Experts Race To Write Guidance To Contain First Ship-Borne Hantavirus Outbreak

As the cruise ship hit ​by a hantavirus outbreak sails towards Tenerife, World Health Organization officials are racing to draw up step-by-step guidance for what should happen ‌next for the nearly 150 passengers when they finally reach land on Sunday.

MV Hondius, a Netherlands-registered specialist cruise vessel

The hantavirus outbreak – which has killed three people among at least eight suspected or confirmed infections - is the first ever recorded on a cruise ship, so some new protocols are needed.

Half a dozen current and former WHO officials and hantavirus experts said the outbreak could be managed by adapting ​standard public health steps, like isolating sick passengers or those who may have been in contact with them. None of the passengers ​on the ship now have symptoms, the ship's operator has said.

TIPS FROM ARGENTINA

Officials are also seeking tips from Argentina, where ⁠a previous outbreak of the Andes virus, the same strain as on the ship, was snuffed out in 2019. “If we follow public health measures and ​the lessons we learned from Argentina ... we can break this chain of transmission. This doesn't need to be a large epidemic,” Abdi Rahman Mahamud, director ​of the WHO's alert and response coordination department, said.

He said the focus was on isolation for sick people, and monitoring and quarantining for other passengers, subject to national government decisions.

The WHO may also recommend that some people with links to the outbreak take their temperature daily for at least 42 days as the Andes strain has a long incubation ​period, Anais Legand, WHO technical officer for viral threats, said at an online briefing on Friday.

National authorities may also be asked to set up regular ​contact with those people, and give them a phone number to call if they feel at all unwell, she added.

Passengers are being split into high-risk and low-risk contacts ‌based on ⁠their interactions with sick travellers, the WHO said. Contact-tracing is also key for any who have left the ship already.

The Andes hantavirus is known to spread through close and prolonged contact, and chiefly when a patient is already symptomatic. That information is based largely on the one outbreak where the Andes virus spread between people in Argentina in 2018-19, in which 34 people were infected and 11 died.

“We essentially learned that once you implement basic measures of social ​distancing, that are essentially very simple – ​stay home when you are not ⁠feeling well – that diminished the circulation and the outbreak burned out,” said Gustavo Palacios, a professor at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, in the United States, who is originally from Argentina and a co-author of a ​key paper on that outbreak.

He and others have been advising WHO on the outbreak since May 2, he ​said, adding he hoped ⁠more attention would now be paid to the risks of hantaviruses, which can have fatality rates of up to 50%.

SOME PLANS IN PLACE

Some governments are already making plans: the UK government said on Friday morning it would repatriate its citizens on a flight under strict infection-control measures, and then passengers would be asked to isolate for ⁠45 days, ​with testing as required.

Krutika Kuppalli, associate professor of medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern ​Medical Center in the U.S., who formerly worked on mpox protocols at the WHO, said measures could be taken from previous outbreaks.

“It’s the same principle as for measles, or Ebola. Contact tracing ​doesn’t change,” she said.

The WHO said late on Thursday it was still finalizing guidelines.

Reporting by Jennifer Rigby; additional reporting by Sriparna Roy; Editing by Andrew Heavens

As Claims Of A Paris Bedbug Infestation Go Viral, One Hotel Worker Has Revealed How Tourists Can Check Their Room For The Unwelcome Guests.

Bedbugs are thought to have been around for millions of years but they’re currently causing a panic in Paris.

Worried people have shared videos claiming to be of the bugs crawling all over the French capital’s metro seats and in cinemas.

Bedbugs can easily travel home with tourists either on their clothing or in their luggage and they’re incredibly hard to get rid of.

So how can tourists avoid an infestation? A hotel worker, Halee, shared her advice on TikTok @haleewithaflair, and said the key is to turn out the lights when guests enter their hotel room.

She said: “This is how I check my room before I unpack and get settled into the room. The first thing you’re going to want to do is make sure your room is dark.

“Turn off lights, close any shades and use the flashlight on your phone. While everything is off, you’re going to come up here under the covers.

“This one does have a mattress pad but you’re going to check under all the creases.”

Halee demonstrated how tourists should check under the creases of their bed and lift up the sheets to check for bedbugs. She added: “They usually like to hang out in the corners and the creases.”

The hotel worker even lifts up the hotel’s mattress to check if any of the bugs are hiding beneath it.

She warned: “Even if you don’t see bugs, make sure you check for spots, like blood spots because that’s not a good sign either.”

Tourists should never place their luggage on the bed. It’s best to keep it on a hotel luggage rack or on the floor to avoid contamination.

Hallee reminded guests it’s not just the bed that could be a target for bedbugs. The creatures could also hide on an ironing board or in the room’s curtains.

The bugs are usually about 5mm long and dark yellow, red or brown in colour while the eggs are white.

Holidaymakers should wash their clothes on a hot wash if they’re concerned about bedbugs and inform their hotel immediately.

