As the start of the deconfinement is announced for May 11, we continue to update this article, which aims to gather day by day information regarding this pandemic in the diving sector.
You can continue to regularly inform yourself about the evolution of the situation, country by country, by consulting the latest updates available on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website: https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/advice-for-travelers/Produced by researchers from the Johns Hopkins Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE), a map allows real-time tracking of the situation.
!!! UPDATE – May 11, 2020 !!!Decree No. 2020-545 was published last night.
Diving is once again permitted, limited to groups of 10 people maximum, respecting barrier gestures, hygiene rules, and distancing measures to be defined (Guide of sports practices modalities by the Ministry of Sports pending publication) and provided your health condition allows it (reminder: coronavirus can affect, even without symptoms, the lungs, heart, kidneys).
Learn more: https://www.plongee-plaisir.com/en/coronavirus/Remember, now more than ever, a return to diving must be done with caution and gradually (and after medical advice if necessary).
With the authorization of the Marseille Prefecture, the Port-Cros National Park, and the Calanques National Park, the Plongez! team went diving on Friday and Saturday with club managers to assess the potential effects of eight weeks of confinement. Images of these dives can be discovered here.
!!! UPDATE – May 4, 2020 !!!Alain Foret, author of the books and educational materials Plongée Plaisir, has published 3 files online so that we can all prepare for the return to diving, especially by understanding the stakes, the constraints, and the measures to implement and respect, for oneself and for others.
– The first concerns the coronavirus and diving, the issues of returning to activity (hygiene, barrier and distancing measures) and the conditions of this return (lifting bans, health status, …): https://www.plongee-plaisir.com/en/coronavirus/– The second concerns equipment cleaning and disinfection procedures: https://www.plongee-plaisir.com/en/disinfection-of-mouthpieces-regulators-snorkels/– The third concerns an update of the rescue procedure, in the context of this health episode: https://www.plongee-plaisir.com/en/rescue-procedure/
!!! UPDATE – April 30, 2020 !!!
Covid-19 and diving operations: the 10 recommendations from DAN Europe
Diving community, industry operators, dive center managers… Many of you have dozens of questions about the procedures to follow for resuming activities. To answer these questions, the organization DAN Europe has just published a document entitled « Covid-19 and diving operations – 10 recommendations on prevention and risk management ».
This document – meant to be updated according to the evolution of the epidemiological and regulatory situation – provides guidelines on prevention and risk management procedures that diving operators can adopt once the authorities officially authorize the resumption of diving activities.
Here are the 10 points developed in this document:
- What measures for the safety of customers and staff?
- Management of disinfection operations
- Management of rental equipment
- Management of rinsing diving equipment
- Measures to be taken on diving boats
- Management of pre-dive buddy checks and gas sharing
- Management of the inflation of diving cylinders
- Implementation of first aid
- Does the virus survive in water?
- Operational procedures and emergency action plan.
As a reminder, the gestures to protect your health and that of those around you
- Wash your hands very regularly
- Cough or sneeze into your elbow
- Use disposable tissues
- Greet without shaking hands, avoid hugs, keep a safety distance of 2 meters around you
- Wear a mask when sick
- Stay confined at home except for those whose physical presence at work is essential ! Do not hesitate to make your loved ones aware of this imperative necessity !!!
- – If you have general questions about the virus, you can call the toll-free number 0.800.130.000 (free call).
– If you have a fever, a dry cough, or muscle aches, you can call your attending physician.
– In case of more serious symptoms, breathing difficulties, or vital emergencies, do not go to the emergency room, nor to your doctor, but contact 15 (or 114 for deaf or hard of hearing people). Stay at home and avoid any direct contact with your surroundings. - Find all the recommendations on the Ministry of Solidarity and Health website
!!! UPDATE – March 30, 2020 !!!
Solidarity EHPAD and FFESSM Southern Region
The oxygen therapy equipment from O2 suppliers has been requisitioned by the State for hospitals, leaving many medical-social structures such as EHPADs without resources.
