I recently made a trip to Thailand and tested positive for Covid-19 on arrival at Phuket airport.

According to local protocols I was quarantined for 10 days, 7 of which I could not leave the hotel room where I was staying and the remaining 3 days I could leave the room but could not leave the resort.

I was impeccably monitored by the Bangkok Hospital (Phuket branch), with a daily clinical follow-up, which I have never seen in Portugal. So far nothing to complain about.

The only downside is that I was always asymptomatic, without headaches or throat pains, fever, body aches, or any other type of discomfort and I had to be confined to four walls for 10 days, without even being able to walk on a deserted beach 20 meters from my hotel room.

I have no doubt that I was asymptomatic because I had had the full vaccination and the booster.

The question I ask is this: Does it make sense to test vaccinated people who have no symptoms of illness in the context of tourist travel?

This issue seems to be outdated in Europe, but unfortunately it has not been applied in other parts of the world.

What happened to me must happen every day to thousands of tourists in various parts of the world. Vaccination makes the disease asymptomatic, but does not prevent the virus from continuing to spread.

What I think must be assumed once and for all is that we will have to live with this virus for many years and there is no point in isolating those who are infected because we destroy tourism and do not solve the pandemic problem.

As far as I am concerned, from now on I will only try to travel to countries that do not require testing. It doesn't make sense to run the risk of being confined without even having symptoms.

Maria do Rosário Louro