French President Foresees Some Summer Tourists In Paris

PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron says he foresees at least some tourists returning to Paris this summer if they have gotten vaccinated or have proof of testing negative for the coronavirus as France moves to progressively lift infection-control restrictions.

“We are building a certificate to facilitate travel after these restrictions between the different European countries with testing and vaccination,” Macron said in an interview that aired Sunday on the CBS News show “Face the Nation.”

Macron spoke as the French government is preparing to impose tough, new entry restrictions on travelers from four countries — Argentina, Chile, South Africa and Brazil — in hopes of keeping out especially contagious virus variants. The number of countries on the list could grow, France’s foreign minister said Saturday.

The restrictions include mandatory 10-day quarantines with police checks to ensure people arriving in France observe the requirement. Travelers from all four countries will be restricted to French nationals and their families, EU citizens and others with a permanent home in France.

France previously suspended all flights from Brazil. The suspension will be lifted next Saturday, after 10 days, and the new restrictions “progressively” put in place by then, the government said. The flight suspension for Brazil will be lifted followed by the “drastic measures” for entering France from all four countries, plus the French territory of Guiana, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said.

Macron, summarizing the French approach, said “the plan is always to control the virus, to maximize the vaccination and to progressively lift the restrictions.”

France has been among the hardest hit European countries and is now guarding against highly contageous variants, notably deciding to target four countries at present.

The four countries “are the most dangerous in terms of the number of variants that exist and in the evolution of the pandemic in these countries,” Le Drian said Saturday on the France 3 television station.

The list of countries subject to tougher border checks could be extended, he said.

Under the new restrictions, travelers must provide an address for where they plan to observe the 10-day confinement period and police will make visits and fine those who are found in violation, the government said.

Along with the mandatory quarantine, France is requiring more stringent testing for the coronavirus. Travelers must show proof of a negative PCR test taken less than 36 hours instead of 72 hours before they boarded a flight, or a negative antigen test less than 24 hours

France has reported the deaths of 100,00 people in the COVID-19 pandemic.

A variant first identified in England spread to continental Europe and is now responsible for about 80% of the virus cases in France, while the variants first seen in Brazil and South Africa make up less than 4% of French infections, Health Minister Olivier Veran said last week.

Alaska To Offer Tourists COVID-19 Vaccines Starting June 1

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy said Friday that COVID-19 vaccines would be made available at key airports in the state starting June 1, in unveiling plans aimed at bolstering the state’s pandemic-battered tourist industry.

Dunleavy, a Republican, outlined plans for a national marketing campaign aimed at luring tourists using federal aid money and said the vaccine offering is “probably another good reason to come to the state of Alaska in the summer.”

Dunleavy and other state leaders have been pushing to allow large cruise ships to return to Alaska after COVID-19 restrictions kept them away last year, hitting hard businesses and communities, particularly in southeast Alaska, that rely heavily on summer tourism.

He said the state has not ruled out suing the federal government, as Florida has, over the issue.

About 40% of those eligible for a vaccine in Alaska, who are 16 or older, are fully vaccinated, according to the state health department, and health officials have been looking for new ways to encourage more people to get vaccinated.

Alaska was the first state to drop restrictions on who could get a COVID-19 vaccine when last month it opened eligibility to anyone 16 or older who lives or works in the state.

Heidi Hedberg, the state health department’s Division of Public Health director, said there is an ample supply of vaccine. She said the airport program will offer the two-dose Pfizer or Moderna vaccines.

Hedberg said officials are hearing from other states that there is “a lot of vaccine availability,” so if travelers are not still in Alaska when it’s time for their second dose, they can follow-up at a clinic or with their provider when they return home, she said. They would need to make sure that if their first dose was with Pfizer, for example, that their second dose is also a Pfizer shot, Hedberg said.

state plans to offer vaccines at airports in Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau and Ketchikan, with the clinics outside the security area, she said. Details released Friday differed from a department solicitation in March that included interest in using a one-dose vaccine subject to availability.

Hedberg said officials would do a “soft rollout” at the Anchorage airport for five days in late April, between 5 p.m. and 2 a.m., to work through logistics. The state will use an existing contractor for mobile clinics for the trial run, and it would be for Alaskans traveling in or through the airport, she said.