How to protect yourself against bedbugs while travelling

Whether or not there are bed bugs lurking in hidden corners of your hotel room is largely unknown, and very much out of your control. You can use a bedbug trap to detect whether there are any critters lurking around your belongings/
Source: https://www.express.co.uk/journalist/123096/Esther-Marshall .

Germany Plans To Drop Mask-Wearing Mandate On Planes

The German government plans to drop a requirement for people to wear masks on flights to and from the country, though the health minister said Tuesday that it could be reimposed if coronavirus cases rise sharply.

The rules mandating masks on flights run through Sept. 23, and the smallest party in the coalition government, the libertarian Free Democratic Party, has pressed for an end to them. The initial draft for this fall’s rules foresaw an obligation to wear N95-type masks on planes as well as long-distance trains and buses.

Health Minister Karl Lauterbach told reporters in Berlin that “next to no masks are worn on international flights — the rules have been loosened there.” He said Germany’s biggest airline, Lufthansa, had said repeatedly that the mandate “can no longer be implemented, so we have refrained from this and are limiting ourselves to the domestic areas where this is possible.”

Lauterbach said that mask-wearing on trains and buses remains “sensible and necessary,” but pointed to better air circulation in planes.

But he said that if COVID-19 cases increase sharply this fall, the government could issue an order reimposing the mask mandate on planes.

Hong Kong To Ease COVID-19 Restrictions As Infections Fall

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong will ease some social distancing measures later this month, allowing people to dine in at restaurants in the evening and lifting restrictions on private gatherings, as the number of COVID-19 infections declined in recent weeks.

From April 21, restaurants will be able to operate until 10 p.m. with a maximum of four people per table, officials said Thursday.

Other businesses that were ordered to temporarily close due to Hong Kong’s fifth wave of infections, such as beauty parlors, gyms, theme parks and cinemas, will also be allowed to re-open, although capacity will be limited to 50%. Bars and pubs will remain closed.

Restrictions that currently only allow two households to gather will also be lifted.

“To relax these measures, to allow some degree of normal activities in society, with more interactions among citizens, inevitably they will come with some transmission risks,” Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said during a news conference Thursday.

Lam appealed to the public to comply with the social distancing measures that remain in place and to get vaccinated.

“While the number of positive cases reported every day has dropped to a relatively low level, in absolute terms they are still rather high,” she said.

The city reported 1,260 cases in the community on Wednesday, down more than 95% from the peak of the outbreak in March, when over 30,000 daily infections were reported.

Lam said the city is now “much, much better prepared” to handle another wave if it hits, due to increased levels of vaccination and more facilities to handle patients, such as community isolation and treatment centers.

Lam also said the government has not given up on mass testing for the city, but that timing was important.

Other restrictions will be also lifted later this month. Local tours will be allowed to resume and public gatherings of four people instead of two will also be permitted.

Nevada, Casinos Rescind Mask Mandates

Nevada and its casinos stopped requiring people to wear masks in public on Thursday, joining most other U.S. states lifting restrictions that were imposed to limit the spread of coronavirus.

Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak announced that the state no longer required face coverings in most places, “effective immediately.”

But to avoid having students rip off their masks in class, he said rules for schools remained in place until the end of the day.

“Masks are not required for students and teachers and employees beginning tomorrow morning,” the governor said.

The Nevada Gaming Control Board quickly followed with an order lifting the face covering rule for casinos “unless a local jurisdiction still imposes such a requirement.

The governor said locations in Nevada where masks may still be required include hospitals, clinics and long-term care facilities, at airports and on aircraft and on public buses and school buses. He said masks aren’t mandatory anymore in jails and correctional facilities.

Sisolak, who is seeking reelection in November, had been under increasing pressure to relax regulations. He acknowledged a wide divergence of opinion about mask mandates and said employers and school districts can still set their own policies.

A crowded field of Republicans vying to run against Sisolak have rallied their supporters with criticisms of Nevada’s virus response and mask rules.

“Some people think we were ready long ago, some people think we’re not ready yet,” Sisolak told reporters. “I feel now is the appropriate time to move forward.”

He pointed to a steep decline in coronavirus cases in Nevada since a statewide peak in mid-January. However, the spread of the virus in Nevada remains far above federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention thresholds for positivity and new cases per population of 100,000.

New cases statewide reached 7,865 on Jan. 10, but average about 1,280 cases per day now, Sisolak said. He noted that two-thirds of Nevadans age 5 and older are vaccinated, and said the state is spending $19 million in federal coronavirus relief funds to address the availability of COVID-19 test kits and therapeutics.

Nationally, cases and hospitalizations from COVID-19 have dropped markedly after peaking earlier this year amid the spread of the highly transmissible omicron variant. A vast majority of Americans are protected against serious illness by effective vaccines and boosters.

