Omicron spread – आवारा मुसाफिर

Travel restrictions had negligible impact on the spread of Omicron

February 1, 2022290 Views

Quoting a new research call to lift all restrictions on vaccinated or recovered travellers ACI EUROPE (Airports Council International) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) urged European Governments to lift all travel restrictions for fully vaccinated/recovered individuals holding a valid Covid Certificate – as advised by the new regime for travel within the EU which comes into force on Tuesday. This new regime, set out by an EU Council Recommendation adopted on 25 January, is based on the health status of travellers, rather than the epidemiological situation of their country or area of origin. Independent research (see link in notes below) conducted in Finland and Italy provides insight into developing a Europe-wide policy for removing restrictions. The res...

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Spain bets on tourism recovery in spring

AWARA MUSAFIR BUREAU

January 20, 20221098 Views

Spain expects tourism to bounce back in the spring after a slowdown caused by the Omicron variant of COVID-19 and for overall visitor numbers this year to be more than two-thirds of record 2019 levels, a senior government official said. "The 2022 expectations are good," Tourism Secretary Fernando Valdes said on the sidelines of Madrid's FITUR tourism congress. "What we have is a great desire to travel," he said. Spain was the world's second most visited country in 2019, with a record 80 million tourists visiting the country the year before the pandemic struck according to official figures. Tourism reached only a third of that number in 2021 as lockdowns and travel restrictions prevented a significant recovery, though that was still about 55% higher than in 2020. Rising vac...

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Hong Kong suspends transit flights from most of the world due to COVID-19

AWARA MUSAFIR BUREAU

January 14, 2022336 Views

Hong Kong authorities said on Friday the city’s airport will suspend for a month transit flights from around 150 countries and territories considered high risk because of the coronavirus, deepening the global financial hub’s isolation. Separately, the territory’s leader Carrie Lam said restrictions on social life will be extended through the Lunar New Year holiday at the start of February, traditionally a time for shopping, feasting and family reunions. A flight attendant walks under an information board at the arrivals hall of Hong Kong International Airport, following infections of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Hong Kong, China January 11, 2022. REUTERS/Lam Yik “I know this will let a lot of people down,” Lam told reporters. “Covid is not yet under control.” To help ...

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Bumpy road ahead for air travel with Omicron restrictions

AWARA MUSAFIR BUREAU

January 13, 2022270 Views

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has announced that the recovery in air travel continued in November 2021, prior to the emergence of Omicron. International demand sustained its steady upward trend as more markets reopened. Domestic traffic, however, weakened, largely owing to strengthened travel restrictions in China. Because comparisons between 2021 and 2020 monthly results are distorted by the extraordinary impact of COVID-19, unless otherwise noted all comparisons are to November 2019, which followed a normal demand pattern. FILE PHOTO: Passengers are seen at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. December 20, 2021. REUTERS/Elijah Nouvelage Total demand for air travel in November 2021 (measured in revenue passenger-kilomete...

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Norwegian Cruise cancels several sailings as Omicron cases surge

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January 5, 2022747 Views

Norwegian Cruise Line on Wednesday canceled trips on eight ships, a few whose embarkation dates are as far out as late April, as the spread of the Omicron variant in the United States shows no signs of slowing. The division of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd made the decision with the United States reporting nearly 1 million new coronavirus infections on Monday, the highest daily tally of any country in the world. FILE PHOTO: People pause to look at Norwegian Cruise Line's ship, Norwegian Breakaway, on the Hudson River, in New York. (AP Photo/Richard Drew) "Due to ongoing travel restrictions, we've had to modify a few sailings and unfortunately have had to cancel," Norwegian Cruise said. “As we continue to navigate the fluid public health environment, while focusing on del...

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New York to scale down New Year’s Eve celebrations at Times Square

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December 24, 20211089 Views

New York will sharply limit the number of people it allows in Times Square for its New Year's Eve celebration, Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Thursday, in response to a surge of new coronavirus cases fueled by the highly contagious Omicron variant. For a second year in a row, the virus that causes COVID-19 is casting a shadow over the festivities, which typically draws huge crowds to the famed intersection in midtown Manhattan. After hours of live entertainment, the evening culminates with the dropping of a giant crystal ball at midnight, signaling the start of the new year. Millions of others around the world watch on television. FILE PHOTO: The Times Square ball is reflected in a nearby building as it is tested out for the media ahead of the New Year's celebration in Times Square in...

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Holiday travel plans in flux amidst Omicron risk

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December 22, 2021566 Views

Americans are facing a second Christmas of upended holiday plans, with a surge in COVID-19 infections fueled by the now-dominant Omicron variant forcing some people to cancel their travel and fret about whether it is safe to visit loved ones. Carmen Rivera and her fiancee Jasmine Maisonet made the painful decision to cancel their flights to visit family in Florida and Puerto Rico after Maisonet was exposed to an infected co-worker and tested positive for COVID-19. FILE PHOTO: A traveler walks through O'Hare International Airport ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., November 20, 2021. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid Rivera, a newly elected city council member in Renton, Washington, hasn't seen her family in Puerto Rico since the start of the pandemic. With the la...

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Tourists flock to Dubai despite global COVID-19 concerns

AWARA MUSAFIR BUREAU

December 22, 2021322 Views

Brazilian tourist Livya Feho used a 24-hour Dubai layover to visit the Expo 2020, in a city that remains one of the few international tourism hubs still open for travellers during a coronavirus-disrupted holiday period. Feho, travelling from Israel to Brazil, snapped a few selfies at the global fair's main square, festooned with Christmas trees and other holiday decorations. People gather during the official Expo 2020 Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, December 18, 2021. REUTERS/Satish Kumar With the Omicron variant circulating in the UAE, was she not worried about catching COVID-19? "Yes, a bit ...but I had the booster dose... and I am also using the mask. So I think I will be fine," she said. Dubai, the Middle East's business and tourism hub,...

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Air transport industry must bake sustainability into its transformation

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December 18, 2021854 Views

In 2021 the air transport industry has been forced to adapt nearly all operations to adhere to rapidly changing regulations and travel requirements, from health status verifications to fluctuating border controls based on virus hotspots and emerging new COVID-19 variants like Omicron. It has also been a year punctuated with extreme weather events, including an unprecedented deep freeze in Texas and record heatwaves in Canada. The year ended with the COP26 summit articulating a vast volume of work that needs to happen immediately to avoid climate catastrophe. Sebastien Fabre, CEO, SITA FOR AIRCRAFT, examines the five critical travel technology trends emerging from the pandemic and set to transform the industry in 2022 and beyond. He calls for sustainability to be baked into today...

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UK tourist travel ban a “disaster” for French ski resorts

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December 17, 2021914 Views

In the French ski resort of Val d'Isere, staff had been hired, shelves fully stocked and everyone was looking forward to a good season until, that is, France banned British tourists due to fears over the Omicron variant of the coronavirus. The ban was announced on Thursday, just two days before the start of the holiday season. "It's an economic disaster," said resort director Christophe Lavaut, pointing out that in Val d'Isere, the bulk of the clients come from Britain. "No business in any sector can make it, losing 42% of its clients in two days." A closed chairlift is seen during a heavy snow-fall in the closed winter ski resort of Val d'Isere, as the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak continues, France, December 12, 2020. REUTERS/Christian Hartmann While he does not co...