Vaccinations would open more widely, to anyone passing through, starting June 1, she said.

State health officials also have encouraged travelers to test for COVID-19, though the state no longer requires that.

Alert Level Raised For Aleutian Islands Volcano Emitting Ash

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — A volcano in Alaska’s Aleutian Islands chain has continued to emit ash, the Alaska Volcano Observatory reported Thursday, prompting officials to raise the alert level.

Satellite views suggested ash emissions from the Semisopochnoi volcano that started in the morning are continuing with no decrease in intensity. The observatory listed the volcano being under a watch.

The ash cloud extends more than 217 miles (350 kilometers) southeast of the volcano and has reached heights of up to 20,000 feet (6 kilometers) above sea level, the observatory said.

Adak is about 160 miles (257 kilometers) east of the volcano.

Study Finds That Blocking Seats On Planes Reduces Virus Risk

A new study says leaving middle seats open could give airline passengers more protection from the virus that causes COVID-19.

Researchers said the risk of passengers being exposed to the virus from an infected person on the plane could be reduced by 23% to 57% if middle seats are empty, compared with a full flight.

The study released Wednesday supports the response of airlines that limited seating early in the pandemic. However, all U.S. airlines except Delta now sell every seat they can, and Delta will stop blocking middle seats on May 1.

The airlines argue that filters and air-flow systems on most planes make them safe when passengers wear face masks, as they are now required to do by federal regulation.

Researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Kansas State University estimated how far airborne virus particles travel inside a plane. They used mannequins that emitted aerosol to measure the flow of virus particles through airline cabin mock-ups.

The study, however, did not take into account the wearing of face masks because it was based on a previous study done in 2017, before the pandemic.

Nor did it consider whether passengers are vaccinated against COVID-19. The CDC says vaccinated people can travel at low risk to themselves, although the agency still recommends against nonessential travel.

Airlines for America, a trade group for the largest U.S. carriers, said airlines use several layers of measures to prevent the spread of the virus on planes, including face masks, asking passengers about their health, and stepped-up cleaning of cabins. The group cited a Harvard University report funded by the airline industry as showing that the risk of transmitting the coronavirus on planes is very low.

Airlines were divided last year over filling middle seats. While Delta, Southwest, Alaska and JetBlue limited seating on planes, United Airlines never did and American Airlines only blocked seats for a short time. It was mostly an academic question, because relatively few flights last year were crowded. That is changing.

More than 1 million travelers have gone through U.S. airports each day for the past month. While that is still down more than one-third from the same period in 2019, more flights now are crowded. Around Easter weekend, Delta temporarily filled middle seats to accommodate passengers whose original flights were canceled because of staffing shortages.

France Suspends All Brazil Flights Due To Virus Variants

PARIS (AP) — France suspended all flights from Brazil on Tuesday amid mounting fears over the particularly contagious coronavirus variant that has been sweeping the South American country.

Prime Minister Jean Castex announced the suspension to parliament.

“We note that the situation is getting worse and so we have decided to suspend all flights between Brazil and France until further notice,” Castex said, drawing scattered applause from lawmakers.

Although France has seen comparatively few known cases of the P.1 variant striking Brazil, the ravages it is causing in Latin America’s largest nation are increasingly raising alarm bells in France.

Castex noted that travelers from Brazil already needed to test negative for the virus before their departure and upon arrival in France, and also quarantine for 10 days. But the government was also facing mounting calls from health experts for a flight suspension to further limit potential spread.

Boris Vallaud, a lawmaker for the opposition Socialists, called the flight suspension “necessary and a very good decision.”

The prime minister’s office said the suspension would start Wednesday, and concerns flights from Brazil to France. National carrier Air France cancelled all its flights both to and from Brazil on Wednesday and said its flight schedule beyond that would depend on government instructions.

France has had 5.1 million coronavirus cases since the pandemic began, the highest number in Europe, and has seen over 99,000 people die. The country is struggling with another wave of coronavirus infections and hospitalizations that is straining hospitals in Paris and elsewhere.

To curb France’s surge in cases, restrictions on travel and movement are enforced nationwide, on top of an overnight curfew. Schools are in the midst of a shutdown scheduled to last for at least three weeks.