But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continues to recommend wearing masks indoors in places of “substantial or high transmission” of the virus, which as of Wednesday was all of the U.S. but 14 rural counties.

Sisolak revived mask mandates last July, during a wave of the delta variant, under a state emergency order he first issued in March 2020. The rule required people in counties with high COVID-19 transmission rates to wear masks in indoor public spaces, consistent with CDC guidelines.

Sisolak said the CDC guidelines no longer would be binding in Nevada under the new executive order he signed Thursday.

“I want to be clear, the emergency is not over,” Sisolak said. “The pandemic is not over. We’re still getting far too many cases, far too many hospitalizations and far too many deaths.”
“I’m hopeful and confident, based on the data we have, we are in a good positions to drop this and to give people back some freedom. Everyone wants to get back to their normal life ... I mean, its been two years. I think the time has come,” he said.

State health officials have tallied almost 638,000 cases of COVID-19 in Nevada, which is home to 3.2 million people, and 9,311 deaths since the first was reported on March 16, 2020.

At the time, Sisolak closed casinos and many businesses until early June 2020 to prevent people from gathering and spreading the virus. Unemployment skyrocketed, topping 30%. Hotel bookings stopped. The effects on the state economy are still being felt.

Nevada depends heavily on tourism, hotel bookings, entertainment and gambling. Las Vegas has more than 150,000 hotel rooms, and casino taxes are second only to sales tax as the biggest contributors to the state budget. Nevada has no personal income tax.

The National Federation of Independent Business state chapter on Wednesday told Sisolak the mask mandate was making it hard for small businesses to retain and hire workers. It cited a U.S. Chamber of Commerce analysis that found businesses in the Silver State had the highest “quit” rate in the nation last year, at 3.8%.

“While many question the effectiveness in stopping the spread of COVID, there is agreement that after two years more and more people are refusing to wear masks, which is presenting a challenge to employees who still have to act like the ‘mask police,’” the group said in a letter to Sisolak.

Sisolak said he decided against dropping the mask mandate only for those who prove they’ve been vaccinated, as some other states have done, because he understands some people will never get vaccinated and he doesn’t want to “hold our whole economy back.”

“I don’t want to put people in the position where ... you’re going to have front-line workers having to ask people, “Have you been vaccinated? Prove to me you’ve been vaccinated.’ I think that is unfair to people.”

Sisolak acted shortly after officials in New York, Illinois and California announced plans to end indoor mask mandates in those states while keeping the rule in place for schoolchildren.

In Las Vegas, administrators of the nation’s fifth-largest school district followed Sisolak’s announcement with a statement lifting the mask rule for teachers and students on campuses, but keeping the requirement for masks on school buses.

“Because COVID-19 continues, students and employees of (the Clark County School District) can make the individual choice to continue masking,” the statement said.

US To Require Vaccines For Non-U.S. Nationals To Cross Border In January

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will require essential, nonresident travelers crossing U.S. land borders, such as truck drivers, government and emergency response officials, to be fully vaccinated beginning on Jan. 22, the administration planned to announce.

A senior administration official said the requirement, which the White House previewed in October, brings the rules for essential travelers in line with those that took effect earlier this month for leisure travelers, when the U.S. reopened its borders to fully vaccinated individuals.

Essential travelers entering by ferry will also be required to be fully vaccinated by the same date, the official said. The official spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity to preview the announcement.

The rules pertain to non-U.S. nationals. American citizens and permanent residents may still enter the U.S. regardless of their vaccination status, but face additional testing hurdles because officials believe they more easily contract and spread COVID-19 and in order to encourage them to get a shot.

The Biden administration pushed back the requirement for essential travelers by more than two months from when it went into effect on Nov. 8 for non-essential visitors to prevent disruptions, particularly among truck drivers who are vital to North American trade. While most cross-border traffic was shut down in the earliest days of the pandemic, essential travelers have been able to transit unimpeded.

Even with the delay, though, Norita Taylor, spokeswoman for the trucking group Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, criticized the vaccination requirement, calling it an example of “how unnecessary government mandates can force experienced owner-operators and independent truckers out of business.”

“These requirements are another example of how impractical regulations will send safe drivers off the road,” she said.

The latest deadline is beyond the point by which the Biden administration hopes to have large businesses require their employees to be vaccinated or tested weekly under an emergency regulation issued by the Occupational Health and Safety Administration. That rule is now delayed by litigation, but the White House has encouraged businesses to implement their own mandates regardless of the federal requirement with the aim of boosting vaccination.

About 47 million adults in the U.S. remain unvaccinated, according to figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

US Working On New COVID-19 Rules For International Visitors

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is considering requiring vaccinations against COVID-19 and contact tracing of international visitors after the U.S. revamps current broad restrictions that bar many foreigners from traveling to the U.S., a top White House adviser said Wednesday.

