There is no reason to panic for tourists now that the corona virus has surfaced in various tourist spots, says the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM). The institute understands that people who have recently returned from their winter sports or Tenerife are worried. “But as long as you are not bothered by symptoms, you generally do not have to worry about infection.”
It has been established in the past that in exceptional cases someone can be infected with the COVID-19 virus without showing symptoms. But the RIVM emphasizes that the vast majority of people who are infected with the corona virus also show the symptoms.
The symptoms resemble those of the common cold: fever, cough and shortness of breath. However, there is only a possible contamination if the person concerned has been in an infected area or has been in contact with a person who has returned from an infected area.
Areas that currently have a high risk of infection are, according to RIVM, mainland China, Taiwan, Macau, Hong Kong, Singapore, Iran and a number of municipalities in northern Italy.
The RIVM distinguishes these areas where the virus is spreading, from areas where the virus has “surfaced”, as is the case in Tenerife. There are some cases of infection in these types of areas and these can also be traced back to a visit to a high-risk area. The people who have been to areas where the virus has surfaced do not have to worry immediately.
And as long as you do not show any signs, you do not have to fear that you will pass the virus on to people around you. In by far the majority of cases, the virus spreads via drops, an RIVM spokesperson explains. And someone only gets sick when he or she has been in contact through these drops, for example when an infected person sneezes.
RIVM: Preventive testing for virus is useless
According to the RIVM, it makes no sense to prevent tourists from testing for the corona virus. Only when complaints arise does the virus develop in such a way that the test can prove it and that it is contagious. The first days after an infection there is not enough virus in a body to be able to detect an infection.
People who are really worried can always contact their doctor for questions. “But that is certainly not necessary.”
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