The Islands Of The Bahamas Announces Updated Travel And Entry Protocols

The Islands of The Bahamas today announced streamlined entry protocols that will enable visitors to better and more seamlessly enjoy The Bahamas vacation experience. Effective 1 November 2020, The Bahamas will require all travelers to: Obtain a COVID-19 RT PCR test five (5) days prior to arrival. Apply for a Bahamas Health Travel Visa at travel.gov.bs For the duration of the visit, complete a daily online health questionnaire for symptom tracking purposes. Take a COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Test on Day 5 of the visit (unless departing on day 5). Always wear a mask and always social distance in public places. In addition, beginning 14 November 2020, all visitors will be required to opt-in to mandatory COVID-19 health insurance when applying for their Health Travel Visa. The insurance will cover travellers for the duration of their stay in The Bahamas.

Specifics of the new protocols are as follows: Prior to Travel: 1. COVID-19 RT-PCR Test All persons travelling to The Bahamas must obtain a negative COVID-19 RT-PCR (swab) test taken no more than five (5) days prior to the date of arrival. The name and address of the lab, where the test was performed, must be clearly displayed on the test result. Exemptions: Children age ten (10) and under. Pilots and crew of commercial airlines who remain overnight in The Bahamas. 2. Bahamas Health Travel Visa Once in possession of a negative COVID-19 RT-PCR test result, apply for a Bahamas Health Travel Visa at TRAVEL.GOV.BS Click on the International Tab and upload test results and other required documents. Fees for The Bahamas Health Travel Visa, inclusive of Day 5 Rapid Antigen Test and mandatory health insurance, are as follows: $40 – Visitors staying up to four nights and five days. $40 – Citizens and returning residents. $60 – Visitors staying more than four nights. Free - Children 10 years and under Upon Arrival

1. Comply with Monitoring Protocols: Any visitor who exhibits COVID symptoms at any time during their stay will be required to take a Rapid Antigen Test and receive a negative result before being permitted to continue with their vacation. If a person tests positive they will be required to follow up with a COVID-19 RT-PCR swab test. 2. Rapid COVID-19 Antigen Testing (if applicable): All persons who are staying in The Bahamas longer than four nights/five days will be required to take a rapid COVID-19 antigen test. All visitors departing on or before five days will not be required to obtain this test. The rapid tests are easy, quick and will yield results in 60 minutes or less with results being provided electronically via SMS text message and email. Hotel properties will provide relevant information on testing arrangements, while others will facilitate the required rapid test for their guests. All persons on yachts and other pleasure craft will be able to make arrangements for their required rapid tests at the port of entry or via the relevant website. All other visitors, returning residents and citizens will be able to make arrangements for their required rapid tests at the port of entry or via the relevant website. Notwithstanding any health restrictions that may be implemented from time to time, all travelers abiding by these new protocols will be permitted to move about and explore the beauty and vibrant culture of The Bahamas beyond the confines of their hotel or other accommodations. The Bahamas is an archipelago with more than 700 islands and cays, spread over 100,000 square miles, which means conditions and instances of the virus can be different on each of the 16 islands available to welcome visitors. Travelers should check the status of their island destination before travelling by visiting Bahamas.com/travelupdates, where they can also review entry requirements applicable to each member of their party before booking a trip. The Bahamas has remained diligent in its efforts to minimize the spread of COVID-19 throughout the islands, and these measures are imperative to ensure that remains the case. The health and wellbeing of both residents and visitors remain the number one priority of public health officials. It is important to note, however, that due to fluidity of the COVID-19 situation, both in The Bahamas and worldwide, protocols are subject to change.

Travelore's Recommendations For Your Holiday Gifting And Entertaining Pleasures

Prairie Organic Spirits, a brand of Phillips Distilling Co., Princeton, Minn., is expanding its portfolio of farm-crafted spirits with the launch of its first-ever vodka botanicals collection: Prairie Organic Sustainable Seasons. Prairie Organic Sustainable Seasons are crafted with sustainability in mind and incorporate organic ingredients that are selected at their peak, the company says. The inspiration for each flavor combination was carefully selected based on the sustainable ingredients available, it adds. Each 60 proof bottle is naturally flavored and free of chemicals, pesticides and gluten, contains zero sugar, carbs or fat and has 75 calories in each 1.5-ounce serving. The new Prairie Organic Sustainable Seasons are available in the following three flavor combinations: Grapefruit, Hibiscus & Chamomile is infused with grapefruit and hibiscus flavors that are balanced by notes of earthy and floral chamomile, the company says. Additionally, the grapefruit has been planted on U.S. soil, making it more sustainable. Watermelon, Cucumber & Lime combines the sweetness of watermelon with crisp cucumber and zesty citrus notes of lime, the company says. Apple, Pear & Ginger is a trifecta of crisp apple flavor balanced with juicy pear and finished with the subtle spiciness of ginger To learn more and where to purchase, please visit: https://prairieorganicspirits.com/finder/

Brewferm Buckriders Belgium Home Brewing Deluxe Starter Kit includes: Sacred Saison Craft Brew Beer Mix; Buckrider Fermenting Bucket, Airlock, Bottling Tube, Liquid Crystal Thermometer, Check-it Bottling Hydrometer, Tap PVC with back nut, including 2 seals, Brewferm Buckrider Multifunctional OXI Cleaner, Carbonation Drops, Cap'tain 2 lever capper, 100 Crown Caps, 24 Brewferm Bottle Labels, 6 Brewferm Coasters Saison beers have a gold to light copper color, with sturdy foam collars. Traditionally brewed on the farms in winter, and allowed to ferment until the summer harvest. Buckriders developed their own unique, rich style of beer that is still brewed in their Belgium homeland today, and sought out by beer lovers worldwide. This is the way to start your brewing tradition. A beautiful, heavy duty fermentation bucket, and all the tools you need to get started brewing your own custom homebrew. Brewferm makes homebrewing craft Belgian beer easy! The most important thing is to ensure that everything is absolutely clean. Read the instructions carefully and completely before you start. The preparation process is essentially the same for all beer types, but the amounts of sugar and water are different for the various types. Brewferm Home Brewing Kit in a NO-BOIL kit (boiling is not necessary during preparation) For more information and how to order, Please visit: https://brewferm.com/

Chocolate Heat and Salted Caramel Heat from Fire Hiney. These proprietary blends of 100% cocoa and savory caramel offers a smooth and creamy flavored sweet sauce with a great kick at the end. Great for ice cream, cheesecake, chocolate martinis and many other desserts favorites. Dessert has never tasted so good with this perfect blend of sinful bliss, and we want you to be a part of this next big thing! For more details and where to purchase. please visit: https://firehiney.com/

Regent Claims New Record For Most Bookings In A Single Day

Regent Seven Seas Cruises has said it achieved the largest booking day in the cruise line’s 28-year history with the launch of its 2022-2023 Voyage Collection when sales opened on October 21, 2020, according to a press release. Citing strong pent-up demand for cruising, reservations surpassed Regent’s previous booking day record, set in April 2018 with the launch of Seven Seas Splendor’s inaugural season, by nearly 40 percent, the company said.

