COMMON HOPE VISITOR ACKNOWLEDGMENT FOR PERSONAL TRAVEL RESPONSIBILITIES
Common Hope’s work has never been more important, and we are grateful that you plan to join us in Guatemala! Thank you for registering to travel to Guatemala with Common Hope. Our organization makes every effort to keep volunteers, students, families, and staff safe and healthy.
If you are planning a trip to Guatemala to volunteer with or visit Common Hope, please read and sign below to acknowledge the implications of travel in consideration of your personal health requirements. Common Hope’s philosophy is that all travel to Guatemala is a personal decision and inherently includes a level of personal risk. This statement of understanding ensures that every visitor traveling to Guatemala to participate in a Common Hope experience has acknowledged and confirmed personal responsibility for their travel experience. Common Hope is not responsible for travelers who become ill or incapacitated.
Travel with our program requires the following:
• Common Hope follows all current mandates by the government of Guatemala and the Ministry of Health in Guatemala (MSPAS). These guidelines prioritize health and safety to the best of Common Hope’s ability.
• All visitors are strongly encouraged to consider their health status before the start of their trip, for their own safety and for the safety and health of their travel companions and the Common Hope staff and affiliates with whom they will be interacting.
• If a visitor is experiencing any flu- or COVID-like symptoms, we request that they consider appropriate at-home or in-clinic testing to ensure they are safe to travel. It will not be required to submit proof of testing to Common Hope before traveling.
• All visitors are responsible for health insurance and should consider a supplemental travel health insurance policy.
• All visitors are responsible for ensuring their passport is valid for at least 6 months beyond their travel dates.
Due to safety and security requirements, all team members must arrive in Guatemala on the designated official flights. All visitors must arrive in Guatemala before 5:00 p.m. When leaving Guatemala, visitors will depart in similar groups on officially designated flights. Your decision to travel is personal, and it is important to consider the risks to decide if travel is appropriate for you at this time. Please confirm that you understand the following risks that you must consider when traveling abroad during this time:
• I understand that hospital capacity, especially critical care capacity, might be at maximum utilization in Guatemala.
• I understand that advanced therapies such as ventilators and ECMO are only available in a select few hospitals in Guatemala City and are at maximum utilization.
• I understand that insurance coverage may not be applicable. I will check with my provider and consider supplemental insurance.
• I understand that Common Hope will do its best to support a visitor who becomes ill, but travelers accept full responsibility for translators, medicine, ventilators, doctors, hospitals, costs, and other resources.
Common Hope reserves the right to modify policies, protocols, and practices without notice based on the latest information, government-mandated regulations, and US/Guatemala Embassy recommendations.
NAME OF TRAVELER (PRINT)_________________________________________________
• I ACCEPT ALL responsibility for the personal risk invoked because of my choice to travel to Guatemala and participate in a Common Hope visitor experience at this time.
• I RELEASE Common Hope from any and all liability related to my decision to travel to Guatemala.
• I have thoroughly reviewed all travel risks and safety precautions provided by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control), US Embassy, Guatemala Embassy, and Common Hope.
TRAVELER Signature Date