Aware of the upcoming health peak, the Southern Regional Committee of FFESSM has urgently made an agreement with the Synerpa Union of EHPADs in the PACA region to assist these elderly housing establishments. A call for solidarity among our dive centers has been made in recent days. About fifty clubs and commercial structures have volunteered to lend their oxygen therapy kits until the end of the confinement.
The agreement allows the management, retrieval of equipment, duration, insurance responsibility, and use of derogatory travel certificates (general interest mission at the request of the administrative authority) to be framed.
Note: this oxygen therapy equipment only aims for temporary support help, pending rescue services to evacuate a patient to a hospital technical platform. Since last week, first cases in EHPADs have been able to benefit from this help.
President of the FFESSM Southern Region committee, Doctor Frederic Di Meglio, comments on this information: « the CROS PACA and the Regional Directorate for Youth and Sports strongly support this mobilization of our diving sports structures, the DRJSCS informed the Ministry and the Prefecture. Let’s be aware that this is an exceptional health emergency and that we are in the context of assistance to people in danger, despite some administrative grumblers who still have questions. »!!! UPDATE – March 25, 2020 !!!
Coronavirus: Decathlon’s clarification regarding the use of its Easybreath mask
One of the flagship products of the diving brand Subea (read the behind-the-scenes of the brand’s R&D department in issue n°15 of Plongez!) has been presented in recent days by internet users as an alternative to protective masks against coronavirus. In response to this information, widely relayed due to the shortage of masks in many countries, the brand reacted in a statement:
« The Easybreath mask, made visible by many internet users in recent days and presented as a potential protective mask against the Coronavirus, was not designed for this use. Its initial use remains snorkeling, so we recommend not modifying the mask yourself; this could impact its functionality, especially concerning airflow.
Nevertheless, in parallel and given the unprecedented context we are experiencing, Decathlon teams, in solidarity and responsibility, are technically supporting some research centers in France, as abroad, to conduct tests and thus see if the product can – or cannot – be adapted, notably by sharing the 3D plan of the Easybreath mask.«
Confinement: new decree concerning travel
Pursuant to a decree published Tuesday, any movement outside their home is prohibited. Exceptions are provided, provided they are accompanied by a certificate (downloadable from the Ministry of the Interior website), for the following cases:
- home-to-work trips and professional travel that cannot be postponed;
- travel to purchase necessities or necessary for professional activity;
- travel for health reasons that cannot be postponed;
- travel for compelling family reasons, for assisting vulnerable people and for childcare;
- individual physical activity, limited to one hour per day and within a maximum radius of one kilometer from home;
- walks between people living at the same domicile or for the needs of pets, also limited to one hour per day and within a radius of one kilometer;
- travel to respond to a summons from the police, gendarmerie, justice, or to participate in « missions of general interest » at the request of the administration.
Bahamas: new preventive restrictions
To prevent the spread of Covid-19, from Tuesday, March 24, 9 a.m., to Tuesday, March 31, 2020, 9 a.m., the Bahamas have enacted an additional emergency decree.
- No visitor is allowed to enter and disembark in the Bahamas for any reason, including transit.
- All airports, including private airports, are closed to incoming international flights, unless written authorization from the competent authority.
- All seaports are closed to regional and international maritime traffic and private navigation (except outgoing flights or ships, cargo flights or ships, commercial flights, emergency medical flights, or emergency flights approved by the civil aviation authority).
- All international visitors currently in the Bahamas are requested to immediately contact their airline to arrange their travel to return home safely. Those who choose to stay in the Bahamas must prepare to do so for an indefinite period.
- It is forbidden to rent or attempt to travel on a mail boat, sailing between islands, except for freight transport; or private commercial maritime transport between islands.
- All residents are subject to a 24-hour curfew and must stay home to avoid contact with the outside, except for those who have been deemed essential workers or have special permission from the police commissioner.
- Residents may leave their homes for essential trips to the doctor, grocery store, bank, pharmacy, or to refuel gas; as well as for outdoor exercise, no more than an hour and a half per day between 5 a.m. and 9 p.m.
- Social distancing of at least 1.80 m must be maintained at all times outside the home.
