitals almost or fully already at their maximum capacity, limited beds in Intensive Care Units, and increased risk of exposure to COVID-19 of hospitalized patients.

To keep its citizens residing in Dominican territory updated, the Embassy will send at least one update per week to ensure that everyone has the latest information on COVID-19.

The US Embassy recommended:

• Dial * 462 to contact the COVID-19 Helpline in the Dominican Republic for specific instructions if you have been exposed or are experiencing severe symptoms. Note: English speaking operators are limited.
• All US citizens must comply with the restrictions established by the Government of the Dominican Republic.
• Have a plan to leave the Dominican Republic that does not depend on the help of the United States government.
• Visit the COVID-19 crisis page at travel.state.gov for the latest information on travel and other global impacts.
• Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive alerts and facilitate their location in case of emergency.

On July 1, the Dominican Government opened the airports and allowed the restart of operations in the tourism sector, but this warning from the North American government would damage the aspirations of attracting tourists to the country. The United States is the main source of tourists, with 15,782,285 visitors from 2012 to 2019.

Another factor that could frustrate the revitalization of tourism is the request from various sectors for a state of emergency to be declared again due to the increase in contagion and deaths due to COVID-19.