The 2022-2023 Voyage Collection launch also saw an over 100% increase in bookings from when the line’s 2021-2022 Voyage Collection went on sale in August 2019. The line had surpassed the total number of bookings for the previous year’s launch by 10:00am EST. “The staggering response to our 2022-2023 Voyage Collection demonstrates the incredible future demand for the unrivaled Regent experience. Luxury travelers simply cannot wait to get back on the oceans to see the world again, while enjoying impeccable, personalized service on luxurious and spacious ships,” said Jason Montague, president and chief executive officer, Regent Seven Seas Cruises. “Our loyal guests wasted no time in securing their perfect itinerary and suite with last year’s Voyage Collection launch day total eclipsed after only 90 minutes of being on sale.” Source: https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/23758-regent-claims-new-record-for-most-bookings-in-a-single-day.html

Jamaica Will Start Charging All Travelers A Health Insurance Fee In November

Travelers will have to pay $40 to cover emergency costs.

Jamaica is introducing a mandatory insurance fee travelers must pay to gain entry to the country. Starting in November, travelers will need to pay $40 as part of the island's Jamaica Cares program to cover emergency medical services. The fee is basically a “public-private” insurance that will cover travelers against illness, including COVID-19, and natural disasters while visiting Jamaica. It will cover the cost of case management, transport logistics, field rescue, evacuation, and repatriation for medical emergencies up to $50,000 while on the island and $100,000 while traveling. Launched in partnership with the Global Tourism Resilience Crisis Management Centre and two travel health insurance firms on Monday, it protects travelers from the moment they leave home until they return. “Jamaica Cares delivers an unmet need in the travel industry by providing primary medical coverage and medical evacuation services,” Hon. Edmund Bartlett, Co-chairman, Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre, said in a statement. “The traveler knows they’re protected, and they know other travelers are, too. That’s what’s needed to give confidence to travelers when they are ready to travel.” Jamaica reopened to tourists on June 15, requiring new precautions like temperature checks, results of a negative COVID-19 test, and a Travel Authorization application for all travelers who do not hold a Jamaican passport. When the Jamaica Cares program rolls out, it will be included on the Travel Authorization form.

The part of Jamaica that is currently open to tourists is known as the “Resilient Corridor” and includes most popular vacation spots like Montego Bay, Negril and Ocho Rios. Travelers who wish to travel beyond the corridor are required to quarantine for 14 days after arriving in Jamaica. Travelers may also be subject to limitations, like curfews. Jamaica has reported a total of 8,652 cases of COVID-19 and 184 deaths, according to data from the Ministry of Health. More than 1,100 of the cases were reported during the last two weeks. The CDC has placed a Level 3 warning against nonessential travel to Jamaica, saying that the COVID-19 risk is high. BY CAILEY RIZZO Source: https://www.travelandleisure.com/travel-news/jamaica-mandatory-health-insurance-policy-tourists

French Doctor Warns His Country Has ‘Lost Control’ Of Virus

PARIS (AP) — A French doctor warned Monday that his country has “lost control of the epidemic,” a day after health authorities reported more than 52,000 new coronavirus cases as nations across Europe enact more sweeping restrictions to try to slow surging infection rates. Spain — the first European country to surpass 1 million confirmed COVID-19 cases — declared a state of emergency Sunday that included a nationwide overnight curfew, a cap of six people on social gatherings and possible travel bans in and out of the hardest-hit regions. The effect was clear on Barcelona’s famed Las Ramblas promenade, which was deserted Sunday night when it normally would have been teeming with people.

In two major Italian cities, people took to the streets amid a pushback from small sections of society to new restrictions. On Friday, demonstrators in Naples protested a locally imposed 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew and clashed with police. On Saturday night, far-right and neo-fascist groups led a similar protest in Rome against a curfew. Another protest is planned for Tuesday in Milan. Dr. Jean-François Delfraissy, president of the scientific council that advises the French government on the virus, said the country is in a “very difficult, even critical situation.” “There probably are more than 50,000 new cases every day. Our estimate at the Scientific Council is closer to 100,000 – twice as many,” Delfraissy told RTL radio. “Between those who aren’t tested and asymptomatic patients, we’re close to that number of cases. This means the virus is spreading extremely fast.” France declared a state of emergency earlier this month and has been imposing more and more restrictions since September to try to ease the pressure on France’s hospitals, where COVID-19 patients occupy more than half of all ICU beds.

Dr. Eric Caumes, head of the infections and tropical diseases department at Paris’ Pitie-Salpetriere Hospital, said the country needs to lock down again. “We lost control of the epidemic but that doesn’t date from yesterday,” he said on broadcaster Franceinfo. “We lost control of the epidemic several weeks ago already.” Europe’s confirmed death toll has surpassed 250,000 according to a count by Johns Hopkins University, which puts the global toll at more than 1.1 million. A senior World Health Organization official said national lockdowns could be avoided if people are willing to make sacrifices. Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO’s technical lead on COVID-19, said she hoped countries would use other tools to stop transmission, including strengthening their surveillance, testing and contact tracing systems. “We can avoid national lockdowns,” Van Kerkhove said. She said people should take personal responsibility for everyday decisions, like whether or not they should go to crowded places, avoiding closed settings and postponing social gatherings.

Italy, the first country in the West to get slammed by COVID-19, took new measures over the weekend to try to rein in the new outbreak, ordering restaurants and bars closed by 6 p.m., and shutting down gyms, pools and movie theaters. The measures, which took effect Monday, also require high schools to transition to at least 75% distance learning while letting younger students remain in classrooms. Indoor and outdoor gatherings, including those for religious reasons, are barred, and the government is strongly recommending people avoid having house guests and traveling in the country except for work, health or other necessities. The new restrictions sent Rome resident Matteo Serba to the city’s Villa Borghese for a run Monday. “I used to go to gym. Now jogging in the park is the alternative,” Serba said. “Unfortunately, we have no other alternatives but coming here. It’s sad but we have been asked to do it and we comply with the rules.” Italy has been registering around 20,000 new confirmed infections per day and health authorities have warned that some hospital COVID-19 wards risk hitting the saturation point in the next week or two. British authorities are likely to tighten restrictions on more areas of the country this week, amid mixed signs about whether measures introduced in the last few weeks have stemmed a steep rise in infections. Government scientific advisers say there are some signs the increase has begun to level off since a three-tier system of restrictions came into force, but that it is too soon to be certain. A large chunk of northern England, including the major cities of Liverpool, Manchester and Sheffield, has been placed in the top tier of “very high” risk, with pubs closed and people from different households barred from mixing. The government said that Warrington, another large town in the northwest, will be added to the top tier on Tuesday. Another city, Nottingham, will follow on Thursday, authorities there said.

