STATEMENT FROM THE TENERIFE TOURISM BOARD

Latest statement as of 20:30, 1st March 2020

The coronavirus outbreak on the island is already in its completion phase, following the efficient action of the health services which, in strict compliance with the protocols laid out by the World Health Organisation, managed to successfully limit the spread of the virus.

The regional Health Department reports that all five positive cases of coronavirus COVID-19 continue to be in good health and remain in isolation in hospital in Tenerife. All five came from Italy and belong to the same group of ten people who were travelling together. The rest of the group continues to be isolated in their hotel rooms.

Ongoing departure of hotel guests

By 18:00 today, 83 people had already left the hotel, located in the south of Tenerife. The Spanish Ministry of Health has, together with the regional Health Department, drawn up the protocol for the departure of the remaining hotel guests, based on their situation and the time they have been on the island:

– The first group is made up of those people who have shown symptoms and have tested positive (the five people hospitalised up to now), who will be treated in Spain and return to their country when once they are discharged from hospital. The group also includes the other travellers who had close contact with the hospitalised patients as well as those who have shown mild symptoms at some point during the medical assessments, with negative test results, who currently remain isolated in their hotel rooms.

– The second group is made up of guests who entered the hotel on February 24th. These are considered to have no risk whatsoever of exposure and may now leave the hotel and return to their home countries with no additional measures required. This is the group of up to 130 people who have gradually been leaving the hotel since yesterday. By 18:00 today, 83 of them had left the facilities.

– The members of the third group, comprised of those people who entered the hotel before February 24th, have been closely monitored and are all asymptomatic. They are also allowed to leave the hotel and fly back to their countries, provided they fulfil three conditions: they continue to be asymptomatic; medical tests carried out 24 hours before their departure come back negative, and that their countries of origin have established the procedure for their return and guarantee to continue monitoring them when once they arrive home.

Complete normality on the island

Around the island, there is a state of absolute normality, and life goes on, both in the tourist areas and in the rest of the island, like it was any other day of the year: cars and people are moving around freely; ports and airports are operating as normal (with no restriction whatsoever regarding arrivals or departures); on beaches, in shops, parks, museums and restaurants, on the streets, etc.

Furthermore, the annual Santa Cruz de Tenerife Carnival, which also took place with complete normality, enjoyed one of its busiest ever days yesterday, with around 450,000 people joining in the celebrations.