Rainieri claims massive Covid-19 tests would scare away tourists from Dominican Republic

 “Testing 600 passengers would take 6 hours, no one will want to return”

 Ensures airports in the country are prepared, with fever reading machines and medical personnel

The president of the Puntacana Group, Frank Rainieri, defended the government’s decision to carry out random tests to detect Covid-19 and not all passengers entering the country’s airports as stipulated by the past administration.

In this sense, Rainieri assured that the tests could be better used when intended for Dominican citizens who require it. He expressed that “neither Mexico nor the United States requires proof of the coronavirus. If three planes arrive and there are 500 or 600 people, it can take up to six hours, and the tourist will not return.”

He said that national airports are prepared, with fever reading machines and doctors who randomly see everyone who arrives.

“If you go to any airport and three planes arrive and there are 500 or 600 people, how long does it take to do the tests? Six hours? No one will return, not even the Dominicans. But second, those 600 tests could be used to test Dominicans in the neighborhoods ”, he emphasized.

The tourism leader said that the most important thing is that the new government is clear that the tourism industry plays an essential role in the Dominican Republic and will work to rescue it, so all sectors will come together to achieve that in the least possible time.

He added that airports are prepared with doctors and temperature samples and that the plan “is going well and improving.” One of their arguments is that 3,400 tests were carried out at the Punta Cana Airport, and no passenger was positive. 

“We have to be careful not to jump in without knowing the big picture,” he said.

And it is that for the promoter of the tourist destination  Punta Cana, the first step is to work on the arrest of Covid-19, to lower the rates and work with the most important countries.

He argued that they are optimistic that by the end of the year, the tourism industry will restart with the arrival of the vaccine.

Rainieri said that the public and private sectors are working to reactivate tourism while highlighting the importance of this alliance to achieve this objective.

“We are working on the recovery of the industry, it is something that is going to take time, but it must be started now,” he emphasized.