Lawmakers in the Czech Republic, which has been one of the hardest-hit nations in the pandemic’s resurgence in Europe, are set to approve this week a government plan to draft up to 300 military health personnel from NATO and EU countries to help treat the influx of patients. They will help their Czech colleagues at Prague’s military hospital and at a field hospital for 500 patients that the armed forces completed over the weekend at Prague’s exhibition ground. The first group of 28 National Guard doctors from the United States is expected to arrive later this week. Authorities also said they are canceling Prague’s major Christmas markets because of the virus. The Bavarian city of Nuremberg also canceled its big Christmas market, one of Germany’s best-known and a major tourist draw. City officials originally wanted the bustling Christkindlesmarkt to go ahead under strict hygiene rules, but Mayor Marcus Koenig said they concluded it would send the wrong signal as virus cases rise. “This decision is very difficult for us. The Christkindlesmarkt with its great tradition belongs to Nuremberg,” Koenig said. Germany’s rising coronavirus numbers also prompted Chancellor Angela Merkel’s party to delay for the second time a decision on who will become its new leader — one that had already been pushed by the pandemic from the spring to December. Whoever wins the Christian Democratic Union’s leadership will be in a position to become the center-right candidate to succeed Merkel as chancellor in a German election expected next fall, although that isn’t guaranteed. —- Corder reported from The Hague, Netherlands. Associated Press reporters across Europe contributed. —- Follow all of AP’s coronavirus coverage at http://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak

Delta Has Banned Over 460 Anti-Maskers

Washington (CNN Business)In a new memo, Delta Air Lines says it has banned more than 400 people from flying for not following the airline's mask policy.

"As of this week, we've added over 460 people to our no-fly list for refusing to comply with our mask requirement," Delta CEO Ed Bastian said in a message to employees. In August, the airline said it had banned roughly 270 passengers since the outset of the pandemic. Delta (DAL) began requiring that passengers wear masks on flights on May 4. All major airlines now mandate that passengers wear masks in the absence of any new regulations from the federal government. Airlines in June agreed to ban passengers from future flights for refusing to wear masks. But the airlines are not sharing information with one another about the passengers they have banned. So, for example, a passenger banned on Delta can still book a flight on American (AAL) and vice versa. The airlines have defended the get-tough policy as important to protect the health and safety of both passengers and crew members. Earlier this month, the CDC said in new guidance that travel "increases your chances of getting and spreading" coronavirus. "CDC strongly recommends appropriate masks be worn by all passengers and by all personnel operating the conveyance while on public conveyances," the guidance said. Source: https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/25/business/delta-mask-ban/index.html

Ireland - Home Of Halloween, Where It Began.

Did you know Halloween began in Ireland? Halloween – a time for thrills, chills and wonderful traditions. But did you know that everyone's favorite spooky holiday began in Ireland? Trace Halloween right back to its origins and you'll find yourself in the mists of pagan Ireland over 3,000 years ago – a time when the ancient festival of Samhain was celebrated in the heart of Ireland's Ancient East to mark the beginning of wint

At this moment of transition the Celts believed there was an interaction between the worlds of the living and the dead and that spirits could move between them. Fearing that all manner of beings might pull them into the otherworld before their time, the Celts would disguise themselves in costumes to confuse and scare off the roaming ghosts, fairies, hobgoblins and demons.  The modern practice of dressing up at Halloween is firmly rooted in these old pre-Christian Celtic customs, as is the tradition of lighting bonfires, which began on hilltops in Ireland with clans and communities gathering to light huge ceremonial Samhain fires.  Halloween in Ireland is all about traditions. Whether that is in the food we eat or the games we play. Typical harvest fare such as barmbrack and colcannon are staples at this time of year as we celebrate with our families and gather together to bob for apples.

So when you light up your Jack-o-lanterns (which also originated in Ireland as turnips) and head out 'trick or treating,' (yes, you guessed it, started in Ireland when children and the poor would go door to door to offer prayers for the dead in return for food) you will know now that Halloween is part of our DNA and hopefully you will be able to join us to celebrate in Ireland in the not too distant future. In an ordinary year Ireland is very much the place to be at Halloween with stunning festivals and events happening up and down the island.  Unfortunately this year some events have had to be postponed and some will be broadcast online but typically it is the fascinating Puca Festival in County Meath, the Bram Stoker Festival in Dublin and the wonderful celebrations in the city of Derry, that take center stage. We look forward to welcoming you to these festivals when the time is right. For more information on Ireland as a vacation destination check out www.ireland.com

Virus Is Pummeling Europe’s Eateries — And Winter Is Coming

HEIKRUIS, Belgium (AP) — As the Friday night dinner service began earlier this month at the De Viering restaurant outside Brussels, it seemed the owners’ decision to move the operation into the spacious village church to comply with coronavirus rules was paying off. The reservation book was full and the kitchen was bustling. And then Belgium’s prime minister ordered cafes, bars and restaurants to close for at least a month in the face of surging infections. “It’s another shock, of course, because — yes, all the investments are made,” said chef Heidi Vanhasselt. She and her sommelier husband Christophe Claes had installed a kitchen and new toilets in the Saint Bernardus church in Heikruis, as well as committing to 10 months’ rent and pouring energy into creative solutions.

Vanhasselt’s frustration is Europe’s as a resurgence of the virus is dealing a second blow to the continent’s restaurants, which already suffered under lockdowns in the spring. From Northern Ireland and Italy to the Netherlands and France, governments have shuttered eateries or severely curtailed how they operate. More than just jobs and revenue are at stake — restaurants lie at the heart of European life. Their closures are threatening the social fabric by shutting the places where neighbors mix, extended families gather and the seeds of new families are sown. A restaurant remains “a place where very special moments are celebrated,” said Griet Grassin of the Italian restaurant Tartufo on the outskirts of Brussels. “It’s not just the food, but it’s the well-being.” The governments of Italy and Spain announced new measures Sunday that are aimed at curbing spiraling infections but also detrimental to dining out.

Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte announced that restaurants and bars will be required to shut at 6 p.m. daily for at least a month. Most restaurants in Italy usually don’t even start to serve dinner before 8 p.m. Milan has already seen protests over a local curfew that took effect Thursday. In Spain, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez declared a national curfew from 11 p.m.-6 a.m. and said he would ask lawmakers to keep in place until May. The curfew starting Sunday night means Spaniards will have to watch the clock if they want to indulge their love for a late, leisurely meal with friends. The measure could end chances for the recovery of the country’s large nightlight industry. The reduced hours that businesses can stay open and people are allowed to be out is particularly painful since they might stretch into the Christmas holiday season, nixing everything from pre-holiday office drinks to a special New Year’s meal. When it comes to purely calories and vitamins, “of course we can live without restaurants,” said food historian professor Peter Scholliers. But, he asked: “We can live without being social? No, we can’t.” Successful restaurants have always had to adapt quickly — but never has there been a challenge like this.

The European Union said the hotel and restaurant industry suffered a jaw-dropping 79.3% decline in production between February and April. Try bouncing back from that. Summer, with its drop in COVID-19 cases and a hesitant return to travel, brought some respite, especially in coastal resorts. But then came fall. Any giddiness that the fallout from the pandemic could somehow be contained faced the sobering reality of relentlessly rising coronavirus cases and hospitalizations. Overall, COVID-19 has killed over 250,000 people across Europe, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. Leaders are now warning that things will get worse before they get better. But many restaurant owners have bristled at the new restrictions and some are openly challenging them.

