The White House on Friday said it will lift COVID-19 travel restrictions for fully vaccinated foreign nationals effective Nov. 8, ending historic restrictions that had barred much of the world from entering the United States. Announcing the starting date for the new rules on travel into and out of the country, White House spokesman Kevin Munoz posted on Twitter that the policy "is guided by public health, stringent, and consistent." The unprecedented travel restrictions kept millions of visitors out of the United States from China, Canada, Mexico, India, Brazil, much of Europe and elsewhere; shrunk U.S. tourism; and hurt border community economies. They prevented many loved ones and foreign workers from reuniting with families. FILE PHOTO: Travelers queue in a security line limit...
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Domestic flights in India will fly at full capacity from Oct. 18, civil aviation ministry said on Tuesday, as it lifted one of the major restrictions on the industry since the onset of the pandemic 18 months ago. The government's move ahead of the Indian festive season comes as a boon to the struggling domestic carriers, including IndiGo and SpiceJet Ltd, which were starting to see some improvements in passenger traffic due to a drop in COVID-19 infections in most states. In August, regulatory data showed that passenger growth jumped 136.6% as the government started to ease COVID-related travel restrictions. "The airlines/airport operators shall, however, ensure that the guidelines to contain the spread of COVID are strictly adhered to and COVID appropriate behaviour is stric...
Read MoreThailand will end coronavirus quarantine requirements for vaccinated visitors from 10 low-risk countries starting Nov. 1, Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said on Monday, as the Southeast Asian nation tries to revive its pandemic-hit economy. Thailand last year suffered its deepest economic contraction in more than two decades, with the key tourism sector still struggling. FILE PHOTO: The first foreign tourists arrive at the airport as Phuket reopens to overseas tourists, allowing foreigners fully vaccinated against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) to visit the resort island without quarantine, in Phuket, Thailand. REUTERS/Jorge Silva Visitors from at least 10 countries including the United Kingdom, Singapore, Germany, China and the United States will be exempted from quarantin...
Read MorePhuket restricts travel from other Thai regions, but foreign tourists unaffected
Thailand's Phuket will ban travel from the rest of the country from Aug. 3-16 to try to stop a surge in coronavirus cases from spreading to the resort island, but overseas visitors will be largely unaffected, the foreign ministry said on Thursday. Phuket is at the heart of efforts to revive Thailand's tourism industry, a major revenue earner that has been devastated by the pandemic. The first foreign tourists arrive at the airport as Phuket reopens to overseas tourists, allowing foreigners fully vaccinated against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) to visit the resort island without quarantine, in Phuket, Thailand July 1, 2021. REUTERS/Jorge Silva Since July 1, tourists fully vaccinated against COVID-19 have been allowed to move freely on the island, with no self-isolation on arr...
Read MoreCzech restaurants, bars and nightclubs can serve customers indoors from Monday, Health Minister Adam Vojtech said, announcing a quicker-than-planned easing of COVID-19 restrictions following a court ruling. The Czech Republic will also open up to tourists from some European and overseas countries who have at least had their first COVID-19 shot, effective Tuesday. The Czech government, which has been battling one of the world’s most severe second waves of the pandemic, had planned to open indoor facilities from mid-June. A bartender drafts a plastic bottle of beer as the Deminka pub remains closed due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) restrictions in Prague, Czech Republic,. REUTERS/David W Cerny But last week the Supreme Administrative Court ruled that blanket restrictions...
Read MoreEuropean Union countries agreed on Wednesday to ease COVID-19 travel restrictions on non-EU visitors ahead of the summer tourist season, a move that could open the bloc’s door to all Britons and to vaccinated Americans. Ambassadors from the 27 EU countries approved a European Commission proposal from May 3 to loosen the criteria to determine “safe” countries and to let in fully vaccinated tourists from elsewhere, EU sources said. They are expected to set a new list this week or early next week. Based on data from the European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Britain and a number of other countries would meet the new criteria. FILE PHOTO: European Union flags flutter outside the EU Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium May 5, 2021. REUTERS/Yves Herman The Unite...
Read MoreFor Parisian Elie Ayache, the world felt a little more normal on Wednesday: he was back at his favourite cafe, drinking his morning coffee and eating a croissant. Cafes, restaurants and beer gardens in France and Austria resumed serving customers on the premises, bringing to an end long shutdowns mandated by their governments to try to contain the spread of COVID-19. "I was impatient to get back to my life, and to the person that I was before," said Ayache as he sat at the terrace outside Les Deux Magots, a cafe that was once a hangout for Ernest Hemingway and other literary celebrities. Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz and Tourism Minister Elisabeth Koestinger sit in a beer garden as the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) restrictions continue to ease, in Vienna, Austria May 19, 2...
Read MoreItaly will scrap mandatory quarantine from Sunday for visitors from the European Union, Britain and Israel who test negative for COVID-19, the government said on Friday as it looks to give summer tourism a boost. With vaccine roll-outs picking up pace in the EU, more countries are looking to ease travel curbs and restrictions on the hospitality sector to help it recover from the pandemic. “We have been waiting for this move for a long time and it anticipates a Europe-wide travel pass,” Tourism Minister Massimo Garavaglia. FILE PHOTO: Italian tourists visit the leaning tower of Pisa as it reopens to the public, following the ease of restrictions to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Pisa, Italy, May 1, 2021. REUTERS/Jennifer Lorenzini The EU plans to star...
Read MoreCrowds queued up outside shops, pubs started selling pints at midnight and hairdressers welcomed desperate customers on Monday as England started to reopen its economy after three months of lockdown. After imposing the most onerous restrictions in Britain’s peacetime history, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the reopening was a “major step” towards freedom but urged people to behave responsibly as the coronavirus was still a threat. Johnson, whose unruly hair style has become a trademark look, was one of thousands who flocked to hairdressers and barbers to have a hair cut on Monday, having waited since early January when the latest lockdown was introduced. People react while on a ride as Thorpe Park reopens following easing of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) restrictions, in ...
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