Norwegian Cruise Line said on Monday it was easing COVID-19 safety measures on its ships by dropping requirements for testing, masking and vaccination, as the pandemic loosens its grip on the world. The decision by the cruise line comes after several countries lifted testing requirements for international air travelers as people return to pre-pandemic lifestyles across the globe. The cruise line, owned by Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd, said even with the easing of its health and safety protocols, which will be effective Oct. 4, it would continue to follow travel guidelines as required by the destinations it visits. The cruise industry was among the worst hit during the pandemic, as countries went into a lockdown mode to curb the spread of the virus. However, with the reo...
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North-eastern states of Meghalaya and Mizoram have issued new guidelines for national and international travellers coming to these states. The new guidelines were issued after the Omicron variant of COVID-19 was detected in some states, the officials said on Tuesday. Meghalaya government has issued new guidelines making it mandatory for people entering the state to register with the government website and download the Arogya Setu App and the Behavioural Change Management App, an official said. "It is mandatory for all persons entering Meghalaya to register themselves prior to their travel at http://meghalayaonline.gov.in/covid/testing.htm and to download the Arogya Setu App and the Behavioural Change Management App of Meghalaya from Google play store or App store. However, touri...
Read MoreSYNLAB, Europe’s leading medical diagnostic services provider, and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) have announced a partnership to facilitate safe and easy travel. The two partners have signed an agreement to incorporate SYNLAB’s extensive lab network into IATA Travel Pass. This will enable airline passengers to access SYNLAB’s broad and secure COVID-19 testing services, benefiting from its international capabilities. SYNLAB and IATA build upon valuable experience gained during a successful pilot project for passenger testing in Columbia over the course of the past months. SYNLAB will securely share certified COVID-19 test results with passengers directly through IATA Travel Pass, providing reliable digital proof on health status as international travel increases...
Read MoreThe International Air Transport Association (IATA) has called on governments to take action to address the high cost of COVID-19 tests in many jurisdictions and urged flexibility in permitting the use of cost-effective antigen tests as an alternative to more expensive PCR tests. IATA also recommended governments adopt recent World Health Organization (WHO) guidance to consider exempting vaccinated travelers from testing requirements. According to IATA’s most recent traveler survey, 86% of respondents are willing to get tested. But 70% also believe that the cost of testing is a significant barrier to travel, while 78% believe governments should bear the cost of mandatory testing. “IATA supports COVID-19 testing as a pathway to reopen borders to international travel. But our suppo...
Read MoreThe International Air Transport Association (IATA) called on governments to ensure that high costs for COVID-19 testing don’t put travel out of reach for individuals and families. To facilitate an efficient restart of international travel, COVID-19 testing must be affordable as well as timely, widely available and effective. An IATA sampling of costs for PCR tests (the test most frequently required by governments) in 16 countries showed wide variations by markets and within markets. Findings include: Of the markets surveyed, only France complied with the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendation for the state to bear the cost of testing for travelers. Of the 15 markets where there is a cost for PCR testing to the individual - The average minimum cost for testing was $...
Read MoreUnilabs, the leading European diagnostic services provider, and the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the trade association for the world’s airlines, have signed an agreement to incorporate Unilabs’ worldwide Covid-19 testing network into IATA Travel Pass. The agreement will make Unilabs one of the first major lab groups to be integrated into IATA’s Travel Pass app. Proof of a negative Covid-19 test is required by many governments as a condition of entry, and the app makes the process seamless, secure, and easy. “Covid-19 testing will play a role in re-starting international travel. Travelers will need to understand test requirements, locate labs, verify their identity to the lab and transfer their test results to relevant parties – airlines and governments – as ne...
Read MoreThe International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced an agreement with Eurofins to incorporate its worldwide COVID-19 testing network into IATA Travel Pass. Eurofins is a leader in bio-analytical testing with 800 laboratories across 50 countries. As part of the partnership, Eurofins’ dedicated COVID-19 portfolio encompassing multiple test types and hundreds of COVID-19 sampling stations globally will be made available through the IATA Travel Pass. Amid the pandemic, coronavirus testing is required for most international travel. As part of the IATA Travel Pass initiative, Eurofins laboratories will provide secure, verified test results to travelers using the app. This result is checked against the IATA Travel Pass registry of national entry requirements to produce an “OK to ...
Read MoreNew research backs rapid antigen testing for safe and efficient restart of Air Travel Rapid testing on departure at airports is the key to unlocking international travel, says the World Travel & Tourism Council in its submission to the UK government’s Global Travel Taskforce. Meanwhile, The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has also urged governments to accept best-in-class rapid antigen tests in fulfillment of COVID -19 testing requirements following the publication of new research by OXERA and Edge Health. The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), which represents the global Travel & Tourism private sector, has been at the forefront of global efforts to revive safe travel in the COVID-19 era. It has said that while vaccine rollout around the world is to b...
Read MoreThe World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has called for governments to abandon the concept of ‘high-risk countries’ and instead focus on how individual ‘high-risk travellers’ are treated at borders. WTTC, which represents the global Travel & Tourism private sector, is urging governments around the world to shift their focus from whole countries, towards individual travellers. Instead, WTTC says governments around the world should redefine their whole approach to risk assessment, to revive international business and leisure travel. Combined with a common international consensus on the metrics used to assess risk and a laser-like focus on a cost-effective, comprehensive, and rapid departure and arrival testing scheme for all travellers, could pave the way forward for t...
Read MoreWith less than 90 days to go before the year-end holiday season, European aviation bodies have intensified their call to replace quarantine measures with passenger testing. This will provide far greater assurance and ability for cross-border travellers to plan family reunions or vacations during this important holiday period. It will also serve as a lifeline to the millions of workers in the travel and tourism sectors whose jobs remain at risk. Following their direct call to action together with the wider travel and tourism sectors in a letter to European Commission President von der Leyen on 17 September, aviation bodies ACI EUROPE, Airlines for Europe (A4E) and IATA have submitted a framework for how an EU-wide Testing Protocol for Travel (EU-TPT) could work. ...
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