- All public beaches, markets, and docks will be closed, and no vehicle is allowed on public or private roads for any reason other than those mentioned above.
!!! UPDATE – March 22, 2020 !!!
Flights between mainland and overseas territories prohibited
Flights between mainland and the overseas departments and territories (Martinique, Mayotte, Guadeloupe, Guyana, La Réunion, Saint Martin, and Saint-Barthélemy) will be prohibited from Monday at midnight until April 15, according to a decree published on March 22 in the Official Journal.
According to this published decree, « Movements of people by commercial air transport are prohibited until April 15, 2020, unless they fall within one of the exceptions mentioned in II, from the mainland and destined for La Réunion, Mayotte, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Guyana, Saint-Martin and Saint-Barthélemy; from one of these communities and destined for the mainland; commercial air transport between these communities.Travel between these islands is also prohibited except for exemptions forcompelling personal or family reasons, « health emergencies » or « professional reasons that cannot be postponed ».
!!! UPDATE – March 20, 2020 !!!
Crisis management at TOs
In this unprecedented health crisis, many divers who were planning to travel soon are therefore questioning their departure. Tour operators are on duty, here’s their information as we receive it (TOs listed in alphabetical order).
Aquarev
« France’s borders are closed as are those of countries where many of our diver friends go. Likewise, airlines have drastically reduced their flight schedules, making it impossible to leave the country. We are in an almost total confinement situation, and each passing hour brings its share of changes.– For trips planned until April 30, 2020 : due to the impossibility of providing services at the destination and the uncertainty of returns: all departures until April 30 inclusive are postponed, with the issuance of a credit valid until December 31, 2020, at minimum, equal to the value paid for your trip. Your Aquarev advisor will contact you within the next few hours to find with you the best possible solution. If communication could not be established, we thank you for reaching out to us by email or any means at your convenience.– For trips planned after April 30, 2020 : as of today, normally, all departures are maintained. However, the situation is very unstable and changes may lead French authorities to make decisions such as extending the confinement period. We will be sure to inform you of these changes. Our team remains vigilant and monitors developments hour by hour. »
C6Bo
« Following government instructions, our office will be closed until further notice. All our employees ensure the continuity of our services by teleworking. We have all the necessary equipment and data to handle your requests. Therefore, we encourage you to prioritize email contact for all correspondence with us.– For trips planned until April 30, 2020 inclusive : due to this exceptional situation, the relevant governments and authorities are closing borders and limiting travel, arrivals as well as departures. Airlines can no longer carry passengers and continue their regular itineraries. Consequently, and following the postponement announced by SETO to date, all planned departures until April 30 inclusive cannot be maintained and will be postponed. Thus, for all affected departures, we offer you a one-year postponement of your trip. You will receive a credit for the amount of your initial trip, valid only on the original destination. No refund will be made. A new estimate will be drawn up as accurately as possible, we will limit tariff differences to a minimum, but it is possible, depending on the periods, that the price will be higher. The potential price difference will therefore be charged. The clients concerned will be informed as soon as possible. »– For trips planned from May 1, 2020: departures to non-impacted destinations are currently maintained. However, the situation could change.
If you wish to cancel your trip to destinations and dates not affected by these measures, general sales conditions apply. Consequently, cancellation fees will be deducted from the total amount of the trip. »
Spots d’Evasion
« The suspension of some flights to Asia since early February has directly impacted us and was the beginning of a long series of flight and route suspensions and border closures, leading to today’s confinement situation that we would never have imagined just a few weeks ago.
Our priority is the health safety of our clients, employees, and loved ones. Unfortunately, we have no control or power over flight cancellations, border closures, and movement restrictions decided by the President of the Republic. The only thing we can do is follow the instructions and measures taken to curb the virus’s spread.
We have implemented teleworking measures and are mobilized to handle all our clients’ files. We recommend prioritizing email contact over the phone. The management is present at the office to respond to urgent calls.
Concretely, our main concern today is to do everything possible for our clients still abroad to return to France in a short time.
