Tag: travel restrictions

6 in 10 Indians are looking to travel in March-May as COVID-19 curbs ease

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

Listen to the Article (6 Minutes)

As India takes a breather from the third Omicron wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, the travel and tourism industry is hoping to make some recovery in the upcoming holiday season. With no domestic travel restrictions, travellers across the country are planning to pack their bags for a much-needed break.

A survey of 20,000 people from 321 districts of India revealed that 59 percent of respondents, or 6 in 10 Indians, are planning to travel in the March-May period.

The survey was conducted by Local Circles, a social media platform. In its earlier survey in December, it was found that 58 percent of respondents planned to travel in the next three months. However, due to the surge in Omicron cases in India, most plans were cancelled or rescheduled. However, the latest survey has indicated a revival.

One third of the people planning to travel have already booked their tickets, stay, etc, the survey said. About half of these travellers are planning to visit their family/friends and 22 percent are planning holiday trips. The rest are going for miscellaneous travel.

The travel and tourism industry was among the worst affected by the pandemic. The drop in COVID-19 cases and ease in travel restriction will help the industry recover.

However, the virus is still around, and the Omicron BA.2 is found to be more transmissible that BA.1, which led the third wave in the country. Therefore, masks, social distancing and sanitisation are mandatory while travelling.

Read Also | COVID-19: These countries have relaxed, revised travel restrictions

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

COVID-19: These countries have relaxed, revised travel restrictions

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

Listen to the Article (6 Minutes)

Even as the Omicron variant continues to cause spike in COVID-19 cases, many countries are relaxing the restrictions for fully vaccinated travellers. Many countries have now easing curbs for travellers who have taken both the doses of a recognised vaccine.

Here are the countries that have revised travel curbs amid the pandemic.

Sweden

Sweden has cancelled the requirement for a negative RT-PCR test report for international travellers. The government recently said that international tourists do not pose a significant risk of spreading the Omicron variant in the country.

UK

The United Kingdom has announced that it will waive the COVID-19 test requirement for fully vaccinated travellers entering the country from February 11. Travellers who have received both doses of the vaccine will no longer need to take a test within two days of arriving in England.

Cyprus

The European nation has announced that it will remove all travel restrictions from March 1. The move is expected to boost international tourism as the nation’s economy primarily relies on tourists. The government said that tourists who have received both the doses of the COVID-19 vaccines along with booster shots will be exempted.

Singapore

The country has relaxed the isolation period for travellers who exhibit COVID-19 symptoms from 10 days to 7 days. Fully vaccinated travellers will also be exempted from swab tests while those who have just recovered from COVID-19 will not be subjected to any testing.

Thailand

The South Asian nation has said that all vaccinated tourists can enter the country under its Test and Go program in which they have to undergo an RT-PCR test upon arrival. The tourists, however, would have to stay in a hotel at their own expense till they receive the results of the test.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Hong Kong bans flights from eight countries including India

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

Listen to the Article (6 Minutes)

Hong Kong announced a two-week ban on incoming flights from eight countries and tightened restrictions on Wednesday as authorities feared a fifth wave of COVID-19 infections.

The restrictions were announced as health authorities scoured the city for the contacts of a COVID-19 patient, some of whom had been aboard a Royal Caribbean ship that was ordered to cut short its “cruise to nowhere” and return to port.

Incoming flights from Australia, Canada, France, India, Pakistan, the Philippines, Britain and the United States, including interchanges, would be banned from January 8 to January 21, Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam told reporters.

Lam said the government would ban indoor dining after 6.00 pm from Friday, and close swimming pools, sports centres, bars and clubs, museums, and other venues for at least two weeks. Future cruise journeys would be cancelled.

“We’re yet to see a fifth wave yet, but we’re on the verge,” Lam said.

The global finance hub has stuck to a zero-tolerance strategy by largely isolating itself from the world and enforcing a draconian and costly quarantine regime.

Also Read | Third COVID wave has hit Delhi, 10k cases expected on Wednesday: Satyendar Jain

On December 31, a streak of three months without community cases ended with the first local transmission of the Omicron variant.

Since then, authorities have scrambled to track down and test hundreds of people who had been in contact with a handful of Omicron patients. One patient, however, had no known links, raising fears of a large outbreak.