Jeffrey Zients, the White House coronavirus response coordinator, said that because of the recent increase in COVID-19 cases, current travel restrictions will remain in place until the administration rolls out a “new system” for regulating international travel.

The system will include a prominent role for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“We will also be putting in place contact tracing to enable CDC to follow up with inbound international travelers and those around them if someone has potentially been exposed to COVID-19,” Zients said, “and we are exploring vaccination requirements for foreign nationals traveling to the United States.”

Zients made the comments to a panel that advises Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo on issues around travel and the U.S. tourism industry.

The U.S. currently bars most non-Americans who have traveled to China, India, the United Kingdom, most of Europe, Brazil and other countries in the previous 14 days. Airlines and other travel companies have pushed the administration to ease the restrictions, particularly on U.K. visitors.

, Anthony Fauci, the government’s top expert on infectious disease, has said he would support a proposal to require vaccination for people on domestic flights.

The airline industry is adamantly opposed to such a requirement, saying it would be difficult to enforce and could lead to long lines at airports. Industry officials say it would be unfair to single out air travelers with a mandate that would not affect people who travel by train, bus or car.

Travelore News: Portugal To Remain Open To American Travelers

The Portuguese Government has announced that discretionary travel to and from the United States is still allowed. The statement by the Ministries of Health, Internal Administration, Foreign Affairs, Defense, Infrastructure and Housing was made on Tuesday in an official dispatch by the Portuguese Government, according to VisitAlentejo. This comes just 1 day after the European Union recommended that member states reimplement travel restrictions on US travelers. That suggestion was based on rising Delta variant numbers in the US.

The only policy change under the statement is that all US visitors must now present an official vaccination card, showing that they have been fully vaccinated at least 14 days before their arrival in Portugal with a vaccine recognized by the European Union. Children under 12 are exempted.

The ruling comes as Portugal has fully vaccinated more than 72% of its population, with 83% having had at least one injection. The goal is to have 85% of the nation vaccinated, allowing for a roll back of restrictions in October. Currently, hotels and restaurants require proof of vaccination, or a rapid test. Masks are still required in many places. As the vaccination rate soars, Portugal is on track to relax most restrictions this fall. Portugal has become a popular destination with Americans, seeing a record 1 million American visitors in 2019.

Portugal’s travel industry worked with the government to put safety measures in place. Rated one of the top 15 healthcare systems in the world, Portugal’s planning, infrastructure and logistics helped it get through 2020.

One Portuguese region is poised to be the destination of choice to those who want to get away to a worry free vacation. The Alentejo is a mystical place of gliding plains, rising mountains, and the largest cork forests in the world. The Alentejo’s Cork Country is a sparsely populated region with open horizons where the rhythm of life follows the rhythm of regional songs. And this fertile land produces more than half of the world's total cork supply. Today, the Alentejo remains rural and natural with thousands of miles of cork forest and a variety of wildlife. Its large towns are living museums, still in their ancient walls, with a sense of timelessness that is increasingly difficult to find elsewhere.

San Francisco’s New Rule: Proof Of Vaccine Or No Dining In

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Greg Ryken showed up to his favorite lunch spot in San Francisco on Friday with an appetite and his vaccination record in hand.

A manager at Sam’s Grill and Seafood restaurant verified he was fully vaccinated against COVID-19, put him on a list of customers who have met the city’s new requirement for future reference, and walked him to his table.

“Easy,” Ryken said as San Francisco became the first major city in the U.S. to enforce the strictest vaccine mandate for entering restaurants, bars, gyms and large concerts.

Businesses posted signs and added extra staff to begin verifying people’s vaccination and identity cards before allowing them in. Many gyms had already been checking their members’ vaccination status before the health order went into effect.

“We tested systems in place to see how we would do it, we were talking to our customers, getting our staff prepared, and we are so thrilled to have the full-throated support of the leadership of our city so we can confidently walk into this new landscape together,” said Tracey Sylvester, owner of a Pilates studio in the Mission neighborhood.

Pete Sittnick, a managing partner of Waterbar and EPIC Steak restaurants on the city’s waterfront, said he was worried about slow check-ins, resistance from guests against the requirement or people showing up without proper documentation. So far, he said, the lunch crowd came with vaccination cards in their hands, and the line to get through the door was short.

“The good thing is, if somebody doesn’t have their verification of vaccination they can still eat outside. There is an option and we just need to be ready for different scenarios,” he said.

Mayor London Breed announced the requirement more than a week ago in an attempt to stem rising COVID-19 cases, saying she was worried the highly contagious delta variant could disrupt the city’s economic rebound. She also hopes it will encourage vaccine holdouts to join the 79% of the population that have gotten their shots.

“This is not a punishment,” Breed said Friday. “It’s really about a chance to try and get us moving in the right direction and keeping people safe.”

The mandate goes further than New York City, which requires people to be at least partially vaccinated for a variety of high-risk indoor activities, and New Orleans, which requires proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test for indoor dining or drinking. All three cities make exceptions for people who don’t qualify for the vaccine, including children under 12.

