Physiotherapy university students from Tarragona, vaccinated against Covid and trapped in Malta by a positive on their plane, have once again demanded ” a PCR test” to “return to our country now .” Thus, what a priori was going to be part of a fun end-of-degree trip, has ended with the confinement of 31 students from the Rovira i Virgili University due to the case of a positive Covid who was traveling on their plane and who have not even been identified.
Several students, tired of this situation that they say they do not understand, have stated that “ after spending two days in Malta , the receptionist informed us that we had to be confined due to the presence of different positive cases during the flight. We got in touch with the different organizations such as the Spanish embassy and different Health officials, but we have not been able to conclude that we have clear information. Everything continues to be in the air ».
In this way, the university students’ stay ended this Friday so they will be transferred to a Covid hotel. On the other hand, they have described that «we are sanitary and we are all vaccinated. We got on the plane with a PCR 24 hours before boarding and with a negative result. For all this, they claim to continue “without understanding a situation that will take us until July 11, with the conclusion of the quarantine.”
The students denounce that the Maltese authorities ” have washed their hands with respect to the expenses derived from the extra stay that we have here .” They also show their astonishment because “the Maltese Government has asked us about the travel agency and, now, it is also a doubt that we have because of their insinuation.”
Regarding their stay at the hotel, they have stressed that they have been treated well, but that ” being confined when at the end of the day we are vaccinated and we have followed all the safety regulations”, they say.
The group’s lawyer, Jacinto Vicente Hernández, told OKDIARIO that the students “faced with this situation of desperation aggravated by the Covid hotel, decided to contact a law firm to represent them for a position of the Maltese authorities that they do not have. no sense “assured Vicente Hernández .
Toilets with double vaccine regimen
In this sense, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, recalled this Friday that the fact of having received the double vaccine schedule or presenting a negative PCR does not exempt from being quarantined in case of having had close contact with an infected person, such as It has happened to a group of Spaniards in Malta.
The university itself has lamented the situation in which its 31 students are. In a message on Twitter, the center highlighted that the recent graduates in Physiotherapy are “a group of health workers, most vaccinated and with negative PCR before traveling, who have complied with all the measures.
The positive, which would not have traveled with the corresponding negative PCR predicted, is considered a close contact, so the Maltese health authorities applied the recommended medical protocol in these cases, to perform tests, locate and isolate the contacts, they have explained diplomatic sources.
Having traveled on the same plane, all Spaniards maintained prolonged contact with the positive, for which they have been forced to quarantine for 14 days in Malta , a situation that was quickly reported by several of them on social networks and other media. .
The Foreign Ministry assures that the Embassy and Consulate in Malta continue to make arrangements by telephone with those affected and they are also in direct contact with the Maltese authorities of the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Tourism to maintain an open channel of communication .
The Foreign Ministry has been warning for months that if you travel abroad in the context of the current pandemic, it is convenient to inform yourself in advance of the circumstances in that country and remember that if you travel it is done at your own risk and expense, so everyone The expenses derived from hospitalization or of any other type due to situations derived from COVID-19 are the responsibility of the individual.
