Man hears positive coronavirus test result while flying from Schiphol to Curacao

A Curacao man who landed on the island on a flight from Schiphol on Thursday afternoon, heard during the flight that he was infected with the coronavirus, Curacao epidemiologist Izzy Gerstenbluth confirmed on Thursday night. The man was tested for the virus before the flight with a swab, and he also took a gargle test. The latter did not show that he was infected, Het Parool and RTL Nieuws report.

During the flight, the man received the message that his PCR test - a swab examination where mucus from the throat and nose is collected for analysis - came back positive for an active SARS-CoV-2 infection, virus which causes respiratory disease Covid-19. He went into quarantine upon his arrival on Curacao. The cabin crew and the passengers that sat within two rows of him are being monitored. They have to wear a face mask for the next few days.

People traveling to Curacao have to be tested for the coronavirus infection in advance. Curacao has protested against the use of the gargle test for passengers who want to travel to the island, Gerstenbluth said. According to the epidemiologist, those tests are not completely reliable and they will no longer be accepted as valid proof of non-infection for flights to the island beginning on Saturday.

Gargle tests are used at various locations in the Netherlands, according to Het Parool, but not by health service GGD.