travel restrictions – Page 2 – आवारा मुसाफिर

Indonesia says Bali to reopen to foreign travellers, again

January 31, 2022504 Views

Indonesia's holiday island of Bali will start welcoming back travellers from all countries from later this week, officials said on Monday, more than three months after announcing it was open to selected nationalities. Though Bali officially opened to visitors from China, New Zealand, and Japan among other countries in mid October, there has since been no direct flights, Tourism minister Sandiaga Uno told a briefing. The reopening follows similar announcements by Thailand and the Philippines, which put quarantine waivers on hold in December over initial uncertainty about vaccine efficacy against the Omicron variant of COVID-19. The decision comes despite a steady rise in Indonesia's COVID-19 cases this month, despite having brought outbreaks under control in the second half of...

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Philippines to reopen in February to vaccinated foreign tourists

AWARA MUSAFIR BUREAU

January 28, 2022648 Views

The Philippines will grant entry to visitors vaccinated against COVID-19 from Feb. 10, its government said on Friday, in an effort to boost a tourism sector decimated by the pandemic. The archipelago nation of more than 7,000 islands had planned to reopen in December, but that was aborted over concerns about the Omicron variant. FILE PHOTO: A couple enjoys a view of White Beach amid the coranavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Boracay Island, Aklan province, Philippines, November 29, 2021. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez Citizens of 150 countries that have visa-free entry to the Philippines will be allowed to enter. "(This) will contribute significantly to job restoration, primarily in tourism-dependent communities, and in the reopening of businesses that have earlier shut down," Tour...

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Hong Kong to cut quarantine for arrivals to 14 days

AWARA MUSAFIR BUREAU

January 28, 2022704 Views

Hong Kong will cut quarantine for arriving travellers to 14 days from 21 starting Feb. 5, leader Carrie Lam said on Thursday, a move that follows intense lobbying from finance executives and diplomats who said the measure was hurting competitiveness. Tough coronavirus rules have made Hong Kong one of the world's most isolated cities, with flights down as much as 90%. Residents returning from more than 160 countries have been required to quarantine for 21 days in designated hotels will now have to spend 14 days in a hotel, followed by seven days of self-monitoring, with further details to be announced. She did not say which countries would be covered by the new rules. A flight attendant walks under an information board at the arrivals hall of Hong Kong International Airport, follo...

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Blanket travel restrictions don’t work

AWARA MUSAFIR BUREAU

January 26, 2022811 Views

UNWTO adds its voice to WHO statement on easing The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has welcomed the call of its sister UN agency World Health Organization (WHO) for restrictions on travel to be lifted or eased. Citing the varied global responses to the emergence of the of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, WHO has reiterated that restrictions on travel are not effective in suppressing the international spread. In line with UNWTO’s recurring warning against the use of blanket restrictions, the 10th meeting of the WHO’s International Health Regulations Emergency Committee (Geneva, 19 January) expressed concern that such measures can cause economic and social harm. They may also “discourage transparent and rapid reporting of emerging Variants of Concern”, the WHO added. FILE...

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Accelerate easing of travel restrictions, says IATA

AWARA MUSAFIR BUREAU

January 25, 2022587 Views

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has urged governments to accelerate relaxation of travel restrictions as COVID-19 continues to evolve from the pandemic to endemic stage. IATA has called for removing all travel barriers (including quarantine and testing) for those fully vaccinated with a WHO-approved vaccine, enabling quarantine-free travel for non-vaccinated travelers with a negative pre-departure antigen test result, removing travel bans, and accelerating the easing of travel restrictions in recognition that travelers pose no greater risk for COVID-19 spread than already exists in the general population. FILE PHOTO: A flight attendant walks under an information board at the arrivals hall of Hong Kong International Airport, following infections of the coronavirus dis...

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

AWARA MUSAFIR BUREAU

January 14, 2022346 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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France makes travel easier for vaccinated British tourists

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January 13, 2022543 Views

France announced it was slightly easing COVID-19 protocols for vaccinated travellers from Britain, dropping a requirement for proof of an essential reason for the trip and for obligatory self-isolation upon arrival. The demand for a negative COVID-19 test, conducted 24 hours before a trip, remains in place, the French government added on Thursday. The measures will take effect as from Friday morning. Travel industry has welcomed the development. Julia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO said, “WTTC welcomes the reopening of French borders to UK travellers. Once a variant is endemic closing borders is pointless and only damages livelihoods especially in travel and tourism one of the hardest hit sectors during the pandemic. FILE PHOTO: People wearing protective face masks walk on a s...

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Bumpy road ahead for air travel with Omicron restrictions

AWARA MUSAFIR BUREAU

January 13, 2022278 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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Holiday travel plans in flux amidst Omicron risk

AWARA MUSAFIR BUREAU

December 22, 2021576 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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UK tourist travel ban a “disaster” for French ski resorts

AWARA MUSAFIR BUREAU

December 17, 2021927 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...