Norwegian Cruise Line is dropping a requirement that passengers test negative for COVID-19 before sailing unless it is required by local rules. The company said Wednesday that it will drop the testing requirement Aug. 1 except on ships sailing from places with local testing rules, including in the United States, Canada, Bermuda and Greece. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention requires pre-trip testing for passengers on 94 ships taking part in CDC’s voluntary COVID-19 program, including Norwegian ships that sail in the U.S. Norwegian requires vaccinated passengers in the U.S. to show a negative antigen test for COVID-19 within two days of their trip or a negative PCR test within three days of sailing. Unvaccinated children under 12 are subject to more testing when th...
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South Korea lifted almost all of its COVID-19 precautions on Monday in a major step towards a return to normal life as the Omicron variant recedes and daily infections retreated to a more than two-month low of fewer than 50,000. A midnight curfew on restaurants and other businesses was scrapped, along with a cap of 10 people allowed to gather. From next week, people will be allowed to eat snacks in cinemas and other indoor public facilities such as stadiums. People are still required to wear masks, however, with the government planning to review whether to lift a rule for masks outdoors in two weeks. FILE PHOTO: Women wearing masks walk in a shopping district amid the COVID-19 pandemic in Seoul, South Korea, March 16, 2022. REUTERS/Heo Ran The relaxation of the rules come as t...
Read MoreGreece said on Wednesday that pandemic restrictions such as mask-wearing indoors and COVID certificates will be lifted throughout the summer tourism period and authorities will consider reinstating them in September. Coronavirus infections in Greece have eased in recent weeks, with authorities recording 15,000 infections and 64 deaths on Tuesday. Out of a population of 11 million, some 72% are fully vaccinated. FILE PHOTO: An aerial view of a hotel resort on the island of Corfu, Greece, March 2, 2022. REUTERS/Adonis Skordilis Greece's vital summer tourism season typically begins after the Orthodox Easter, which this year falls on April 24. Greece is expecting high numbers of visitors this year, with officials predicting revenues reaching 80% of 2019 levels, a record year before t...
Read MoreCyprus will lift COVID-19 conditions for travel to the island from April 18, authorities said on Thursday, ending two years of rules imposed by the pandemic. FILE PHOTO: A traveller wearing a protective face mask is seen at Larnaca International Airport, after Cyprus opened up its airports following a nationwide lockdown amid the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Larnaca, Cyprus. REUTERS/Yiannis Kourtoglou The island said it was scrapping a colour-coded assessment of other countries based on epidemiological risk, an inbound flight permission to travel and PCR or rapid lateral flow tests for those who were fully vaccinated against COVID-19. People who have not been vaccinated, or not completed their booster shots would still need a PCR test or a lateral flow test, t...
Read MoreAfter spending two years being socially distanced in his home country of South Korea, Kim Hoe-jun booked a last-minute flight to Hawaii, where he had enjoyed his honeymoon six years ago, giving in to his craving for overseas travel. "I bought the ticket just a week ago, but it was rather a no-brainer. It felt like I was making up for those two years not being able to go abroad often as I used to before COVID," he said, before boarding the plane from Incheon International Airport on Friday. Vaccinated and boosted, Kim and his wife are among South Koreans joining in a rush for "revenge travel" - a term that has been trending on social media as people scramble to book overseas trips that were delayed by coronavirus restrictions. People wearing face masks to prevent contracting from ...
Read MoreThailand said on Friday it will scrap a mandatory pre-departure coronavirus test for visitors starting next month but will still require entry registrations in advance and an on-arrival test. Known for its nightlife and beach destinations, Thailand has sought to revive its pandemic-battered tourism sector by being among the first in the region to ease travel restrictions. FILE PHOTO: A man rides a horse at Cha-Am Beach, amid the coranavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Phetchaburi province, Thailand, December 25, 2021. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha/File Photo The measures saw arrival numbers tick up to nearly 134,000 in January this year from about 7,700 in the same month in 2021 - a year in which the Southeast Asian country received just 0.5% of pre-pandemic arrivals. But bu...
Read MoreThe United Arab Emirates, the Middle East tourism and commercial hub, over the weekend ended a requirement to wear face masks outdoors and obligatory quarantine for COVID-19 contact cases. Fully-vaccinated passengers arriving in the country will no longer require PCR tests, said the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority in updated guidance that went into effect on Saturday. FILE PHOTO: A worker wearing a protective face mask and gloves serves food at a restaurant during the reopening of malls, following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), at Mall of the Emirates in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, May 28, 2020. REUTERS/Ahmed Jadallah "For economic and tourist sectors, physical distancing has been cancelled while mask-wearing in closed places is s...
Read MorePeople associated with the Chardham Yatra on Monday demanded simplification of the guidelines related to the pilgrimage, citing practical problems being faced by pilgrims. Hemkund Sahib Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee vice president Narinderjit Singh Bindra and Chardham Yatra joint rotation committee chief Sudhir Roy said some complexities in the standard operating procedure (SOP) issued recently on the yatra need to be addressed and simplified for the convenience of pilgrims. "The SOP asks pilgrims to complete all formalities regarding the yatra well in advance and at the same time asks them to show a negative RT-PCR test report not older than 72 hours on arrival. How can a pilgrim who registers for the yatra two weeks in advance produce a negative test report not older than 72 ...
Read MoreOman will allow anyone holding a COVID-19 vaccine certificate to travel to the country from Sept. 1, the civil aviation authority said on Twitter on Monday. The authority said it had dropped a list of countries from which arrivals were banned due to the pandemic. With Oman lifting the travel ban on all countries, including India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, thousands of expatriates stuck in various parts of the world can now enter Oman. According to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), all Omani citizens, residents of Oman, visa holders of Oman, and those who can obtain a visa on arrival, are eligible to enter the Sultanate from September 1 in accordance with the pre-COVID guidelines. All passengers arriving to the Sultanate are required to present a COVID-19 vaccine certifica...
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