Travel postponements: we are applying the temporary and derogatory directive given to all tourism professionals by the government (which will take the form of an ordinance in the coming days) to postpone scheduled trips by issuing a credit note, and we follow the recommendations of our professional organizations, SETO (Syndicate of Tour Operating Companies) and Travel Companies. Spots d’Evasion, like all French travel agencies, therefore has no choice but to offer a postponement of trips scheduled until April 30 (date subject to change based on health recommendations, government directives, and flight suspension measures by airlines), in full agreement with government directives and in full compliance with regulations that have just adapted to this extraordinary situation. »– Programmed departure until April 30, 2020: our clients will receive a credit for the value of the reserved and paid trip (same destination, same services) valid until December 31, 2020 (or until 2021, as the case may be – the conditions are being validated by the government). Our teams have contacted our clients to inform them of the situation. We will handle all cases individually with them to find the most suitable solution for their constraints.– For trips scheduled from May 1, 2020 : As of March 19, trips scheduled from May 1, 2020, are all maintained. Some may be postponed depending on the flight plans of airlines and the decisions to close the borders of the destination countries. Given the evolution of the health crisis and decisions regarding travel restrictions, these dates may be modified at any time. »
Subocea
« Tourism is affected by the magnitude of the virus and the measures taken to curb its spread. The consequences directly impact travelers and divers worldwide. For the sake of national and global security, we must respect the guidelines prescribed by the responsible authorities.
Airlines follow government recommendations, which are backed by scientific experts to take the necessary measures to counter the disease. To prevent the virus from spreading, some borders close day by day to protect populations.
Our teams are aware of the direct impact on your diving trips and are mobilized to face this unprecedented situation and find solutions. A crisis unit has been established to assist you.
Depending on your departure date and destination, measures have been taken in response to this global crisis:– For trips scheduled until April 30, 2020 : unfortunately, they cannot take place. Our teams are at your service and are doing everything they can to support you and provide solutions. In response to this situation, we will send you a voucher for the value paid for your trip, valid until 12/31/2020 to organize your trip to the same destination. Your travel advisor should contact you as soon as possible. If not, we invite you to contact them as soon as possible to discuss rescheduling your vacation together.– For trips scheduled after April 30, 2020 : as of now, departures are maintained. The situation could change at any time, and we will keep you informed. The information listed on this page is updated every 24 hours to allow you to follow the evolution of the measures taken.– For bookings made between March 17 and May 20, 2020 : we are adapting our general sales conditions to the situation. For any booking made until May 20, 2020, cancellations and refunds without fees may be offered to you due to Covid-19. »
Covid-19 and DAN insurance
Here are the latest recommendations from DAN regarding the additional restrictions imposed on travelers and considerations on diving activities: « Everyone is aware of the current crisis, and we at DAN are confident that our members will be at the forefront of preventing the spread of diseases. It is our duty to stay safe, not only because any risky behavior will be considered negligence and thus compromise our chances of receiving help but also as leaders in health and safety, we must set an example.
The current coronavirus pandemic has made it much more difficult for individuals to move from one country to another, even for medical reasons, due to the lack of flights other than those organized by governments to repatriate their still healthy citizens. It is highly likely that sick people will have to be treated in situ, regardless of the availability or not of facilities, including diver treatment centers.
Our recommendation to all DAN members is not to expose themselves to unnecessary risks at this particular time. This includes limiting or refraining from diving activities, due to the increasing unavailability of appropriate treatment facilities in case of DCS.
Members should seize every opportunity to return home as soon as such an opportunity arises, rather than risk being trapped in a foreign country for possibly several weeks.
Remember that it is of utmost importance to keep yourself informed of the current instructions issued by your country of residence and those of the country you are currently in and to follow them strictly. »
!!! UPDATE – March 18, 2020 !!!
REMINDER: all nautical activities prohibited
To prevent the spread of the Covid-19 virus and protect the population, state services remind that the decree of March 16, 2020, prohibits until March 31, 2020, any person from leaving their home.
The issue at sea is no different: any maritime and coastal leisure activities and water sports in their broadest sense (surfing, sailing, diving, sliding sports…), whether practiced in groups or alone, supervised or not.