It follows a number of tough safety measures San Francisco imposed since the beginning of the pandemic. The city and its neighboring counties in the Bay Area were the first in the U.S. to issue a stay-at-home order, and was the first big city in the nation to require all city employees to be vaccinated, without the option of testing regularly.

This week, the city sent letters recommending a 10-day suspension without pay for 20 employees in police, fire and sheriff’s departments who refused to report their vaccination status by the Aug. 12 deadline, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has also tighten the rules after announcing the reopening of California’s economy in June. He has required health care workers to get vaccinated to keep their jobs and all teachers and state workers to either get vaccinated or submit to weekly testing.

Local business groups have supported the new vaccine mandate, saying it will protect their employees’ and customers’ health and keep them from having to limit capacity indoors. Some businesses that had taken it upon themselves to check for proof of vaccination at the door said a citywide policy helps set clear expectations for all customers.

Jody McCord said the mandate forced her to cancel plans to meet relatives visiting from Wisconsin at her favorite dine-in spots because not everyone in her party is fully vaccinated. They had to take their reunion across San Francisco Bay to a restaurant in Sausalito.

It puts people between a rock and a hard place,” McCord said.

Online ordering and reservation systems such as OpenTable are helping businesses by warning customers of the mandate ahead of time. The city’s hospitality industry has launched a campaign called “Relax, We’re Vaxxed” to get the word out to travelers.

City officials said a paper card issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a photo of the CDC card, or a digital vaccine credential will suffice. Proof of vaccination issued by foreign governments is also acceptable.

Pearce Cleaveland, co-owner of the Temple nightclub, said his security guards have been trained to check all forms of vaccination proof and they have caught some people with fake vaccination cards.

“We’ve had people who get upset at the door when they’re turned away, but in general they’re understanding,” he said.

Workers have until Oct. 13 to prove they are fully vaccinated and Cleaveland said he expects to meet compliance by then.

After a sharp increase in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations in the Bay Area over the summer, the numbers appear to be leveling off but remain high, said Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an expert on infectious diseases at the University of California, San Francisco.

He said reinstated restrictions have helped slow the spread.

“There is no magic bullet, just a combination of a hard stick and soft stick,” he said. “The proof of vaccination mandate is a soft stick because you can still eat outdoors, but if you want to hang out with people indoors you better get vaccinated.”

Italy: COVID ‘Green Pass’ Needed For Museums, Indoor Dining

ROME (AP) — Pompeii’s archaeological park is offering free swab tests, the Vatican Museums posted refund instructions and tourists whipped out smart phones to show QR codes along with admission tickets Friday as a new COVID-19 certification rule took effect in Italy as part of the government’s plan to rein in a summer surge in infections.

A so-called “Green Pass” is now required to enter archaeological sites, gyms, theaters, indoor pools and the indoor sections of restaurants, bars and cafes. To obtain a certificate, individuals must show they have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine approved for use in the European Union, recovered from COVID-19 in the past six months or have negative lab results from a test done within the previous 48 hours.

The government announced the rule on July 22. Some 50 million of Italy’s 60 million residents had downloaded the certification by late July.

Vaccine certificates issued by the United States, Canada, Japan and Israel will be accepted for tourists arriving from those countries.

Along the sidewalk flanking Vatican City’s walls, visitors to the Vatican Museums - one of the world’s most popular attractions - got ready to show their cellphones with their QR certificates to staffers at the entrance. The line moved briskly.

Visitors from France found the new Italian system familiar. Their country has already introduced entrance requirements even tougher than Italy’s since they also apply to outdoor dining.

“It is good for everybody’s safety. It is positive for the economy, too,″ French tourist Alexine Prentignac said.

While many find it convenient to flash their Green Pass on a phone, paper certification is acceptable in Italy. The Vatican Museums website cautioned visitors to have an identity document handy so staff could “verify actual ownership” of the Green Pass. For anyone unwilling or unable to comply, the website offered instructions on how to request a ticket refund.

At Pompeii, one of Italy’s most-visited tourist sites, officials teamed up with the city of Naples to offer coronavirus tests during the opening hours of the sprawling park featuring the ancient Roman city’s ruins. For now, the tests are being given on an experimental basis, free-of-charge.

During a global emergency like the pandemic, “it’s the task of those who manage a culture site to reconcile as best as possible the needs of health and public safety with our mission to be an inclusive place,″ accessible to all, said Pompeii’s director general, Gabriel Zuchtriege.

Business owners quickly wove the change into their customer routines. Fabrizio De Falco, the owner of a cafe near St. Peter’s Basilica with both an outdoor terrace and indoor tables, also regarded it a necessary adjustment during the pandemic.

“It is one more duty. It is an additional workload, but it is worth it if it will get us out from this situation,″ said De Falco.