In London last week, the preeminent chef Yotam Ottolenghi banged pots on the street to protest restrictions that include earlier closing times. “It’s really hard, we’ve got a great industry with lots of heart,” Ottolenghi said. “And there’s so many people who depend on it.” If the mood of any nation is set by its stomach, surely France’s is. And it is turning as sour as a rhubarb tartlet. The streets of Paris, the culinary capital of Lyon and several other French cities were eerily empty at night during the first week of a 9 p.m. curfew scheduled to last for at least a month. Xavier Denamur, who owns five Parisian cafes and bistros that employ around 70 workers, said the French government is unfairly punishing the industry. “It’s a catastrophic measure,” he said, arguing any curfew should be pushed to at least 11 p.m. to allow for a proper dinner service. Still, highlighting how the world is feeling its way in the near darkness, restaurant and food delivery business owner Matteo Lorenzon argued the opposite. “Having a curfew starting at 11 p.m., it’s too late.”

Already in September, more than 400,000 employees of restaurants and cafes in Italy, a nation of 60 million, were unemployed, according to an estimate by Fipe, the restaurant lobby group. Its prediction for the coming months was even more dire: “Hundreds of thousands of jobs risk being erased definitively.” In the Netherlands, which has one of the highest virus infection rates in Europe, more than 60 Dutch bars and restaurants sought to overturn a monthlong closure order but failed. Lawyer Simon van Zijll, representing the bars and restaurants, warned that the Dutch hospitality industry faces “a tidal wave of bankruptcies.” The first lockdown in the spring caught the owners of Tartufo, the restaurant on the outskirts of Brussels, off guard. This time, Grassin and her husband chef Kayes Ghourabi, were ready: They will ramp up their takeaway service and even offer their own gin with Mediterranean spices. Still, income will drop by about 70% to 80%. “We lose, but it helps the costs. The electricity, the insurance that keep on going, even in a lockdown,” she said. Across Europe, the stories are the same — of chefs thinking creatively, making something of a bad situation, showing resilience to save something they often built from scratch. “I have a son, and I always say to my husband, ‘the restaurant was our first child.’ And you want to fight for it,” Grassin said. Takeout food is also a lifeline for Paolo Polli, who owned five bars and restaurants in Milan before closing four recently. His staff was cut from 60 to six. He said he made more money during the lockdown with his pizza-delivery service than when he reopened for regular service. Down south, a balmy fall offered some reprieve, allowing restaurants to serve on outside terraces. Despite this, in Portugal, the AHRESP restaurant association said restaurants lost more than half of their revenue. Now the chilly weather, stronger winds and rain are forcing everyone back indoors, where the virus spreads most easily. “It will be impossible,″ said Artur Veloso, who manages the Risca restaurant in Carcavelos. “Winter will bring more ruin.” ___ Associated Press writers Barry Hatton in Lisbon, Fran D’Emilio in Rome, Andrea Rosa in Milan, Thomas Adamson in Paris, Mike Corder in The Hague, and Joseph Wilson in Barcelona contributed. ___ Follow all of AP’s coronavirus pandemic coverage at http://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and h ttps://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak

Russia Shuns Tough Restrictions Even As Infections Soar

MOSCOW (AP) — It’s Friday night in Moscow, and popular bars and restaurants in the city center are packed. No one except the staff is wearing a mask or bothers to keep their distance. There is little indication at all that Russia is being swept by a resurgence of coronavirus infections. “I believe that everyone will have the disease eventually,” says Dr. Alexandra Yerofeyeva, an internal medicine specialist at an insurance company, while sipping a cocktail at The Bix bar in Moscow. She adds cheerfully: “Nothing ventured, nothing gained.” The outbreak in Russia this month is breaking the records set in the spring, when a lockdown to slow the spread of the virus was put in place. But, as governments across Europe move to reimpose restrictions to counter rising cases, authorities in Russia are resisting shutting down businesses again. Some regions have closed nightclubs or limited the hours of bars and restaurants, but few measures have been implemented in Moscow, which is once again the epicenter of the surge.

On Friday, Russian authorities reported over 15,000 new infections, the highest daily spike so far in the pandemic. Moscow — with less than 10% of the population — accounts for up to 30% of new infections each day. The health minister says 90% of hospital beds for coronavirus patients have been filled. Three times this week, Russia’s daily death toll exceeded the spring record of 232. Even these soaring virus tolls are likely undercounts; experts have cautioned that official figures around the world understate the true toll, but critics have taken particular issue with Russia’s death tolls, alleging authorities might be playing down the scale of the outbreak. Right now, situation is “difficult” but “no restrictive measures for the economy are required,” Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova told President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday. The spring lockdown hurt the country’s already weakened economy and compounded Russians’ frustration with plummeting incomes and worsening living conditions, driving Putin’s approval rating to a historic low of 59% in April, according to the Levada Center, Russia’s top independent pollster. Analysts say his government doesn’t want to return to those darks days. “They know that people have just come to the end of their tolerance of the lockdown measures that would be hugely unpopular if they got imposed again,” said Judy Twigg, a professor of political science at Virginia Commonwealth University, specializing in global health.

In fact, Putin’s government appears to be moving in the opposite direction. Russian officials announced this week that air traffic would resume with three more countries. All international air traffic was stopped in the spring. The announcement reminded people “about the necessity to take care of their health as much as possible” — a reflection of Russian authorities’ new effort to shift much of the responsibility for how the outbreak unfolds onto the people. Moscow has taken the necessary measures, “but without the people responding to these measures, helping themselves and the people around them, nothing will work,” warned Sergei Sobyanin, the mayor of the Russian capital of 12.7 million. During the summer, authorities lifted most virus-related restrictions, and life in Russia started getting back to normal. Perhaps too quickly, some critics said, noting that the government was eager to ensure that people voted on constitutional amendments extending Putin’s rule. Even as health officials still report several thousand new infections every day, restaurants and cinemas reopened, vacationers flocked to Black Sea resorts, and 17,000 took part in the Moscow Half Marathon in August. Russia’s Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin said the race “marked this victory” over the pandemic.

That same month, Putin announced regulatory approval of the first vaccine against coronavirus — although many scientists have cast doubt on the shot — and it is now being tested in a larger study. Authorities are offering it to doctors and teachers, but it’s not widely available. With Putin’s approval ratings on the rise again, the government appears reluctant to do anything that might further weaken the economy and anger the public. The authorities understand that “the economic virus is worse than the biological one,” Boris Titov, Russia’s business ombudsman, told entrepreneurs this week. Nearly 70% of the country’s businesses “will not survive the second wave” and the accompanying restrictions, he said. But doctors and experts are sounding the alarm that Russia’s health system is being stretched. Just like in the spring, media report hourslong waits for ambulances and long lines for CT scans. People who have virus symptoms — who are supposed to call a visiting doctor service — report waiting days for anyone to arrive. “When it comes to the regions (beyond Moscow), we see that they are already choking,” said Vasily Vlassov, public health expert with the Higher School of Economics in Moscow. Moscow hospitals, so far, appear to be coping. “The hospital is full, but there are free beds for now, and we haven’t yet used all of the reserve beds,” said Dr. Alexander Vanyukov of the Moscow Hospital No. 52. Life outside hospitals remains largely normal. Moscow officials have recommended the elderly and those with chronic illnesses stay home. They ordered employers to make 30% of their staff work from home, extended the fall school vacation by a week and moved middle and high school students to online classes. As at the national level, officials have focused on personal responsibility, at one point sending inspectors to theaters to look for retirees who are not self-isolating. Officials said they considered shutting bars and nightclubs, but on Thursday Moscow’s mayor proposed “an experiment” instead: Employees and customers at establishments open between midnight and 6 a.m. must register for contact tracing purposes. Margo Lankina, manager of The Bix bar, says operating during the pandemic isn’t easy. Her staff must wear gloves and masks and their health is monitored. The venue is regularly cleaned. “But on the other hand, it’s good that they allow us to work,” Lankina says. “Our guests? Well, the distance is not being observed, that’s true, what can I say?” Lankina admits. “But somehow we keep on living.” ___ Associated Press writer Kostya Manenkov contributed. ___ Follow all of AP’s coronavirus pandemic coverage at http://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak

National Museum of American Jewish History In Philadelphia To Honor Magicians Houdini And David Copperfield

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia-based National Museum of American Jewish History will honor two men who entertained the world with their magic.