None of the five exceptions in the decree justify practicing any nautical activity, none of them can constitute a legitimate reason to leave one’s home.
Some of these nautical activities also place an incompatible burden on rescue services and medical structures with the country’s current situation.
Let us repeat it enough: STAY AT HOME !!!!!!
Air situation
– Air Corsica: The company will provide a minimum public air service from March 18, 2020, and for the next fifteen days. All scheduled regular flights are canceled. « A minimum program is triggered on the 12 routes under the public service, in order to maintain Territorial Continuity for the benefit of people with imperative travel needs as well as for the delivery of freight, medical samples, and blood« .
– Air France:The company is suspending its flights between Paris and Tahiti from March 28, 2020, until May 3 inclusive. Re-routing solutions have already been offered to most customers wishing to return by March 27, 2020.!!! UPDATE – March 17, 2020 !!!
Address by the President of the Republic on March 16 at 8 pm
From today at noon, and for at least 15 days, our movements must be very strongly reduced. Family or friendly gatherings will no longer be allowed. European borders (Schengen area) are also closed from noon today, and for 30 days.
The only authorized movements by Article 1 of the decree of March 16, 2020, in the fight against the spread of the Covid-19 virus are as follows:
- travel between home and the place of exercise of professional activity, when they are essential to the exercise of activities that cannot be organized in the form of telework (permanent proof) or professional trips that cannot be postponed;
- travel to make essential purchases in authorized establishments (list on government.fr);
- travel for health reasons;
- travel for imperative family reasons, for the assistance of vulnerable persons or child custody;
- brief travel, near the home, related to individual physical activity, excluding any collective sports practice, and to the needs of pets.
Let us remember, the diving sector is affected by these confinement measures, we must all be responsible and follow the guidelines strictly in order to limit the spread of the virus!
The point concerning diving (and other) trips
Here are links to pages that will allow you to follow the situation case by case.
To follow the airline situation by airline.
The countries where the French are forbidden (or their situation is complicated).
Regarding diving destinations:
– As of March 19, 2020, and for 30 days, the Bahamas have decided to ban entry to the territory to people who have stayed in and/or transited through one of the Schengen area countries, including France, Ireland, or the United Kingdom.
– From Wednesday, March 18, all passengers from the European Union, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Switzerland will be denied entry to Mauritius for a period of 14 days, announces the Tourism Office.
– The Maldives restrict access to their territory of passengers from France, Spain and Italy, since March 15, 2020. « It is advisable to postpone trips to the Maldives until the situation is restored » stresses the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
…!!! UPDATE – March 16, 2020 !!!
Closure and cessation of activities for diving centers until April 15
As part of the fight against Covid-19, the Prime Minister, Edouard Philippe, announced on Saturday, March 14 in the evening the closure from midnight of all “places receiving non-essential public living in the country”. This statement was supplemented on Sunday, March 15 by a decree that is very clear: establishments of physical or sports activities (including diving, apnea, and other associated activities), which by definition receive the public, are closed until April 15, 2020, whether they are covered or open-air.
Particularly affected, in connection with diving, are establishments falling into the following categories:
– for category M: shops and shopping centers, except for their delivery and order collection activities;
– for category X: indoor sports facilities (notably swimming pools and pits);
– for category PA: outdoor facilities.
(find the full list, as well as exceptions, on the Plongee-Plaisir website).
This measure also applies in the Overseas departments and regions (Guadeloupe, Guyana, Martinique, Reunion, Mayotte), in Saint-Martin-Saint Barthélémy and Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon from March 16.
For now, only the Pacific territories (New Caledonia, Polynesia, Wallis and Futuna) are not mentioned.
The situation in Indonesia, a prime destination for divers
In Indonesia, as for all countries affected by Covid-19, the toll worsens every day. Here is an excerpt from the statement of the French embassy in Jakarta: « According to local authorities, 5 cities/areas are particularly affected on the territory. These are Greater Jakarta, Bali, Bandung (West Java), Yogyakarta and Solo (Central Java), Manado (Sulawesi), and Pontianak (Kalimantan).