“We are worried there may be silent transmission chains in the community,” Lam said. “Some confirmed cases had a lot of activities before being aware they got infected.”

Lam said the government would not suspend classes for the time being “for the benefit of children”.

In response to the outbreak fears, Standard Chartered Plc has started operating in split teams in Hong Kong, a bank spokesperson said.

DANCING CLUSTER

The latest contact tracing campaign was sparked by a patient who danced with some 20 friends in a central park on New Year’s Eve. Two of the fellow dancers, one of whom was a domestic helper, came up positive in preliminary tests.

The helper’s employer and eight other of her close contacts then went on a cruise on January 2.

As part of its coronavirus restrictions, Hong Kong has restricted cruises to short trips in nearby waters, with ships asked to operate at reduced capacity and to only allow vaccinated passengers who test negative for the virus.

Also Read | RateGain assesses travel situation amid Omicron fears

The “Spectrum of the Seas” ship, which returned a day early, had about 2,500 passengers and 1,200 staff on board. The nine close contact passengers were isolated from the rest of the people on board and preliminary tests taken during the journey returned negative results, authorities said.

“Spectrum of the Seas is taking appropriate measures under guidelines by the Department of Health,” Royal Caribbean told Reuters in a statement.

The nine close contacts were sent to a quarantine centre, while the rest of the passengers and staff will have to undergo several tests, the government said.

Additionally, people who have been to dozens of places across Hong Kong around the same time as the close contacts of recent patients have been issued compulsory testing notices, the government said in a separate statement.

Victoria Park, in downtown Hong Kong, the newly opened M+ modern art museum, ferry piers, restaurants, stores, clinics were among the places listed.

Gabriel Leung, University of Hong Kong dean of medicine and a government adviser, told public broadcaster RTHK there were probably “five-to-10 invisible transmission chains” in the city.

“There’s no time to waste,” Leung said. “We need circuit-breaker measures.”

For live updates on Coronavirus, click here.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

US to lift travel curbs on eight African countries: White House

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

Listen to the Article (6 Minutes)

The Biden administration will lift travel restrictions on eight southern African countries imposed last month over concerns about the fast-spreading COVID-19 Omicron variant, the White House said Friday.

Foreign nationals who are barred from the United States because they have been in one of the eight countries within the prior 14 days will again be allowed on US-bound flights leaving after 12:01 am ET on December 31, a senior official said, confirming a Reuters report.

The United States on November 29 barred nearly all non-US citizens who had recently been in South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique and Malawi in an “abundance of caution” over the variant detected in South Africa.

Also Read | Australia to shorten booster intervals as Omicron pushes cases to records

White House spokesman Kevin Munoz tweeted that Biden “will lift the temporary travel restrictions on Southern Africa countries” effective December 31.

He said the decision was recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). “The restrictions gave us time to understand Omicron and we know our existing vaccines work against Omicron, esp boosted,” Munoz tweeted.

Reuters reported earlier US public health agencies had recommended lifting the travel restrictions because retaining them would have not a significant impact on US cases given the widespread current US transmission, confidence that an Omicron-specific vaccine would not be necessary and that existing vaccines and booster shots are highly effective.

“This travel pause has served its purpose. It bought time to understand the science, it gave time to analyze the variant,” the official, who did not want to be identified because the decision has not yet been made public, told Reuters.

Also Read | Omicron scare: South Africa to roll out COVID-19 boosters immediately

“This was not meant to keep Omicron out. We knew we couldn’t do that. The point was to reduce the number of cases coming in – in those early days and weeks.”

The restrictions have not prevented flights or Americans from returning from southern Africa.

Top infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci said on Monday that lifting the restrictions was likely “because we have enough infection in our own country… We’re letting in people from other countries that have as much or more infection than the southern African countries.”

The official emphasized the restrictions were meant to be temporary and lifting them after about a month “sends a pretty clear signal that there’s not going to be a significant penalty” for coming forward to disclose new variant information.

The United States had only lifted travel restrictions on South Africa on November 8 put in place since late January to address COVID-19 concerns.

In the wake of Omicron, the United States tightened testing rules for international travellers and extended a requirement to wear masks on airplanes and at airports through March 18.

