An outbreak of what has been suspected as viral gastroenteritis or the Norovirus affecting 800 guests has caused chaos at the Lindos Imperial hotel, according to sources from The Daily Mail.
Amongst the 800 victims are said to be 50 British families in an outbreak that has lasted 10 days and has left guests violently vomiting and suffering bouts of serious diarrhoea at the £200 per night hotel on the Greek Island of Rhodes.
According to the sources, the hotel has stated that the outbreak is not down to poor hygiene, and whist they have said to have set up first aid desks in response to the problem, the hotel is still letting people in. The manager has also claimed that no more than 100 people have been affected but scenes at the reception of the hotel were described as ‘chaos‘ with the number of victims said to be 8 times that.
Victims have had their holidays ruined yet a private doctor and the staff working there were said to be of ‘little help with advice on rehydration and management of personal hygiene’ and allegedly ‘couldn’t wait to get away fast enough!’ The source that has suggested the bug was viral gastroenteritis or the Norovirus was a guest staying at the hotel who happens to be a doctor herself.
Many guests are looking for early returns and many that are set to fly out to stay there shortly are being offered alternative options.
Outbreaks in resorts and cruise ships are always very serious and can spread so fast. Whilst it can be difficult to identify the source of these bugs we’d expect an investigation be launched in to what has happened given the extent of the outbreak.
If it is found to have been caused by poor hygiene standards then there could be significant compensation claims for injury and loss; which could amount to a lot given the cost of staying at the hotel. It is possible to make a claim against a holiday package provider using The Package Travel, Package Holidays and Package Tours Regulations. If the hotel was formed as part of a package paid together which consists of things such as flights and accommodation then it may be covered.
This makes it easier than pursing a foreign establishment in a foreign jurisdiction.
Viral gastroenteritis can be caused through food contamination and often spreads quickly amongst people who are in close contact. The affects generally last for up to 48 hours, but being struck down with that kind of illness when you’re meant to be enjoying yourself on holiday can easily ruin the whole experience.