The Green Pass rule applies to those 12 or older, since children under that age aren’t eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine in Italy.

Much of leisure life in Italy during warm months is spent outdoors. Gyms, cinemas and theaters frequently close in August since staff and clients opt for vacations during the month. With air-conditioning still a relatively new phenomenon for many businesses, dining outdoors at trattorias and cafes is a summertime tradition in much of the nation.

Right-wing leader Matteo Salvini, whose League party is part of Italy’s coalition government, had voiced worry that any Green Pass requirements for long-distance travel would discourage domestic and international tourism. The tourist industry accounts for 13% of Italy’s GDP.

On Thursday evening, Premier Mario Draghi’s Cabinet approved a new rule making such certification obligatory starting on Sept. 1 for those taking flights, high-speed or inter-regional trains or ships sailing between regions. An exception was made for ferries which frequently ply the narrow strait between Sicily and Calabria, a route taken by many commuters and students.

By FRANCES D'EMILIO

UK to Ease Lockdown Next Week, Will Test Vaccine Passports

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s slow but steady march out of a three-month lockdown remains on track even as coronavirus cases surge elsewhere in Europe, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced Monday, as he confirmed that businesses from barbers to bookstores will be allowed to reopen next week.

Johnson said it’s too soon to decide, however, whether U.K. residents will be able to have summer trips abroad. He confirmed that the government will test out a contentious “vaccine passport” system — a way for people to offer proof they have protection from COVID-19 — as a tool to help travel and large events return safely.

Four weeks after England took its first step out of lockdown by reopening schools, Johnson said Britain’s vaccination program was proceeding well and infections were falling. He said the next step would come as planned on April 12, with the reopening of hairdressers, beauty salons, gyms, nonessential shops and bar and restaurant patios.

“We set out our road map and we’re sticking to it,” Johnson said during a news conference.

But, he added, “We can’t be complacent. We can see the waves of sickness afflicting other countries, and we’ve seen how this story goes.”

A ban on overnight stays away from home in England will also be lifted April 12, and outdoor venues such as zoos and drive-in cinemas can operate again.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are following similar but slightly different paths out of lockdown.
B
ritain has recorded almost 127,000 coronavirus deaths, the highest toll in Europe. But infections and deaths both have fallen sharply during the current lockdown and since the start of a vaccination campaign that has given a first dose to more than 31 million people, or six in 10 adults.

The government aims to give all adults at least one shot of vaccine by July, and hopes that a combination of vaccination and mass testing will allow indoor socializing and large-scale events to return.

It says all adults and children in England will be encouraged to have routine coronavirus tests twice a week as a way to stamp out new outbreaks. The government said free lateral flow tests will be available free starting Friday by mail, from pharmacies and in workplaces.

Lateral flow tests give results in minutes but are less accurate than the PCR swab tests used to officially confirm cases of COVID-19. But the government insists they are reliable and will help find people who contract the virus but don’t have symptoms.

Britons are currently banned by law from going on holiday abroad under the extraordinary powers Parliament has given the government to fight the pandemic. The government said Monday it won’t lift the travel ban before May 17 — and maybe later.

“The government hopes people will be able to travel to and from the U.K. to take a summer holiday this year, but it is still too soon to know what is possible,” it said in an official update.

Once travel resumes, Britain will rank countries on a traffic-light system as green, yellow or red based on their level of vaccinations, infections and worrying new virus variants. People arriving from “green” countries will have to be tested but won’t face quarantine.

The government also is testing a system of “COVID-status certification” — often dubbed “vaccine passports” — that would allow people seeking to travel or attend events to show they either have received a coronavirus vaccine, tested negative for the virus, or recently had COVID-19 and therefore have some immunity.

A series of events will start this month, including soccer matches, comedy shows and marathon races. The government said the first events will rely only on testing, “but in later pilots vaccination and acquired immunity are expected to be alternative ways to demonstrate status.”

The issue of vaccine passports has been hotly debated around the world, raising questions about how much governments, employers and venues have a right to know about a person’s virus status. The idea is opposed by a wide swath of British lawmakers, from left-of-center opposition politicians to members of Johnson’s Conservative Party, and the policy could face stiff opposition when it is put before Parliament later this month.

Conservative legislator Graham Brady said vaccine passports would be “intrusive, costly and unnecessary.” The leader of the opposition Labour Party, Keir Starmer, called the idea “un-British.”

The government said vaccine passports were all but unavoidable, since many countries were certain to demand proof of COVID-19 status for entry. And it said barring British businesses from asking customers for similar proof would be “an unjustified intrusion on how businesses choose to make their premises safe.”

The government said, however, that vaccine passports would never be needed to access “essential public services, public transport and essential shops.”

Johnson acknowledged that vaccine passports raised “complicated ethical and practical issues” and stressed their introduction wasn’t imminent.
“We’re some way off finalizing any plans for COVID-certification in the U.K.,” he said.