On December 6, CDC toughened testing rules for international air travellers arriving in the United States, requiring them to obtain a negative COVID-19 test within one day of travel.

Also Read | Omicron cases likely to rise in January; experts say need to improve testing

Under prior rules, vaccinated international air travellers could present a negative test result obtained within three days of their day of departure.

CDC last week started distributing free COVID-19 home test kits to international travellers at several airports. The CDC encourages – but does not mandate – international air travellers to get a new COVID-19 test three to five days after arriving in the United States.

The CDC last month ordered airlines to disclose passenger names and other information about those who have recently been in the eight southern African countries.

For all the latest updates on Coronavirus, click here.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Omicron: 30 samples sent for genome sequencing, says Maha health dept

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

Listen to the Article (6 Minutes)

A total of 30 samples have been sent for genome sequencing to detect the presence of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, the Maharashtra state health department said on Friday. These samples were collected from both airport and field surveillance teams, an official said.

Until Friday morning, 2,821 passengers arriving from high-risk countries at Mumbai airport have been tested using RT-PCR, with two samples testing positive, the health department added. A total of 224 out of 11,060 passengers arriving from other countries have been tested as well, and one sample has returned positive, a department official said.

“Additionally, field surveillance of all international passengers who have arrived since November 1 is under way. A total of 30 samples from both airport and field surveillance have been sent for genomic sequencing. Fourteen have been sent to National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, and 16 to Kasturba Hospital laboratory,” he said.

On December 1, Maharashtra government imposed strict restrictions for all domestic and international travellers after Omicron was designated a “variant of concern” by the World Health Organisation. These guidelines had said international travellers coming from ‘at-risk’ countries will have to mandatorily undergo seven-day quarantine, and RT-PCR test will be done on days 2, 4 and 7 for these travellers.

The following day, the state created the ‘ultra risk’ category for travellers coming from South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Eswatini and Lesotho. Travellers from these countries will be deboarded on priority and sent to seven-day institutional quarantine.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Omicron scare: Fliers, travel companies in a fix as restrictions back

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

Listen to the Article (6 Minutes)

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

US to ban travel from South Africa, 7 other African nations due to omicron COVID-19 variant

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

Listen to the Article (6 Minutes)

The United States joined the European Union and several other countries in instituting travel restrictions on visitors from southern Africa after discovery of the new omicron variant of the coronavirus that has stoked world fears and triggered widespread travel bans.

The White House said the US will restrict travel from South Africa and seven other countries in the region beginning Monday.

It did not give details except to say the restrictions will not apply to returning US citizens or permanent residents, who will continue to be required to test negative before their travel.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

WHO cautions against imposing travel restrictions due to new COVID variant

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

Listen to the Article (6 Minutes)

The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Friday cautioned countries against hastily imposing travel restrictions linked to the new COVID-19 variant, saying they should take a “risk-based and scientific approach”.

“At this point, implementing travel measures is being cautioned against,” WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier told a UN briefing in Geneva. “The WHO recommends that countries continue to apply a risk-based and scientific approach when implementing travel measures.”

The WHO convened a meeting of the Technical Advisory Group on Virus Evolution (TAG-VE) to better understand the timeline for studies that are underway and to determine if the variant should be designated as a variant of interest or variant of concern.

Also Read | Children at lower risk from COVID-19, vaccines should go to poor, says WHO

It will take a few weeks to understand the variant’s impact, and researchers are working to determine how transmissible it is and how it will affect therapeutics and vaccines, he added.

The new coronavirus variant has been detected in South Africa that scientists say is a concern because of its high number of mutations and rapid spread among young people in Gauteng, the country’s most populous province.

South Africa has seen a dramatic rise in new infections. Over the last four or five days, there has been more of an exponential rise. Scientists in South Africa are working to determine what percentage of the new cases have been caused by the new variant.

Also Read | New COVID variant: Asian and European countries rush to tighten curbs

Currently identified as B.1.1.529, the new variant has also been found in Botswana and Hong Kong in travellers from South Africa.

After a period of relatively low transmission in which South Africa recorded just over 200 new confirmed cases per day, in the past week the daily new cases rapidly increased to more than 1,200 on Wednesday. On Thursday they jumped to 2,465.

(With inputs from Reuters)

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow