Gapforce Covid-19 Terms & Conditions

These are an addendum to the standard Booking Conditions

Acceptance of Risk

Gapforce has put in place preventative measures to reduce the spread of Covid-19 and reserves the right to implement additional measures to limit the spread or exposure of Covid-19. Despite the measures in place, we cannot guarantee you will not become infected by the virus, or otherwise have your trip disrupted following exposure to the virus. By joining a Gapforce program, you acknowledge the contagious nature of Covid-19 and understand the risk of becoming exposed to and/or infected by Covid-19 which may result from the actions, omissions, or negligence of yourself and others, including, but not limited to, Gapforce staff and partners, other Gapforce participants and/or local project and community partners. You thereby release Gapforce, its employees, owners and partners of any liability with respect to any bodily injury, illness, death, medical treatment, property damage, or loss of enjoyment that may arise from exposure to Covid-19 related to, or in connection with, your participation on a Gapforce program.

Insurance

At a minimum, your travel insurance policy must include repatriation and medical expenses, including if you are to fall ill with Covid-19 abroad. In addition, we highly recommend your policy covers for cancellation and curtailment as a result of you contracting covid before or during your trip, including quarantine costs should your stay need to be extended. This is in addition to our standard requirement for policies to include cover for cancellation, curtailment, repatriation and medical expenses for other non-covid reasons.

If available, we recommend you take out enhanced cover for other covid-related situations, such as cover for quarantine costs if you are deemed a close contact or test positive during the program. It is the responsibility of the participant to research different insurance policies and levels of coverage so they can find the right policy for their own circumstances, bearing in mind that the participant will be liable for any costs that arise from situations not covered by their insurer.

Participants are responsible for ensuring that their insurance policy is valid for the full duration of their program and their cover is not invalidated or limited in any way by the travel restrictions and advice of their home government.

In addition to any requirements laid out here, participants are responsible for ensuring they fulfil any and all insurance requirements specified for entry into the country of the program.

Country Entry Requirements

It is your responsibility to meet and fulfil, at your own expense, all border entry and testing requirements at the starting destination of your trip before you can join the program.

All participants must be prepared for and able to comply with any requirements expected of them, at their own expense, upon their return to their home country/onward destination. 

Pre-joining testing and vaccination requirements

All Gapforce participants must be fully vaccinated against Covid-19, with at least 14 days between the last dose of the vaccine being administered and the start of the program.

All Gapforce participants are additionally required to provide evidence of a negative Covid test taken within 3 days of the program start date. The test can be a PCR or antigen (including rapid lateral flow) test. Many airlines and borders have similar requirements, so the same test evidence can be shown to Gapforce if it meets these requirements.

Evidence of your vaccination status and Covid test result must be emailed to the Gapforce Office at operations@gapforce.org before the arrival meeting time. Participation on the program will not be permitted until this evidence is provided. No refund will be given in the event of cancellation as a result of failing to provide the required evidence. If your test result is positive for Covid-19, you should claim any cancellation costs through your insurer, if this coverage is included in your policy. Please contact the Gapforce office if you have any questions.

Code of Conduct and Behaviour

Gapforce and its program partners will be taking extra precautions to safeguard participants and staff from the virus, and will inform participants of these protocols in order to keep themselves and others safe. In return, there is an expectation that participants will comply with protocols and instructions and their behaviour will not endanger the health and safety of themselves or others. If a participant deliberately fails to comply with local regulations or the Program Leader’s instructions, in addition to any locally law-enforced sanctions, the participant may be removed from the program if it is felt that their actions and behaviour have endangered the health and safety of themselves or others. In the event of a participant being removed from the program, no refund will be due in line with our standard booking conditions.

Covid-19 related expenses

Participants are responsible for all testing, quarantine/self-isolation, and medical expenses that arise as a result of Covid or its associated requirements from authorities. Any Covid-related expenses, including any additional accommodation and other expenses incurred as a result of quarantine or self-isolation, will need to be covered by you and your travel insurer, so you must have ready access to funds of at least US$2000 whilst travelling for this and other emergencies. There will be no refund for any activities or services you miss whilst you are kept in isolation. For School Bookings, any additional costs that arise as a result of a member of staff accompanying a participant who is diagnosed with Covid-19 and/or required to self-isolate, must be paid for by the School and their Insurer.

Covid 19 –Suspected cases

Participants who are suspected of having Covid-19 or who may have been exposed to Covid-19, may be required to supply additional Covid-19 test results during your program at your own expense if  we decide that the circumstances warrant such a test. If we have reason to believe you could be a serious risk to yourself or others following likely exposure to the virus, even if you are not displaying any symptoms, we may require you to self-isolate for up to 5 days (incubation period) or until a Covid test can be taken to confirm your result.

If you display symptoms of Covid, we will require you to self-isolate until your symptoms subside and/or a PCR test can be taken to confirm your result. We can arrange accommodation and testing for those required to self-isolate, but participants will be responsible for all additional accommodation, testing and any other costs incurred and must be paid for directly by the participant. As this scenario is outside of our control and we will still be providing support, no refund will be provided for any activities or services missed during this period.

If required, we will assist you to access appropriate medical care as quickly as possible and liaise with your insurer if necessary. We will follow local advice and requirements for you and for anyone else in the group who may be a close contact. This advice may differ from that followed in your home country. Deliberate failure to comply with local requirements could lead to your removal from the program as well as any locally enforced sanctions or penalties.

Covid-19 – Confirmed cases and orders to isolate

If you are required to self-isolate during your program, either due to testing positive yourself or due to being identified as a close contact of someone who has tested positive, Gapforce will arrange suitable accommodation, ensure you are provided with food and ensure that your wellbeing is looked after for the duration of your isolation. We will try our best to find suitable accommodation at the same site as the rest of the group, but where this is not possible, you may need to stay in a local hotel or hostel where you will be cared for by your accommodation provider but with remote supervision and support from your Program Leader. If the participant is under 18 years of age, Gapforce will ensure an appropriate adult, for example a member of staff from the participant’s school if it is part of a School Booking, remains in close proximity to the participant until they are able to rejoin the group.

Covid-19 Testing prior to onward travel

If you require Covid testing before your return flight home, you will need to arrange and pay for these yourself. Your Program Leader can provide advice to help you organise this in-country, if required. It is the responsibility of the participant to ensure their Covid-19 test meets the required specifications and timeframe for their onward destination after the program. Gapforce cannot be held responsible for any test results that are late or fail to meet the participant’s flight/border entry requirements.

Self-isolation beyond the end of the program

If you have to isolate beyond the last day of the program, we will help you to find somewhere suitable to stay with access to food and care for the duration of your isolation, as well as assist you with making any new travel arrangements for your return home. We will ensure that in-country support remains available to you for the duration of your isolation, up to 14 days after the end of your program. All expenses incurred by the participant after the last day of the program, including that night’s accommodation, will need to be paid for by the participant directly and reclaimed through insurance, if this coverage is included in the policy.