Travelore Breaking News: Fully Vaccinated Against COVID-19? CDC Says It's OK To Resume Travel

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Americans who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 can resume travel at low risk to themselves – long-awaited news for travelers itching to vacation or see family again.

CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, who earlier this week issued an urgent plea to limit travel due to fears of another COVID surge, said Friday that the new guidance is based on studies showing the "real-world'' effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines.

Vaccinated travelers no longer have to follow the CDC's recommendations to get a COVID-19 test before and after travel unless required by the destination. They still need to wear masks and take other precautions. A person is considered fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving the last recommended vaccine dose.

The CDC's Friday announcement does not change one high-profile COVID travel restriction, however. Vaccinated travelers still must abide by a CDC order, issued in January, requiring a negative COVID test to board international flights to the United States, and should get another test three to five days after returning.

The CDC's travel recommendations, which have evolved during the pandemic under the general banner of avoiding nonessential travel and still apply to those who aren't vaccinated, call for getting tested one to three days before a trip, three to five days after a trip and staying home and self-quarantining for seven days after travel, even with a negative test. If unvaccinated travelers don’t get tested, they should stay home and self-quarantine for 10 days after travel.

Those guidelines were still in place for vaccinated travelers when the CDC issued broad guidance for vaccinated Americans in early March.

They are only guidelines, though, and plenty of travelers have boarded planes or taken road trips without the CDC's blessing. In March, passenger counts at U.S. airports topped 1 million a day every day but five, according to the Transportation Security Administration – something that hasn't happened in over a year.

Source: https://www.usatoday.com/

DC To Require COVID Test For Visitors From Hot Spot States

WASHINGTON (AP) — With virus numbers rising locally and nationally and the holiday travel season looming, the nation’s capital is revamping its COVID-19 travel restrictions. Starting next week, visitors coming to Washington, D.C., from a state classified as high risk will be required to take a COVID-19 test and receive a negative result within 72 hours before traveling. They will also be asked to take another test locally if they plan on staying here more than three days. The new system replaces the one in place since July, which required visitors from hot-spot states to quarantine for 14 days upon arrival. Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser acknowledged Thursday that the quarantine system, which was entirely voluntary, was probably being violated by many visitors.

“We continue to ask people to limit their travel and stay home,” Bowser said. “We also know that people are going to come here and they’re more than likely not going to quarantine for 14 days if they do.” It also was unrealistic that travelers would abide by the quarantine rules, particularly as Washington’s hot-spot list has grown to encompass 42 states. There also was no way to enforce it. Under the new restrictions, private institutions such as hotels, universities, employers and houses of worship are permitted to demand proof of negative COVID-19 tests before allowing people to enter, but Bowser said the government won’t be involved in such enforcement. “Nobody is going to be asking you at the airport, or on bridges or roads or at the train station, to show your papers,” Bowser said. Visitors from neighboring Maryland and Virginia are exempt, as well as those staying in D.C. less than 24 hours and those traveling on essential business. Washington, Maryland and Virginia have all witnessed rising infection rates in recent weeks, with Maryland and Virginia experiencing the most dramatic spikes. The main infection metrics in Washington, D.C., have doubled in recent weeks, but are still around half of the local peak in May. The city reported 81 new infections Thursday, for an overall total of 17, 682, with 650 deaths.

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

Seven Corners Launches Liaison Travel Plus - Travel Medical Insurance That Covers COVID-19

Seven Corners, a global travel insurance company has launched a travel medical insurance plan that covers COVID-19, Liaison Travel Plus. As travel begins to pick up, coverage for COVID-19 is a high priority when consumers are looking to buy travel insurance. While there aren't currently many options for travel medical insurance that covers COVID-19 for international travel, Seven Corners stepped up to insure the health of their customers by launching Liaison Travel Plus. 

 

The Liaison Travel Plus plan is designed to protect travelers in this new environment. Liaison Travel Plus includes a benefit that covers medical expenses if a traveler becomes ill with COVID-19 while traveling outside their home country. This COVID-19 treatment benefit covers up to $100,000 in medical expenses for COVID-19, SARS-Cov-2 and any mutation or variation of SARS-CoV-2. The plan also includes an additional $500,000 for emergency medical evacuation and repatriation to transport a traveler to a medical facility with appropriate care, if medically necessary. It is important for customers to realize that even if they have domestic health insurance, it likely will not cover medical expenses incurred abroad or emergency medical evacuations.

For more details please visit: https://www.sevencorners.com/coronavirus-travel-insurance/liaison-travel-plus-medical-insurance#/quote

Editors note: Since these are new services please report back to us this your experiences.

