Covid-19 Quarantine or Lockdown?

What started as a 14-day quarantine in Honduras, back in March, has become an extended 110-day long lockdown. Sadly, there seems to be no end in sight. Without doubt, this is Covid-19 lockdown! Amazing, back in March, a quarantine sounded horrible. Today, we all wish we had finished a quarantine instead of being in a lockdown. Being in the tourism business, it has been over 100 days without a guest in our bed and breakfast. We have tried to take advantage and do some upkeeping and preventive maintenance. La Villa de Soledad Bed and Breakfast looks top notch and is ready for business. We are working to get our bio security standards up to par and looking forward to welcoming guests soon. However, there is no telling when that will be.

The borders and airports in Honduras have been officially closed since March 16. Travel within the country is prohibited, as we are officially in a curfew that limits our mobility. This means that as of today, July 3, we cannot aspire to take in guests from within Honduras. Many friends are asking me when we will be allowed to reopen. I tell them that my main concern is when will travelers be able to visit Honduras again. Everything points to the fact that we will continue in an extended lockdown at least through the end of August. Then again, this is just a guess on my behalf! Are you still wondering if we are in a Covid-19 quarantine or lockdown?[themify_hr color=”light-gray” width=”1″ border_width=”1″]

It certainly seems like a lockdown to me!

First, we need to have the curfew lifted. Then we can hope that the borders will reopen. Currently, only cargo is coming in and out through our borders. My best guess is that the first borders to open will be those between Honduras and Guatemala and El Salvador. The Nicaragua border will probably remain shut longer because there has not been a concerted effort to handle Covid -19 in that country. Once the borders reopen, we can expect the airports will follow suit. Of course, there is a big difference between having an airport open and having flights arriving and departing.

With the airports open, we will have to see who is allowed into the country. I assume that citizens from Guatemala and El Salvador will be the first that will be welcome. Flights between Panama and Costa Rica to Honduras will probably be the first to commence operations. It remains uncertain to me if flights from the United States and Mexico will reopen soon. It seems to me that Honduras should have restrictions for flights from countries where the virus is still rampant. We may see the Air Europa flight from Madrid flying before we see flights from North America. Again, this is what I believe, not necessarily what will happen. I think that nobody in the government has a clear idea about how things will progress.

Roatan will not be the first to open.

I had anticipated that the Roatan Airport would be the first to commence operations with scheduled flights. 30 days ago, the Bay Islands were officially Covid-19 free. Unfortunately, that is no longer the case. So, I am not sure that this will be the case anymore. [themify_hr color=”light-gray” width=”1″ border_width=”1″]

Another thing to look out for is the new Comayagua Airport. If the lockdown continues for several months, we may find that when flights resume, they will be flying into Comayagua instead of Toncontin International Airport in Tegucigalpa. The Government of Honduras has been trying to close that airport for years, and they may probably take advantage of the situation. Hondurans will be so happy to have flights again that they will settle for the new airport and not fight for Toncontin to reopen. One thing is certain, we are in a lockdown and there is no end in sight as far as I can see! I do hope that science can come up with a vaccination soon enough. I can´t wait to get one and go on with my life. In the meantime, I am enjoying life in my little piece of paradise in the Cangrejal River Valley.