The national disaster management agency (BNPB) has qualified the epidemic as a national disaster. The Government announced the deployment of 10,000 test kits in several regions and the support of medical students to the medical staff of reference hospitals.
In Jakarta, the Governor ordered the temporary closure of cultural and recreation places (museums, amusement parks, zoos, etc.) and education facilities (schools, universities, private courses, etc.). He urged residents to limit as much as possible interactions and to give up non-essential trips.
The Governors of West Java, Aceh, and Banten provinces have also announced school closures. Other regions should follow suit unless the Ministry of Education takes this decision, which normally falls within the regions’ prerogative, at the national level.
On an individual level, it is important to follow the instructions by applying the barrier gestures and avoiding, as much as possible, outdoor activities and non-essential trips. For a reminder, you will find all the useful information on the Embassy’s website.
Statement from travel companies
In the unprecedented and extreme circumstances we are experiencing, a statement from travel companies, the professional association of tourism solidarity, Cruises Lines International Association, and the Syndicat des Entreprises du Tour Operating (SETO) indicates: » Neither the tourism code nor the directive on package tours were designed and written to take into account (the current situation). In our view, these texts have become factually inapplicable. Thus, for customers who cannot be welcomed in the different countries that no longer accept the French or organize mandatory quarantines, we recommend agencies to postpone the trip to a later date. » Tourism professionals therefore favor postponing trips for people unable to be welcomed in the various countries mentioned above, particularly by offering them a voucher.« In this context« , continues the statement, « professional organizations urgently asked the government to take measures to implement these recommendations legally, taking into account this exceptional and particular situation. By derogating from its usual regulations, Italy has already taken by decree the measures allowing the postponement of trips in the form of a voucher instead of cancellations. »
!!! UPDATE – March 13, 2020 !!!
Diving clubs and centers: properly disinfect diving equipment
Divers have questions about the transmission of diseases when using rental (or loaned) equipment, with preliminary information suggesting that the new coronavirus could survive for a few hours on surfaces.
In any case, it is crucial to sanitize the equipment properly, in particular: the mouthpieces of the second stage of the regulator, snorkels, the mouthpieces of the buoyancy compensators, and the insides of masks.
For DAN Europe (Divers Alert Network Europe), the international medical and research organization dedicated to the safety and health of divers, household cleaning products are as effective against Covid-19 as against cold and flu viruses. In this regard, DAN recommends using a 1% sodium hypochlorite aqueous solution (bleach) with an application time of more than 15 minutes, ensuring that the solution reaches every part to be disinfected (total immersion). Ensure to use the product according to the manufacturer’s instructions and rinse with fresh water.
For common surfaces (tables, handles, switches, chairs, etc.), only use products approved for surface disinfection, such as sprays or appropriate disinfectants (if possible avoid wipes which have a negative impact on the environment).
DAN Europe warns to ensure that products commonly used to clean diving equipment – mouth rinses or antibacterial and chlorhexidine sprays – are ineffective against coronaviruses. Nothing proves that the application of hot soapy water is effective in disinfection unless at temperatures above 40°C and for application durations exceeding 20 minutes (e.g., machine washing).
The use of approved surface disinfection products, with procedures other than total immersion in a sodium hypochlorite solution as indicated above, does not guarantee the disinfection of diving equipment.
Frédéric Di Meglio, ENT surgeon and president of the PACA regional committee of the FFESSM, recalls that although the sports code has required since 2012 the disinfection of mouthpieces before each dive in case of user change, » certain contact disinfection biocide products, sold in stores, do not comply with the virucide (for the destruction of viruses like hepatitis, herpes, influenza, hiv…) necessary. Clubs and diving centers, whether for lending equipment during pool training sessions or renting in a commercial setting, must ensure, given the current epidemic context, that the technical notice of the product indeed specifies the virucidal standard EN 13610, which validates an optimal contact time of 15 minutes. »In 2016, as a physician of the national executive committee of the FFESSM, Frédéric Di Meglio worked on this subject with the search for a non-toxic biocide disinfectant for humans, non-aggressive for equipment and non-polluting for the environment (ecological safety of biodegradability). « Hydrogen peroxide was chosen (Ecosterix H2O). At the time, I also demanded from the laboratory the more restrictive standard EN 13610. An independent laboratory conducted a scientific test at the beginning of 2017 which proved conclusive, allowing the final advisory choice of the FFESSM for this product and the disinfection of the regulator and snorkel mouthpieces. So make sure of the virucide of the product you are using in your club!« !!! UPDATE – March 11, 2020 !!!