Testing Option Now Provided As An Alternative To Alaska's 14-Day Quarantine For Visitors Or Alaskans Returning Home From Out-Of-State Travel

ANCHORAGE, Alaska-- Effective last Saturday, June 6, at 12:01 a.m., the State of Alaska began requiring travelers entering the state to adhere to new requirements under State of Alaska Health Mandate 10 (as revised on June 3, 2020). According to the revised mandate, travelers entering the state may enter Alaska without undergoing a 14-day quarantine if they:

• Provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test result taken within 72 hours of departure; tests taken up to five days from departure will be accepted but travelers need to take another test upon arrival; or
• Test upon arrival in Alaska, maintaining quarantine at their own expense until test results are known; or,
• Belong to the critical infrastructure workforce and follow their company's protective plan on file with the state; or
• Previously had COVID-19, are recovered and can provide evidence of both.

The mandate revisions are aimed at protecting the health of Alaskans and visitors while allowing travelers the option to travel into Alaska without having to quarantine.

The State of Alaska is currently providing COVID-19 testing for travelers into Alaska at seven hub airports but is strongly encouraging testing prior to departure. Travelers who test within 72 hours of departure do not have to quarantine in Alaska if they can show a negative result upon landing. If results are pending, travelers must quarantine until a negative test result can be shared with the state. Travelers who test within five days prior to departure also do not have to quarantine if they take another test at the airport when they land in Alaska.

"Testing before you travel – within five days prior of departure – is your best bet for a safe and enjoyable visit to Alaska. You will be able to enjoy your time in Alaska without quarantine," said Alaska Department of Health and Social Services Commissioner Adam Crum. "We realize it's not easy in many places to get tested without having any symptoms, but we're asking travelers to try. This is the best option for travelers and will also help conserve our state's resources."

Beginning on Saturday, travelers arriving by air into Alaska were greeted at eight airports by screeners and asked to complete and sign the Alaska Travel Declaration Form and then follow protocols based on their COVID-19 test status. (See the attached chart for details). Travelers are also given a testing voucher for a follow-up test to be taken 7-14 days after arrival in Alaska, if the traveler is staying that long in the state. The voucher offsets the costs of testing in Alaska after insurance is billed. The state is first rolling out these mandate revisions with air travelers but will soon be increasing engagement with travelers arriving into Alaska by land and sea.

The following Alaska airports currently have testing on site: Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau, Ketchikan, Sitka, Wrangell and Gustavus. The Petersburg airport is receiving travel declaration forms but is not yet providing testing at the airport. A testing site there will be opening soon. 

Travelers need to "watch the window"  In addition to testing, all travelers into Alaska are being asked to minimize interactions with others until the 14-day window of possible infection is over. Just like Alaska residents, travelers will need to keep at least 6 feet from others, wear a cloth face covering in public and wash hands often. They should also keep track of interactions with other people and the places they visit. Also, instead of dining inside a restaurant or going into a store, visitors are asked to use restaurant delivery and takeout options, visit outdoor venues and minimize time indoors around others. Local jurisdictions may have individual requirements and restrictions. It is the responsibility of every traveler to educate themselves ahead of time to understand local conditions.

"Traveling during a pandemic comes with risks and challenges," said Alaska's Chief Medical Officer Dr. Anne Zink. "We want everyone to have a safe and enjoyable trip, so please take precautions and prepare ahead. We recommend travelers purchase evacuation, medical and travel insurance and use online options to obtain fishing licenses or other needed items. Travelers should know that Alaska's medical infrastructure is limited, so please come prepared."

Cases are already being identifiedAs of Wednesday, two travelers tested so far at Alaska airports have turned up positive – one at the  Ketchikan airport and a second in Juneau. Both travelers are isolating themselves from others and are being monitored by public health officials. They must remain in isolation until cleared by public health officials.

"Increased testing of travelers is going to help us detect some cases sooner," Zink added. "We need to continue to find ways to live with this virus and the faster we can detect cases, the better we can box in the virus by isolating sick individuals and tracing close contacts. As we work to provide more options that reopen Alaska, we'll be following the data and if the numbers tell us we need to step back, we will."

"While we are still working out details and improving systems, overall this is going well," said Tessa Walker Linderman, DHSS Port of Entry Coordinator. "Travelers have been understanding of the need for these rules to protect the health of Alaskans while reopening our economy and have been compliant and understanding. Wait times at airports have been less than anticipated and about a quarter of all travelers have proof of their negative test with them when they arrived.  Those with negative tests in hand are able to move through the airport screening very quickly."

Starting this week, the state will be piloting an online application that allows travelers to complete the Alaska Travel Declaration Form via the app, as well as receive results for testing done at the airports. This is being tested at the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport by Capstone Clinic with possible expansion statewide. 

"Safe travel is essential to Alaska's economy, and the Alaska way of life. We have a relatively low number of cases in Alaska, and we would like to keep it that way by encouraging safe and responsible travel within the state," said DHSS Commissioner Adam Crum.

For more information on properly preparing for your travels to Alaska, please visit: covid19.alaska.gov/travelers.

SOURCE Alaska Department of Health and Social Services