2 people tested positive before starting the trip so we were left with 24 tour members. Most everyone masked up on the bus, which is interesting as it was optional and last year less compliance when it was mandatory. No one got Covid, most risky spaces for me seemed to be group dinners, which were all inside.
Posted by
Arlington TX
406 posts
So 2 people showed up for the tour but felt sick enough they tested and it turned out they were positive? Oh man that would really suck. At least when it happened to us we were several days in. But the rest of you completed the tour ok? Hurray for that at least.
Posted by
Twin Cities, Minnesota
1825 posts
Thank you for reporting on this. I take this tour in September and will wear my KN94 mask on the bus as I did last year and was hoping I wouldn't be the only one wearing one.
Posted by
OP
111 posts
No, they did not show up, they tested positive and dropped out before coming to Europe.
Posted by
Oregon, USA
198 posts
On the Loire & the South of France tour I was on (beginning 30 Apr), we had two people who tested positive at Sarlat and had to leave the tour. Encouraged by our guide, many of us had been masking on the bus from the beginning, and after the two positives masking on the bus was mandatory. No one else got it.
Posted by
Santa Cruz, CA
62 posts
I take this tour in September and will wear my KN94 mask on the bus as I did last year and was hoping I wouldn't be the only one wearing one.
Not to be the voice of bummer here, but you should consider the possibility that you may, in fact, be the only one masking. But please don’t let that deter you from masking!
We just returned from France and Spain, and the vast majority of locals and tourists were not masking. From what I’ve read on this Forum, this seems to be the case throughout Europe. Every tour group is different and no one can predict how many will still be motivated to mask.
We had a vastly different experience than the OP on the Basque tour 3 wks ago. Even after 2 people had tested positive and had to leave the tour (along with their spouses), most did not wear masks on the bus, even though we had already shared group meals together, the biggest risk, as the OP noted. We were 2 of 3 people who consistently wore masks on the bus and other public places, but all 3 of us tested positive on day 5. What happened after that (i.e., how many more tested positive, how many opted to mask, whether the tour guide made masks mandatory, etc) is a mystery because we were off the tour.
Even if most people mask on the bus (a BIG if), the group meals continue to pose a risk of COVID, even if you don’t get seriously ill.
Now that we’re home and recovered, I’ve been joking that we would have been better off if we had gotten COVID a month or two before our trip, rich with a fresh batch of antibodies to protect us!
And there are no guarantees in life.