The museum announced on Thursday it will induct illusionists Harry Houdini and David Copperfield into its hall of fame on Dec. 12. The museum says the award recognizes the achievements and contributions of American Jews “who share and exemplify the ideals of the stories explored in the museum.” Houdini was born Erik Weisz in Hungary in 1874 and came to America when he was 4 years old. The son of a rabbi, he toured the U.S. and the world as a magician until his death in 1926 at age 52.

Copperfield, 64, was born David Kotkin in New Jersey. He has earned 21 Emmy Awards, and will accept the honor from his International Museum and Library of the Conjuring Arts in Las Vegas. “From immigrant Harry Houdini to first-generation American David Copperfield, this event clearly demonstrates what’s possible when individuals are simply given the chance to be great,” said museum trustee Sharon Tobin Kestenbaum. Previous recipients of the museum’s award include the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and director Steven Spielberg.

The World’s Longest Immersed Tunnel Will Connect Germany And Denmark — And Make Trips So Much Shorter

Construction for the world's longest immersed tunnel is underway. Slated to open to the public in 2029, the Fehmarnbelt Tunnel will connect the 11.1 miles of Baltic Sea between Denmark and Germany. Connecting the German island of Fehmarn and the Danish island of Lolland across the Fehmarn Belt, it will be the longest combined road and rail tunnel in the world. "Today, if you were to take a train trip from Copenhagen to Hamburg, it would take you around four and a half hours," Jens Ole Kaslund, technical director at Femern A/S, the state-owned Danish company in charge of the project, told CNN on Monday. "When the tunnel will be completed, the same journey will take two and a half hours.”

For those journeying between the two cities by car, the trip will be about an hour shorter. Taking a ferry across the strait takes about 45 minutes now. When the tunnel is built, travel across will take seven minutes by train (traveling about 125 miles per hour) and 10 minutes by car (traveling about 70 miles per hour).

Funding for the Fehmarnbelt Tunnel will be generated by fees to use it when it opens. It will take approximately 3,000 people to build the tunnel over a length of about eight and a half years and will sit more than 40 meters beneath the Baltic Sea and require an amount of steel, equivalent to about 50 Eiffel Towers, CNN noted. For those curious to watch the construction process, a livestream began on YouTube on Oct. 12. Construction began with a new harbor in Lolland. By early 2021, workers will begin building a factory on the island. Construction of the tunnel itself will not begin until 2023. The tunnel has been allotted a budget of about $8.2 billion, a significantly smaller cost than what it took to build the Channel Tunnel, connecting England to France. When the “Chunnel” opened in 1993, it cost approximately $15.5 billion to construct its 30 miles. By Cailey Rizzo is a contributing writer for Travel + Leisure, https://www.travelandleisure.com/culture-design/architecture-design/worlds-longest-immersion-tunnel-fehmarnbelt-construction

International Festival Of Santa Lucía Brings Mexican Art And Culture Home

The show must go on for Mexico's International Festival of Santa Lucía The 27-day cultural event goes digital and offers the opportunity to enjoy lineup from the comfort of home

Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico - October 19, 2020 - The Santa Lucia International Festival, which started on the 11th of October, has reaffirmed its position as one of the largest cultural events in Latin America with a 27-day program scheduled to broadcast performances by over 300 artists on all of its social media platforms for a global reach while bringing the arts to the neighborhoods in Monterrey, Mexico.

"We know the importance of culture, that is why in this 2020 edition, in the global context of health, sanitary and security measures, we had to find a way to continue the festival and face the pandemic head-on," said Lorenia Canavati von Borstel, President of the Festival Internacional de Santa Lucía. "The Festival will go on with the use of virtual technology, digital and electronic media, as well as with mobile stages and pop-up shows in support of our artists, to show the world what can be done in Mexico."

Taking place until November 29th, festival producers are not taking health precautions lightly and will be publishing line-ups on Sundays for the following week in alliance with the current health situation in the city and the state's health indicators.

Most of the events will not have onsite audience participation and most of the performances will be done either digitally or pre-recorded with some performances taking place inside an innovative traveling stage that will take artists to neighborhoods around Monterrey and exposing locals to the festivals offering, In its thirteenth edition, the FISL will feature 27 days of the festival for 7 weeks under the slogans of hope, unity, gratitude, pride, love, inspiration, and joy. With a line-up of 85 cultural and artistic events in 32 locations, more than 340 artists, 4 concerts in a new modality, 2 exhibitions: "The arts of Monterrey back to the source" and 5 illuminated buildings "lights of hope”.

What's New in Dominican Republic For October 2020

www.godominicanrepublic.com What’s New in Dominican Republic:

Luxury Hotel Property in Cap Cana Breaks Ground | On October 14th, the St. Regis Hotels & Resorts celebrated the groundbreaking of the St. Regis Cap Cana Resort & Residences. Expected to open in 2023, the resort will feature 200 luxurious guest rooms and suites with spectacular ocean views and 67 residences, the iconic St. Regis Butler Service, bespoke amenities, and a world-class 8-hole golf course designed by Jack Nicklaus. The resort will be the first St. Regis property in the Dominican Republic. st-regis.marriott.com

Samaná Property Named As One of The Best Hotels in the World | The Peninsula House, located in the tourist town of Las Terrenas, Samaná Province, was recently recognized as the fourth-best hotel in the world in Condé Nast Traveler’s 2020 Readers’ Choice Awards. The recognition was based on visitors who rated the property based on location, gastronomy, standard linens, and unforgettable life experiences. cntraveler.com

Coronavirus: Empty Streets In France As Curfew Enforced

The streets of Paris and eight other French cities were deserted on Saturday night as a new curfew was enforced. The controversial overnight curfew is aimed at curbing the soaring Covid infection rate in France, which is one of Europe's coronavirus hotspots. There have been complaints from restaurant owners, whose businesses are already suffering after the two-month lockdown in the spring. New measures are also to be announced in Italy due to a rise in cases. Italy, which was the first European country to be hit significantly by Covid in the first wave, registered a record number of new daily cases on Saturday. Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte will announce fresh restrictions on Sunday. Local media said the new rules could target non-essential activities including gyms, pools and amateur sporting events. In France, about 20 million French people are covered by the month-long curfew in cities including Marseille, Lyon, Lille and Toulouse, as well as the capital. The curfew runs from 21:00 to 06:00 every night. President Emmanuel Macron said the curfews were necessary to avoid the risk of hospitals being overrun. But many are concerned about the effect it could have on businesses. "There will surely be employees who will lose their jobs," Stefano Anselmo, manager of Italian restaurant Bianco in Paris told the Reuters news agency. "It's a disaster."

