The COVID-19 pandemic has affected how we travel in myriad ways. And now, even as the vaccine starts rolling out, travelers need to take into account hygiene and safety precautions as well as travel restrictions. So what happens if you need a COVID-19 test in the Dominican Republic?
First off, you should know that COVID-19 tests are not required for U.S. travelers who visit the Dominican Republic. All you need to do is fill out a health form before you proceed through customs and immigration (although in my case, they didn’t even collect that form when I flew into Punta Cana). You may also have your temperature taken at the airport by a biothermic scanner, which means you won’t even know it’s happening (no need for those temperature-taking handheld devices). For a detailed review of what it’s like to fly to Punta Cana during the Pandemic, click here to read my post and watch the video.
So if I didn’t need a COVID-19 test to enter the Dominican Republic, why did I bother taking the test at all? Wouldn’t it have been more fun just to stay put at TRS Turquesa, the luxurious Punta Cana beach resort where I had a swim-up suite?
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Of course. But the thing is, when you travel during the pandemic you need to consider requirements in two destinations, not just one. You need to know what’s required by the place you’re going, for sure. But you also need to research what’s required where you live. Since I live in New York City, I had to consider New York State guidelines for people arriving. During the pandemic, the current guidelines require visitors to self-quarantine for 14 days, which isn’t fun. To shorten the length of the quarantine, you must take a test in the destination you are before arriving in New York, then take another test in New York on the fourth day after your arrival. If both tests come back negative, then you’re good to go and you don’t have to quarantine any more.
Travel is so complicated nowadays — and there is risk involved. That’s why most people aren’t traveling, and why they shouldn’t travel.
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If you do travel, however, and you do need to take a COVID-19 test in the Dominican Republic, here’s what it’s like.
Helpful travel tip: The Dominican Republic Ministry of Tourism has a very good informational page called the Dominican Republic Travel Resource Center, which lists contact information for COVID-19 testing services around the nation. Since I was visiting Punta Cana, the best option for me seemed to be a health services company called Amadita, which has an app that allows for making appointments. The app isn’t quite ideal for foreign visitors, since it requires you to name a doctor in order to proceed, so I randomly chose a person named Dr. Pena and filled out the forms. It also asks for a social security number, but I was able to proceed without entering that information.
After three days, I still hadn’t heard back from Amadita. I posted about it on my Instagram feed and tagged Amadita, after which someone from the company sent me a message via Instagram asking what I needed. When I explained I was looking to arrange a COVID-19 test, they asked for all of the same details I’d already filled out on their app. When I gave them my name and explained that all of my data was already in their system, via the app, the person explained that the app was a “different department,” so they needed all of my data again. I wasn’t in the mood to share my passport and other personal information yet again with the same company, so I gave up.
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The good news: I learned that the hotel where I’d be staying, the beautiful TRS Turquesa (which is part of the Grand Palladium beach resort complex), has a 24-hour medical facility and that I could get a prescription there for a COVID-19 PCR test and then take a taxi to the nearest testing facility. Patricia, a staff member at the hotel, was absolutely wonderful. She took me in a golf court to see the doctor, who immediately wrote me a prescription. Patricia then called to make an appointment for me at the nearest facility, Centro Médico Punta Cana, for the following day (it was already too late to get there that day). She gave me the name of the person who I should ask for and said she’d advised the person of the time frame for my test.
The following day, the hotel called me a taxi — which cost $10 each way — to get to the medical center, which was about 15 minutes by car. The facility was a modern, multilevel building that offers a variety of medical services. Before entering, a security guard took my temperature and gave me hand sanitizer. The person at the front desk walked me to a small, glass-walled office that handles international patients. There, a woman named Maria already knew who I was and was very professional and gracious, telling me that I could wait in their office to avoid the larger group of people waiting in the main area. She explained that test results are usually delivered within 72 hours or less, but that New York State didn’t require that I actually have the results in hand upon landing — I just needed to have proof of having taken the test, and she gave me the form that would serve that purpose.
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After about 15 minutes, Maria escorted me to a cashier’s window, where I paid about U.S. $75 with my credit card and then waited for a few minutes in the large lobby until Maria indicated I could follow her to the testing room, which was in the basement. No one was in the room except for the medical professional doing the test. After the test, I walked back to Maria’s office and she called my taxi driver for me. I received the test results via email less than two days later, after I was back in New York City, and then on the fourth day after my arrival I took a COVID-19 test in New York City (which, by the way, was free, but took much longer and involved standing in line on the street). Both tests were negative, so I didn’t have to quarantine any further.
The bottom line: if you’re planning a trip, research the COVID-19 testing requirements in the destination where you’re headed as well as the city and state where you live. If it turns out you need a test while you’re away, use the ministry of tourism or tourism office as an information resource, but also check with the hotel where you’ll be staying.