Sri Lanka Swiss HIV tourist imprisoned in the hotel room of a wellness hotel

Sri Lanka: Wellness hotel locks HIV-positive Swiss in rooms
Although HIV-positive people and those suffering from AIDS are also being discriminated against in Western countries, in some countries in other parts of the world the harassment for those affected is much worse. It has now been reported from Sri Lanka that an HIV-positive Swiss was included in the hotel because of the infection.
HIV positive hotel guest locked up in the room
For a Swiss, the hoped-for dream vacation in Sri Lanka has become a real nightmare. Due to his HIV disease, the man was the victim of severe discrimination. He was detained in his home. The Internet portal "travelnews.ch" reports on the history of the Swiss and quotes his travel advisor Simone F .: "He booked a trip to Sri Lanka at very short notice because he wanted to relax in a wellness hotel. I got to know him as a very friendly and friendly person. Two days after his arrival he called me in tears. The client stated in the questionnaire, which must be completed in the wellness center before the treatment, that he was HIV positive. The spa staff had refused to even touch him. He was almost locked in his room. He was not even allowed to leave the room to eat, he had to eat in his room. "

Discrimination against HIV sufferers. Picture: joserpizarro - fotolia

According to the information, the director of the hotel even called the travel consultant and asked her to arrange for the immediate departure of the guest. The guest was eventually reposted and returned home earlier.

Indications of possible discrimination
For the travel consultant, the question now arises, among other things, whether it should be pointed out to customers that there are countries that prohibit the entry of HIV-positive or where such people could become victims of discrimination? The managing director of Aids-Hilfe Schweiz, Daniel Seiler, explained on request of "travelnews.ch": "From the point of view of Aids-Hilfe Schweiz, the active demand of the travel agency among its customers should be avoided as this would violate privacy "Affected people would often advise on Internet forums to hide the HIV infection on entry forms, but Seiler warned against such tricks. In countries where HIV status is not explicitly required to obtain a visa, however, one does not have to disclose its infection.

Entry is prohibited for people living with HIV
The Internet portal lists countries that are banned from entering the country for HIV-positive people: Brunei, Equatorial Guinea, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Papua New Guinea, Russia, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Sudan, United Arab Emirates, Yemen. In some states HIV-positive people are even being deported: Bahrain, Bangladesh, Brunei, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Hungary, Iraq, Jordan, Kazakhstan, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, Oman, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Syria.

Discrimination in Europe too
Although no European nations are listed here except Hungary and Russia, people living with HIV are also disadvantaged in the West. Just last summer, experts at the German-Austrian AIDS Congress in Dusseldorf called for an end to the discrimination against HIV-infected people in Germany. In particular, they focused on health care and pointed out that HIV patients should not be disadvantaged in terms of access and care. On the occasion of World AIDS Day two years ago, various organizations had launched an innovative campaign to help reduce prejudice and discrimination against HIV-positive people. On posters was asked, among other things, whether one would kiss HIV-positive. The answer was immediately given: "Sure, if he is my type". (Ad)