France reported a record number of new cases of the virus on Saturday - a rise of 32,427, the health ministry said. A day earlier the country recorded 25,086 new infections. Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-54585828

Visit Sweden Shares Tips On How To Alleviate Pandemic-Related Stress

Lockdowns, isolation, and working from home have caused elevated levels of stress for many people: 45% of Americans say they experience anxiety because of the pandemic, according to a UN report. But there are ways to alleviate the stress. Research shows that spending time in nature lowers stress levels – one of the many benefits of grabbing a few minutes to enjoy some greenery or planning a getaway in the great outdoors. The positive effects were tested through Visit Sweden’s very own initiative, “The 72-Hour Cabin,” with participants from major cities who had demanding jobs. They were examined before and after spending three consecutive days in the Swedish countryside where they slept in glass cabins next to water. The study proved that being outdoors surrounded only by nature dramatically reduced negative emotions and lowered stress levels. In Sweden, 70% of the country is covered with forest, and nature is easy to reach, with open fields and meadows, old-growth forests, quiet lakes, miles of coastlines, and thousands of islands. Swedes have a unique Freedom to Roam, The Right of Public Access (‘Allemansrätt’), which maintains that everyone has the right to walk, cycle, ride, ski and camp on any land. It is no wonder Swedes maintain an unusually close relationship to nature and draw from the healing power of spending time outside. “Natural environments are an important resource for meeting the health challenges in our society. Research shows that time spent outdoors reduces negative emotions and stress, and promotes positive emotions, mental recovery, and performance,” says Cecilia Stenfors, a researcher at the Aging Research Center at Karolinska Institutet, Sweden, and the University of Chicago, USA. As nature experiences are an effective way to provide a bit of normality after months of pandemic-related stress, anxiety, and loneliness, below are five ways to incorporate a bit of green in your life, as illustrated by the Swedes: You only need twenty minutes in nature to reduce stress, so there is no excuse not to pop outside for a few moments, even a lunch time walk will help clear your mind. Boost your mental health by taking your meal outside. Swedes dine al fresco nearly all year round and enjoy foraging in nature’s own pantry. For further inspiration, check out Visit Sweden’s outdoor dining and do-it-yourself cooking concept, Edible Country. Swedes love outdoor activities like cooking, hiking, canoeing, and mountain biking, with proven long-lasting effects on their well-being. Pick up a hobby that gets you moving outside! We know to eat our greens but spending time in green areas also has a positive impact on our health. According to a meta-analysis from the University of East Anglia, published in Environmental Research, nature can lower your blood pressure, cortisol, and heart rate. For those living in cities, even surrounding yourself with indoor plants or gazing at pictures or videos of nature can be soothing. When the time is right, book a trip to enjoy Sweden’s lush landscape and stay high up in the Tree Hotel, or experience a glass cabin, house boat, or maybe even a lighthouse.

The Top 10 Countries For Seniors To Retire

Flag of Costa Rica Retiring outside the United States has been growing in popularity for a number of years. There are many attractive benefits for seniors such as warm climates, welcoming locals, delicious food, new adventures, and a lower cost of living to give your money more value. But, going on vacation is not the same as living abroad, and making the move requires some careful thought and research to make sure you are well informed. There are a number of factors that must be considered, and then weighed in importance to you when deciding where to retire overseas. Top Factors for International Retirement: Cost of Living Climate Daily life Language Banking and Currency Residency-Visa process Healthcare Safety and Stability Distance from family It is important to understand the foundation for your new life living outside the United States. Start with your cost of living: Do you want to live where it is cheaper, or is cost of living not an issue? Make sure you are comfortable with the climate and understand how the seasons unfold over the course of a year. You will need to communicate with your fellow residents, so be sure you can learn a new language or seek out where English is commonly spoken. Another language you will need to be comfortable with is commerce, so understanding how banking and the local currency works will be important. Take time also to understand how the legal and government system works so you can feel comfortable you are moving to a stable and safe country. As you are selecting your ideal new location, you should make sure you spend time there as more than a tourist. Consider spending 3-6 months renting and living as a local. Get a feel for what it will be like to live on a daily basis, have neighbors, do groceries, and pay bills. Another important aspect people don’t tend to think about on vacation is a country’s healthcare system. Make sure you spend time understanding how it works, how it is paid for, and the level of quality you can expect. And as you age you will want to understand what kind of long-term care supports and services are available as well. If the move feels right, it will be critical that you are able to establish your legal residency through the visa process, and possibly full citizenship. And if you have reached the point you are deciding it’s time to pack your bags, one last thing you will want to consider—how difficult is it to travel there for you and for your loved ones. Remember, if you move you won’t be taking your extended family and friends with you. Once you have relocated, you will want them to be able to visit and you will want to be able to return to the States without it becoming a major undertaking. So out of 132 countries, how do you know where you should be looking? Based on quality of life and affordability, here are 10 countries that score high for seniors to retire: Costa Rica ($1,400/mo.)- biodiversity / active lifestyle/ stable government / friendly populace / stable banking / good healthcare system / distance to U.S. / low cost of living Panama ($1,100/mo.)- climate / cosmopolitan living / strong expat network / English commonly spoken / good healthcare system / use U.S. currency and low taxes / National Senior Discount Program / low cost of living Spain ($1,200/mo.)- high quality, inexpensive food / low cost of living / beaches and mild weather / diverse climate / good healthcare system Thailand ($600/mo.)- active lifestyle and biodiversity / culture and metropolitan living / expat networks / low cost of living Peru ($2,000/mo.)- exotic living / climate / low cost of living Portugal ($1,700/mo.)- friendly / safe and stable / English commonly spoken / beaches and cosmopolitan living / climate / low cost of living / easy visa with Golden Visa if prove $1,200/mo. income Columbia ($1,000/mo.)- climate and biodiversity / good healthcare system / cosmopolitan living and exotic locals / cost or living / easy visa if prove $2,500/mo. income Malaysia ($1,300/mo.)- exotic and climate / English commonly spoken / low cost of living Ecuador ($1,500/mo.)- climate and biodiversity / mix of metropolitan and rural living / strong expat network / English commonly spoken / excellent local food / senior discount programs / U.S. currency and low cost of living Mexico ($1,600/mo.)- climate and biodiversity / beaches / national healthcare system / distance to U.S. / low cost of living Retiring overseas comes down to making personal choices that reflect who you are, what you want and what you can afford. The key to getting it right is doing your homework so you fully understand what you are getting into-- before you make the move. Chris Orestis (www.lcxlife.com) is President of LifeCare Xchange and the The Retirement Genius (www.retirementgenius.com). A nationally recognized healthcare expert and senior advocate, Chris has 25 years of experience in the insurance and long-term care industries and is credited with pioneering the Long-Term Care Life Settlement over a decade ago. Known as a political insider, Orestis is a former Washington, D.C., lobbyist who has worked in both the White House and for the Senate Majority Leader on Capitol Hill. Orestis is author of the books Help on the Way and A Survival Guide to Aging, and has been speaking for over a decade across the country about senior finance and the secrets to aging with physical and financial health. He is a frequent columnist for Broker World, ThinkAdvisor, IRIS, and NewsMax Finance, has been a featured guest on over 50 radio programs, and has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CNBC, NBC News, Fox News, USA Today, Kiplinger’s, Investor’s Business Daily, PBS, and numerous other media outlets.

