Double-vaccination rate in Victoria set to reach 70% this week Melbourne, which has spent more time under COVID-19 lockdowns than any other city in the world, is set to lift its stay-at-home orders this week, officials said on Sunday. By Friday, when some curbs will be lifted, the Australian city of 5 million people will have been under six lockdowns totalling 262 days, or nearly nine months, since March 2020. Australian and other media say this is the longest in the world, exceeding a 234-day lockdown in Buenos Aires. FILE PHOTO: A pedestrian wearing a protective face mask walks past light rail platforms devoid of waiting passengers in the city centre at morning commute hour during a lockdown to curb the spread of a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Sydney, Australia...
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Turkey to further ease coronavirus restrictions from July Thousands of Russian tourists began arriving in Turkey on Tuesday, boosting hopes for its tourism sector after a two-month suspension in flights imposed by Moscow due to concerns about a surge in COVID-19 cases in April. Turkey's tourism prospects have been revived by a sharp fall in daily coronavirus cases to around 5,000 from a peak of more than 60,000 two months ago, as well as an acceleration in vaccinations to more than 1 million a day. FILE PHOTO: Russian tourists pause as they visit Ayasofya-i Kebir Camii or Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Istanbul, Turkey January 29, 2021. REUTERS/Murad Sezer Turkey will further relax restrictions imposed to curb the spread of COVID-...
Read MoreAfter remaining closed for two months due to second Covid-19 wave, the Taj Mahal and other centrally protected monuments will now reopen on June 16. It was announced by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). Visitors will be able to book entry tickets online and no offline booking facility will be available, an ASI official said. “Considering the prevailing situation, it has been decided that all the Centrally Protected Monuments/Sites and Museums (under ASI) shall be opened from 16.06.2021,” MoS for Culture and Tourism Prahlad Singh Patel said in an order. With the second wave of Covid-19 making its presence felt, the government had ordered closure of all centrally protected monuments and museums, including Taj Mahal, Red Fort and Ajanta Caves, on April 15. An order to th...
Read MoreThe Chardham Yatra will have a lacklustre opening for the second consecutive year due to COVID-19 pandemic as the portals of Yamunotri and Gangotri will open on Friday and Saturday respectively without any pilgrims in attendance. Located in Uttarakhand's Garhwal region, all the four temples also called Chardham, have been kept out of bounds for devotees as a precautionary measure in view of the surge in COVID-19 cases. Not more than 25 people each, including priests, teerth purohits and district administration officials, will attend the opening ceremonies at Yamunotri and Gangotri which will be low-key affairs, Gangotri Mandir Samiti official Rajesh Semwal said. Last year also they had reopened after their closure in winters only so that the priests could conduct regular pray...
Read MoreWith widely spaced sun loungers and regular disinfections, Greece reopened its organised beaches on Saturday as the popular Mediterranean holiday destination eases COVID-19 curbs in preparation for the return of foreign visitors next week. Tourism accounts for about a fifth of Greece's economy and jobs, and - after the worst year on record for the industry last year - the country can ill afford another lost summer. A general view of a beach during the official reopening of beaches to the public, following the easing of measures against the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Athens, Greece, May 8, 2021. REUTERS/Costas Baltas "We're pinning our hopes on tourism," said Nikos Venieris, who manages a sandy beach in the seafront suburb of Alimos, just outside the capital,...
Read More"Turkey Unlimited. Now available without Turks," reads a mock tourism advert on social media, poking fun at the sight of foreign tourists roaming quiet streets while most Turks are confined to home by a coronavirus lockdown. The government has exempted foreign holidaymakers from the 2-1/2-week long lockdown in an effort to revitalise tourism, a critical sector of the Turkish economy. Those arriving in Turkey must show proof of negative COVID-19 tests. But Turks on social media have voiced indignation at images of tourists partying on the country's Mediterranean coast or locals slapped with fines for being outdoors while foreign visitors can wander around as they wish. A tourist poses for a souvenir photo outside the historic Suleymaniye Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey, during a nation...
Read MoreRhino poaching is on the rise again in South Africa since the government loosened coronavirus restrictions, following a year-long lull due to the pandemic, wildlife parks say. The strict limits on travel, including international travel, imposed in March last year had the happy side effect of keeping poachers at bay. In 2020, 394 rhinos were poached, 30% fewer than the year before and the lowest yearly tally since 2011. But then South Africa began easing international travel restrictions in November. Veterinarians attend to a tranquillised rhino before it is dehorned, amid mounting fears of a rebound in rhino poaching, as the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) travel restrictions ease, at the Balule Nature Reserve in Hoedspruit, Limpopo province, South Africa April 26, 2021. REUTERS/S...
Read MoreTourist hotspots like Calangute and Candolim in North Goa will continue to be under lockdown, even as the government has lifted the lockdown in other parts of the state, Ports Minister Michael Lobo said on Monday. Goa, a popular tourism destination, reported an extremely high COVID-19 test positivity rate of over 50 per cent last Thursday, following which the state government imposed the lockdown from April 29. The lockdown was lifted at 6 am on Monday. However, Lobo said that the lockdown will continue in the tourism belt of North Goa district to break the chain of the viral infection. "We are going to continue a strict lockdown in the villages of Calangute, Candolim and Arpora-Nagoa," Lobo said. !function(e,t,c,a){if(!e.fwn&&(a="fwn_script",n=e.fwn=function(){ ...
Read MoreWhile German tourists are travelling to Mallorca and reviving struggling Spanish tourism industry, its own tourism industry is in crisis. The German tourist industry has warned of layoffs and bankruptcies if authorities further tighten lockdowns meant to curb the spread of the coronavirus including by enforcing quarantine for those returning from holidays abroad. FILE PHOTO: People queue to reach the summit cross on top of the highest German mountain, the Zugspitze, in Grainau near Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Germany August last. REUTERS/Michael Dalder National and regional leaders meeting on Monday evening to decide the next round of measures to tackle the coronavirus pandemic are mulling requiring quarantine for all returning travellers, not just those who were in high-risk areas. ...
Read MoreTens of thousands of Germans are planning last-minute Easter getaways to Spain’s sun-kissed islands, leaving many Spaniards, who are not allowed to do the same because of a travel ban, upset. “It makes absolutely no sense that in Spain we can’t move between regions but any foreigner can come in ... and spread infection,” said Emilio Rivas, 23, who lives in Madrid. The young tax assessor wanted to get out of town for the holidays but must instead stay home because Spain banned travel between regions over Easter to avoid a repeat of a spike in contagion seen after an easing in restrictions over Christmas. FILE PHOTO: People sunbathe and swim on El Arenal beach, amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. REUTERS/Enrique Calvo But tourist...
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