Recent weeks and months have shown that the Covid-19 pandemic will not just end like that. In most countries, the number of people infected with coronavirus develops in a sinusoidal pattern – many ups and downs. And today, in many popular tourist destinations, there is a sharp trend towards an increase in new cases.
These countries include tourist destinations in southern Europe such as Cyprus and Turkey, where more than 60,000 people have been infected every day. Luxury tour destinations such as the Bahamas, Maldives and Costa Rica are also struggling with infections soaring.
Turkey: strict restrictions to save the summer season
The situation in Turkey is very alarming. As already mentioned, more than 60,000 new infections have been reported every day. For this reason, President Erdogan has declared “complete isolation”.
As part of these measures, all businesses, including restaurants and cafes, should be closed until May 17. Citizens can only leave their homes on urgent matters, such as shopping for groceries. You can only travel between cities with special passes.
The purpose of the restrictions is to save the 2021 summer season, given that Turkey is a popular holiday destination for many tourists from Europe and Russia. Erdogan wants to reduce the number of infections to a minimum by the beginning of the main season in order to avoid a repeat of last year’s fiasco in the tourism sector (-70% in terms of the number of visitors).
Costa Rica and Maldives – unprecedented rise in new cases
The number of Covid-19-related hospitalizations in Costa Rica, a popular destination in recent months, is at its highest level since the start of the pandemic, according to the World Health Organization. The Central American country has yet to make significant progress in its vaccination campaign (so far only older people are vaccinated) and is currently tightening measures against the spread of the disease accordingly.
In the case of the Maldives, the absolute number of infected people is small due to the small population, but high in relation to the general population. The latest data show a high increase in the number of cases (more than 380 new cases in one day), although it should be noted that only 6 of these were reported on the resort islands.
Thailand and Tunisia are tightening the screws
Overall, fear of new Covid-19 mutations seems to be causing concern in other countries as well. Another popular tourist destination that is alarming is Thailand. After the number of cases increased significantly in April, the country is tightening the screws again. Hotels on Phuket Island are now closed again, and it is not even possible to move freely between the individual provinces.
Tunisia is also imposing stricter restrictions due to the worsening situation. As a result, the Tunisian government decided that from May 3, all foreign visitors will have to go through a seven-day quarantine upon arrival, and will also be required to undergo PCR tests on the 5th and 7th days of quarantine.