Europe, US Reel As Virus Infections Surge At Record Pace

Coronavirus cases around the world have climbed to all-time highs of more than 330,000 per day as the scourge comes storming back across Europe and spreads with renewed speed in the U.S., forcing many places to reimpose tough restrictions eased just months ago. Well after Europe seemed to have largely tamed the virus that proved so lethal last spring, newly confirmed infections are reaching unprecedented levels in Germany, the Czech Republic, Italy and Poland. Most of the rest of the continent is seeing similar danger signs. France announced a 9 p.m. curfew in Paris and other big cities. Londoners face new restrictions on meeting with people indoors. The Netherlands closed bars and restaurants this week. The Czech Republic and Northern Ireland shut schools. Poland limited restaurant hours and closed gyms and pools. In the United States, new cases per day are on the rise in 44 states, with many of the biggest surges in the Midwest and Great Plains, where resistance to masks and other precautions has been running high and the virus has often been seen as just a big-city problem. Deaths per day are climbing in 30 states. “I see this as one of the toughest times in the epidemic,” said Dr. Peter Hotez, an infectious-disease specialist at the Baylor College of Medicine in Texas. “The numbers are going up pretty rapidly. We’re going to see a pretty large epidemic across the Northern Hemisphere.” Dr. Anthony Fauci, the U.S. government’s top infectious-disease expert, said Americans should think hard about whether to hold Thanksgiving gatherings. “Everyone has this traditional, emotional, warm feeling about the holidays and bringing a group of people, friends and family, together in the house indoors,” he said on ABC’s “Good Morning America.” “We really have to be careful this time that each individual family evaluates the risk-benefit of doing that.” Responses to the surge have varied in hard-hit states. In North Dakota, Republican Gov. Doug Burgum raised the coronavirus risk level in 16 counties this week but issued no mandated restrictions. In Wisconsin, a judge temporarily blocked an order from Democratic Gov. Tony Evers that would limit the number of people in bars and restaurants. South Dakota on Wednesday broke its record for COVID-19 hospitalizations and new cases and has had more deaths from the disease less than halfway through October than in any other full month. Despite the grim figures, GOP Gov. Kristi Noem has resisted pressure to step up the state’s response to the disease. Wisconsin hit a new daily high for confirmed infections for the second time this week. In Missouri, the number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 reached nearly 1,450, another record. Dr. Marc Larsen, who oversees the COVID-19 response at Kansas City-based St. Luke’s Health System, said the system’s rural hospitals are seeing surges just as bad as in Kansas City. “Early on in this pandemic, it was felt that this was a big-city problem, and now this is stretching out into the rural communities where I think there has not been as much emphasis on masking and distancing,” he said. New cases in the U.S. have risen over the past two weeks from about 40,000 per day on average to more than 52,000, according to Johns Hopkins University. (Cases peaked in the U.S. over the summer at nearly 70,000 a day.) Deaths were relatively stable over the past two weeks, at around 720 a day. That is well below the U.S. peak of over 2,200 dead per day in late April. Worldwide, deaths have fallen slightly in recent weeks to about 5,200 a day, down from a peak of around 7,000 in April. Dr. Hans Kluge, the head of the World Health Organization’s Europe office, urged governments to be “uncompromising” in controlling the virus. He said most of the spread is happening because people aren’t complying with the safety rules. Europe’s financial markets fell sharply Thursday on concerns that the new restrictions will undercut the continent’s economic recovery. Stocks were down slightly on Wall Street. In France, which reported over 22,000 new infections Wednesday, President Emmanuel Macron put 18 million residents in nine regions, including Paris, under a curfew starting Saturday. The country will deploy 12,000 police officers to enforce it. Italy set a one-day record for infections and recorded the highest daily death toll of this second wave, adding 83 victims to bring its count to nearly 36,400, the second-highest in Europe after Britain. In Britain, London and seven other areas face restrictions that will mean more than 11 million people will be barred from meeting with anyone indoors from outside their households and will be asked to minimize travel starting this weekend. European nations have seen nearly 230,000 confirmed deaths from the virus, while the U.S. has recorded over 217,000, though experts agree the official figures understate the true toll. So far in the new surges, deaths have not increased at the same pace as infections. For one thing, it can take time for people to get sick and die of the virus. Also, many of the new cases involve young people, who are less likely than older ones to get seriously ill. Patients are benefiting from new drugs and other improvements in treating COVID-19. And nursing homes, which were ravaged by the virus last spring, have gotten better at controlling infections. But experts fear it is only a matter of time before deaths start rising in step with infections. “All of this does not bode well,” said Josh Michaud, associate director of global health policy with the Kaiser Family Foundation in Washington. “Rapid increases in cases like we’re seeing now are always followed by increases in hospitalizations and deaths, which is what is likely to occur across much of Europe and the U.S. in the coming weeks and months.” Among the areas hit by the new surge is Gove County in Kansas, where the sheriff, the emergency management director, the CEO of the local hospital and more than 50 medical staff members have tested positive. Dr. Doug Gruenbacher, a physician who contracted the virus in September, said people around Gove County are concerned about their personal liberty and “not wanting to be told what to do.” “That’s part of the reason of why we love it here, because of that spirit and because of that independence,” he said. “But unfortunately, it’s something that also contributes to some of the difficulties that we’re having right now.” Full Coverage: Virus Outbreak ___ Associated Press writers around Europe and the U.S. contributed to this report. __ Follow AP’s pandemic coverage at http://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak

London Faces New Restrictions As City Sees Higher Virus Risk

LONDON (AP) — London and seven other areas will face further restrictions after the British government on Thursday raised their coronavirus risk levels in an effort to slow the exponential rise in infection rates across the country. The government’s decision to move the communities into its second-highest coronavirus risk tier means that more than 11 million people will be barred from meeting with anyone indoors from outside their households and will be asked to minimize travel starting this weekend. Health Secretary Matt Hancock told the House of Commons that he recognized these restrictions would be hard on individuals and businesses, but said tough decisions were needed now to keep people safe. The government is negotiating with the leaders of Manchester, Lancashire and other communities in northern England about moving into the top risk tier, which would require the closure of many businesses. “Coronavirus is deadly and it’s now spreading exponentially in the U.K.,” Hancock said. “We must act to prevent more hospitalizations, more deaths and more economic damage.″ Prime Minister Boris Johnson this week introduced a three-tier regional approach to combating the coronavirus pandemic, with each tier bringing in progressively tighter restrictions. The government is trying to slow rising infection rates and prevent the National Health Service from being swamped with COVID-19 cases this winter while seeking to avoid a national lockdown that would ravage the U.K.’s struggling economy. The opposition Labour Party’s spokesman on health issues, Jonathan Ashworth, described the measures as inadequate to stem the exponential growth of the virus. He reiterated calls for the government to implement the recommendations of its scientific advisers and impose a two- to three-week national lockdown, or “circuit break,″ arguing it could save thousands of lives. After Johnson on Wednesday refused to rule out such a move, Ashworth asked Thursday what the government’s criteria were for taking such action. “How many more hospital admissions? How much non-COVID care delayed? Dare I say, how many more deaths?″ Ashworth said. “Action is needed now.″ Hancock shrugged off the question, saying now was the time to work together. “That is the best way to defeat this virus,” he said. Britain already has Europe’s deadliest outbreak, with over 43,200 confirmed virus deaths. The change for Londoners comes as millions of people in northern England are waiting to find out whether they will be placed under the government’s tightest COVID-19 restrictions, which the city of Liverpool already faces. Hancock said discussions were continuing with Greater Manchester and Lancashire about moving those communities into the government’s highest risk tier. Local leaders, including members of Johnson’s Conservative Party, have opposed such measures unless financial support is given to their communities to limit the damage to businesses and individuals. The government held discussions with Greater Manchester leaders on Thursday amid questions about whether the region of 2.8 million people would be classified as “very high risk,” which requires further restrictions such as closing bars. Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham once again rejected government pressure to accept the higher risk rating without further financial support. He said any regional closure would require widespread business closures beyond the shutdown of pubs and would have to be done in tandem with neighboring regions. “It is wrong to place some of the poorest parts of England in a punishing lockdown without proper support for the people and businesses affected,″ he told reporters in Manchester. “To do so will result in certain hardship, job losses. business failure. It will cause harm in a different way to people’s mental health and is not certain to control the virus.″ Burnham said the government’s own scientific advisers aren’t certain the regional lockdown strategy will work, and he argued that the government is asking his area’s residents to gamble their homes, jobs and businesses and a chunk of their economy on an experiment. “They are willing to sacrifice jobs and businesses here to try and save them elsewhere,″ a visibly furious Burnham said. “Greater Manchester, the Liverpool city region and Lancashire are being set up as the canaries in the coal mine for an experimental regional lockdown strategy as an attempt to prevent the expense of what is truly needed.″ The other U.K. nations — Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland — have also been tightening restrictions in recent weeks in light of the virus’ resurgence. There are growing indications that travel between the four nations will start to be restricted too, particularly to and from areas deemed to be high risk. Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said Wednesday that she would ask Johnson for an urgent meeting on a four-nation strategy to restrict travel from high-risk areas to lower risk communities. Unilaterally, she asked people from central Scotland, including cities like Glasgow and Edinburgh that are facing the tightest restrictions, to avoid traveling to Blackpool, a seaside town in northwest England famous for its illuminated installations at this time of year. Blackpool is an even bigger draw for Scots this year because pubs will be showing the soccer match between the country’s two biggest soccer teams, Rangers and Celtic — while pubs in Glasgow and Edinburgh are still closed. ___ Follow AP’s pandemic coverage at http://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak

With Americans Anxious To Go Out, Walking Tours Pick Up Pace

In this Sept. 20, 2020, photo, tour guide John Erardi, right, talks with a tour group on the sidewalk outside the Cincinnati Reds Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati. The walking tour was one of the few groups of people on the street as the Reds and White Sox were inside just an hour before the game without fans because of the pandemic. (AP Photo/Dan Sewell)
 

CINCINNATI (AP) — With an eerily quiet and empty stadium plaza behind him, the tour guide tried to help people picture what they would have seen there more than 160 years earlier.

His audience of eight, all on foot, peered over masks at maps as he described hundreds of groceries, saloons, blacksmiths and 100,000 people living across two square miles — one of the pre-Civil War United States’ most congested areas. The area had an open secret then: It was filled with stations on the Underground Railroad for slaves trying to reach freedom. Today, they were walking those paths.

For so many Americans, this is a time of being cooped up, of being unable to interact with fellow humans and, in many cases, with the landscape itself. COVID-19 and its impact — more than 200,000 Americans dead — have kept many away from air travel, cruise ships and crowded beaches.

Enter a decidedly unplugged alternative, a very concrete antidote to a suddenly more virtual life: the walking tour. Maybe not the most exciting outlet, but far better than being surrounded by the same four walls.

“Our mental health matters also, and it’s very important for us ... when we’re really feeling extremely alienated from each other and feeling trapped in our homes, to walk our streets, in the safest way possible,” said Rebecca Manski of Social Justice Tours in New York City.

Such tours have picked up in popularity for people seeking outdoor social activity while maintaining health safety precautions and staying in small groups. The Cincinnati walking tour, for example, was among several offered in recent months by the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame & Museum. The goal: to offset a pandemic-abbreviated baseball season that didn’t allow fans in the ballpark.

Normally, Bob Doherty, 61, said, his family would have been inside the stadium that Sunday afternoon, rooting for the Reds in their playoff-race game against the Chicago White Sox. The tour, which combined the roots of professional baseball and the city’s abolitionist history, “is the next best thing,” he said. Others concurred.

“It’s refreshing to get outside and be with family,” said Mack Doherty, 28. They were in a group of five including his father, his sister and her boyfriend. His girlfriend, Avery Helwig, 28, concurred: “So nice to get out.”

Manski’s New York group, like many tour companies, halted in-person tours as the pandemic took hold in March. She said the jarring sound of ambulance sirens as new COVID-19 victims were rushed to hospitals added to the obstacles of education-focused tours. Hers shifted quickly to virtual offerings, and other groups have been offering small, private group tours or self-guided tours with audio and GPS information provided.

“It’s an interesting time to be in the travel industry,” said Riley Pearce, of Berkeley, California-based Backroads Tours. “Nobody knows what people are going to want, because people don’t really don’t know what they want yet.”

With pandemic worry reducing participants on Backroads’ walking, hiking and bike tours by as much as 90% this year, they are rebuilding business with family- and private-group expeditions with a variety of approaches.

The Reds Hall of Fame Museum, in the city that pioneered professional baseball in 1869, has also done walking tours about the 1919 “Black Sox” World Series betting scandal and about the former Riverfront Stadium that hosted the “Big Red Machine” teams of the 1970s. For fall, it’s launched “Brunch, Brews and Baseball” that includes a brewery tour.

But executive director Rick Walls said the nonprofit museum hasn’t been able to conduct popular ballpark tours or reap the visits and merchandise purchases by fans coming to games in the adjacent stadium.

“It’s been a pretty big hit,” Walls said. The museum couldn’t host its popular ballpark tours this summer, although they are resuming now that the Reds’ season has ended.

The museum has replaced in-person autograph sessions and discussions for its 5,000-strong membership base with Zoom calls with former Reds stars Walls said have “really stepped up” to help with free or discounted autographing of items for the museum to sell. Like other visitor-dependent businesses, the museum is hoping for a normal 2021, but making contingency plans in case the pandemic continues.

“We will be better coming out of this,” Walls said. “We’ll have created some new ways we operate internally and ultimately, we’ll have a successful season.”

Pearce said his company believes there is a lot of pent-up demand for visiting places such as Grand Teton National Park because they remind people that while “modern life seems totally overwhelmed by COVID,” there are still spectacular sites, some thousands of years old, that have been untouched by the pandemic.

So while the walking tours are in small groups for now, they could well become very big when the world comes back.

“I think that’s the same thing that a lot of people are craving right now,” Pearce said. “When everything else feels totally upside down, going into nature and going for a hike, sleeping under the stars; it’s all a reminder that there is just this incredible world out there to explore. And it’s going to be waiting for us, as soon we’re ready.”

By DAN SEWELL___