Diving trips: testimonies and advice from tour operators
– Karine Jamin, scuba diving product manager at Ultramarina (March 11, 2020): « It has become complicated, our suppliers are in the process of modifying their cancellation conditions. Two situations to manage: trips to countries prohibited by the French government, in which case the trip is refunded 100%. For all other destinations, for which there is no prohibition to travel by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, there is no reason to refund. This is managed on a case-by-case basis, when possible we try to postpone the trip. We should not fall into psychosis, if we can understand that we have questions about traveling for the coming weeks, I think we should not question a medium-term trip, in the coming months. We continue to make quotes for this summer, for the end of the year. When it goes back, it will come back quickly, we must not stop living.« – Ziad EL ZEIN, manager of Nature Plongée (March 11, 2020): « For now, the only impacted destination for us is the Federated States of Micronesia (Guam, American airport, mandatory transit for going to Yap and Truk) – with the ban for the French to land in the USA since March 11. So if we cannot postpone, we refund the trip. Some cancel because they are afraid to travel, and when they only have €150 cancellation fees, it’s not too much of a problem for them. Otherwise, we try to negotiate with our provider on-site to postpone the trip.
The majority of our travelers continue to leave, with a medical certificate of non-presence of symptoms (absence of fever, cough…), requested by many countries that have not closed their borders. It is normal for countries to take measures regarding entry into their territory. We urge all our travelers to take basic precautions during the trip, wash their hands as often as possible, disinfect the touch screen and the armrests of their seat on the plane… But generally people still want to travel, to make plans. This morning I even made a quote for 2022. »
Testimonies from diving centers and dive operators
- Aquasport Diving Center in Lanzarote: » For the divers, everything is going well for now. We are enjoying lovely dives in the best of worlds. We haven’t changed our habits for the moment, as nothing special is happening here. We haven’t stocked up on pasta or rice and even less on toilet paper. Stop watching or listening to the media that exploits you, and it works. »
- Diving Attitude, Red Sea cruise operator: via its latest newsletter, the cruise operator (Exocet and Atlantis boats) commits to reschedule your cruise within the year if you book and cannot come due to increased travel restrictions from the French Foreign Ministry or if you are sick with Covid-19 or in quarantine. Furthermore, several precautions have been implemented on the boats, which must be followed by the crew, instructor teams, and divers.
Diving Attitude provides hand sanitizer dispensers and thermometers. They have added several soap dispensing stations for handwashing and increased their stock of paper tissues. They have brought on board a stock of disinfectant spray to use on the lounges of the common areas and mattresses between cruises. The crew has been informed and trained to clean door handles, tables, and stainless steel railings more frequently.
Finally, the cruise operator informs about their intention to isolate « as much as possible the staff or diver who seems to have an infection, and in the case of suspected infection, we will immediately interrupt the cruise and return to the marina for the infected person to be taken care of.« - Fred Lombard, dive center in Safaga, Red Sea : on Facebook, the center reassures divers: « Flights are not canceled! The only thing is that once you arrive at the airport in Egypt, you will have to fill out a health form and undergo a temperature test…. and then dive into the deep blue with its multicolored fish! « »
- Scubaqua Dive Center, Sint Eustatius (Caribbean): « for now, the situation in St. Eustatius is as usual, meaning that divers arrive and depart, enjoying their stay to the fullest. We are ready to face a potential crisis, which is not yet one at the moment. We invite divers to continue to join us and enjoy beautiful vacations, as long as Air France, Air Caraïbes, and Winair are flying.«
Article and photos: Sandrine Leveugle-Souan