Travelore News: Biden To Reinstate COVID-19 Travel Rules, Add South Africa

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Monday will formally reinstate COVID-19 travel restrictions on non-U.S. travelers from Brazil, Ireland, the United Kingdom and 26 other European countries that allow travel across open borders, according to two White House officials.

The officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the order, also confirmed Sunday that South Africa would be added to the restricted list because of concerns about a variant of the virus that has spread beyond that nation.

Top U.S. infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci called Biden’s decision “prudent” Monday in a round of television interviews.

“We have concern about the mutation that’s in South Africa,” Fauci told “CBS This Morning.” “We’re looking at it very actively. It is clearly a different and more ominous than the one in the U.K., and I think it’s very prudent to restrict travel of noncitizens.”

Biden is reversing an order from President Donald Trump in his final days in office that called for the relaxation of the travel restrictions as of Tuesday. Trump’s move was made in conjunction with a new requirement from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that all international travelers to the U.S. obtain a negative test for COVID-19 within three days of boarding their flight.

Biden’s team had announced that he would reimpose the travel restrictions, but the addition of South Africa to the restricted travel list highlights the new administration’s concern about mutations in the virus.

The South Africa variant has not been discovered in the United States, but another variant — originating in the United Kingdom — has been detected in several states.

Fauci said there is “a very slight, modest diminution” of the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines against those variants but “there’s enough cushion with the vaccines that we have that we still consider them to be effective against both the UK strain and the South Africa strain.”

But he warned that more mutations are possible and said scientists are preparing to adapt the vaccines if necessary.

“We really need to make sure that we begin, and we already have, to prepare if it’s necessary to upgrade the vaccines,” Fauci said. “We’re already taking steps in that direction despite the fact that the vaccines we have now do work.” Fauci spoke on NBC’s “Today” show and “CBS This Morning.”

Reuters was first to report Biden’s decision to add South Africa to the list.

Last week, Biden moved to expand on the CDC requirement and direct that federal agencies require international travelers to quarantine upon arrival in the U.S. and obtain another negative test to slow the spread of the virus.

Federal Guidance to Fly Healthy This Holiday Season

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Departments of Transportation, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security and State have established a new web portal where airline passengers can obtain updated information on how to Fly Healthy this holiday season. The portal walks you through every step of the process: plan your travel; at the airport; aboard the aircraft; arrival at your destination, and returning home. Passengers making plans to return to air travel during the COVID-19 public health crisis are encouraged to visit the portal before heading to the airport. The experience as an airline passenger begins at home, planning and taking precautions to help everyone have a safe journey while preventing the spread of COVID-19.

Following these and other federal travel guidance will help ensure airline passengers can Fly Healthy for the holidays and safely negotiate all aspects of air travel. Recommendations include, among others:

Trip Planning: Before booking your trip, check for international travel advisories and destination-specific COVID-19 risk. Refer to individual state, territorial, tribal, and local government websites for domestic travel advisories and information about quarantine or other restrictions.

At the Airport: Once you arrive at the airport and exit your vehicle, start wearing your mask. This includes on shuttle buses, trams and any time you are outside your own vehicle on airport grounds.

Aboard the Aircraft: Wear your mask aboard the aircraft, practice good sanitation, and maintain as much social distance as possible. Be sure to pack extra masks for yourself and your party in your carry-on.

Arrival at Your Destination State, local, and territorial governments may have travel restrictions in place, including testing requirements, stay-at-home orders, and quarantine requirements upon arrival.

Returning Home: You may have been exposed to COVID-19 on your travels. Regardless of where you traveled or what you did during your trip, take action to protect others from getting sick after you return. The Federal Aviation Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Transportation Security Administration, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection collaborated on the guidance supporting these recommendations. Additional information to better protect airline passengers, crew, and other airport workers can be found in the Runway to Recovery publication, a joint guidance initiative from the Departments of Homeland Security, Transportation, and Health and Human Services https://www.transportation.gov/flyhealthy

Small Luxury Hotels Of The World™ Survey Shows Luxury Guests Are Travel Ready, Over 90% Saying They Would Prefer A Small Hotel.

LONDON- A survey undertaken by Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ (SLH) shows that an affluent group of Travel Ready advocates are driving pent up demand for luxury holidays this year. The survey, conducted in partnership with Liz Hall Hotel & Travel Consulting, looked at the current sentiment towards travel of over 6,000 members of the luxury brand's INVITED programme. The results show a desire to travel this year now that travel restrictions have been slightly relaxed, a willingness to travel internationally by plane and a preference for smaller hotels where their experience can be managed and customised.

The survey results split the recipients into 3 groups – the Travel Ready, those who have already booked and maybe even travelled taking increased safety precautions in their stride; the Travel Reserved, those who are keen to get away but still cautious about potential risk; and the Travel Reluctant who are unlikely to travel until things have returned to 'normal'.

With over 46% of recipients expecting that they will be in the same position financially next year, it comes as no surprise that over 30% fall into the Travel Reserved group and are currently planning a holiday in 2021. In North America, 29% are Travel Ready and are planning a holiday before October this year, with an additional 24% looking at getting away in Q4. In total, 74% of respondents said that they were willing to fly agreeing almost unanimously (93%) to additional health checks at the airport to ensure the safety of all travellers.

Of North Americans surveyed, 43% are initially planning to travel domestically and 38% were prepared for international travel. SLH reservations data for bookings originating from North America since August 1st reflects these numbers, with 42% of reservations for US hotels, primarily in New York State and California. International bookings made in August were mainly for Q4 visits, with top destinations being Sweden and Finland.

In terms of selecting accommodation, over 90% of recipients stated that they would feel most comfortable in a small hotel, while private residences were also popular. SLH's Exclusive Use reservations option allows guests to turn over 250 SLH hotels, ranging from 5 to 200 rooms into a fully-serviced private residence. With more than 36 intimate hotels offering fewer than 12 rooms, this becomes a viable option for guests wanting to travel with a small group of family and friends.

As expected, location, flexible booking and cleanliness were the most important considerations. SLH has recently launched a Stay Small, Stay Safe programme ensuring third party accreditation for all member hotels with the Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC). Hotels offering discounts and offers were of least importance to SLH guests.

Richard Hyde, Managing Director of Small Luxury Hotels of the World says: "Our members have always shown great resilience and an enduring appetite for travel so it's encouraging to see that they are Travel Ready, looking at options both close to home and abroad for 2020. Our small hotels are able to offer so many solutions from their location in low-key destinations and neighbourhoods, to their versatility to become essentially a private residence. We have established Stay Small, Stay Safe to ensure that our guests can travel with peace of mind, both for themselves and the destinations they are visiting, and to encourage those who are reserved or reluctant to travel that is it safe when the time is right for them."

For more information visit http://www.SLH.com

About Small Luxury Hotels of the World: Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ (SLH) is the most desirable community of independently minded travellers and independently spirited hotels in the world. We turned the luxury boutique hotel into a phenomenon and selected the distinctive, the diverse and the downright delightful. People, places and experiences with individual character, intimate charm and inherent class. We've personally visited, vetted and verified over 520 hotels in more than 90 countries. We are envisioning a future where people experience the world with intention, experience its intensity and protect its integrity. Be part of the community - join us at INVITED, visit us at http://www.SLH.com, contact a travel agent or call the Small Luxury Hotels of the World VIP Desk. Click here to view a full contact listing by country.
I: @smallluxuryhotels / F: @smallluxuryhotelsoftheworld / T: @SLHLuxuryHotels