French Health Minister Olivier Veran told parliament that a variant which first swept through Britain before spreading to continental Europe is now responsible for about 80% of infections in France and that the variants first seen in Brazil and South Africa make up less than 4% of French infections.

“Proportionally, we are seeing a retreat of these variants because they are less contagious than the English one,” Veran said.

Even before the flight suspension, passenger traffic from Brazil had already been drastically curtailed by pandemic travel limits. The transport minister said this week that as few as 50 people per day were flying into Paris’ main airport from Brazil, down from 50,000 per week before the health crisis.

"Travel" Abroad With These Passport-Free Alternatives

As the weather warms, wanderlust is on the rise. But even as the forecast is brightening for domestic travel, COVID-19 restrictions continue to put that dream European vacation out of reach for now. For those would-be international adventurers whose patience is wearing thin, here are three passport-free alternatives:

St. Moritz-style Alpine Adventure (Lake Placid, N.Y.)

Both are two-time hosts of the Winter Olympic Games. Both draw adventurers year-round to their rugged mountains, sparkling lakes and dense forests. But unlike the Swiss resort town of St. Moritz, Lake Placid is within driving distance of New York City, Boston and other points throughout the Northeast. The all-suite Whiteface Lodge, a AAA Four-Diamond luxury resort in this Adirondack village, is tucked into the woodlands of a 36,200-acre forest preserve, giving active travelers direct access to miles of scenic trails for hiking and biking. The resort’s private Canoe Club, slated to open Memorial Day Weekend, is stocked with complimentary kayaks, pedal boats, canoes and more, ready to launch from Paradox Bay. Also nearby are rock climbing, whitewater rafting, fishing and golf.

The Great British Getaway (Westchester County, N.Y.)

Afternoon tea, grand estates, charming towns and gardens galore—Anglophiles can enjoy an English country weekend just a short train ride or drive from New York City. Start in the affluent village of Bronxville, with its quaint downtown full of treasures like the 83-year-old Womrath Bookshop. Bronxville is also home to Sarah Lawrence College, modeled on the Oxford/Cambridge system, and its residential streets showcase a variety of English architectural styles, from grand Tudor and Georgian homes to Cotswold cottages. In nearby Tarrytown, landscape tours resume May 7 at the Gothic Revival mansion Lyndhurst. Untermyer Gardens (Yonkers) is another must, with its 43 acres of distinct, themed gardens ranging from a Walled Garden modeled after ancient Indo-Persian gardens to the naturalistic Rock and Stream Garden. Head north to Peekskill for a proper English tea at Kathleen’s Tea Room on Main Street, then check in for the night at The Abbey Inn, a stylish new hotel set in the beautifully restored, Gothic Revival remains of a former Episcopal convent and chapel.

Tuscany on the California Coast (Casa Palmero, Pebble Beach Resorts).

Its design evocative of a private Mediterranean estate, Casa Palmero at Pebble Beach offers all the trappings of a romantic retreat in Italy, with the rugged beauty of the California coast filling in for the Tuscan shoreline. This boutique “resort within a resort” just might be the legendary golf destination’s best-kept secret, its 24 expansive rooms and suites tucked into a secluded setting just steps from the links but a world apart. Casa Palmero guests enjoy romantic touches like gas fireplaces, deep soaking tubs, private patios with whirlpool spas, a sparkling swimming pool, lush courtyard garden, and an exceptional level of personalized service. Be sure to book a romantic dinner for two at Pebble Beach Resorts’ acclaimed Pèppoli, serving authentic Tuscan-style dishes paired with the widest selection of Antinori wines outside of Tuscany. And but a five-minute drive away is downtown Carmel-by-the-Sea, where cobblestoned streets and fairytale-like cottage homes are reminiscent of a medieval Europe

Clementine Hunter Exhibit At The Cabildo In New Orleans Into Next Year

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The Cabildo in New Orleans museum is showing more than 50 works by one of America’s most important self-taught artists, Clementine Hunter. The exhibit includes some rarely seen abstract paintings and a forgery by a man whose cats helped bring him down.

The exhibition at the Cabildo in New Orleans will continue into next year. It also includes a quilt cover by Hunter, found objects that she painted, and one of many forgeries by a Baton Rouge man who pleaded guilty in 2011 to faking works sold as Hunter’s.

“Although her work has received international acclaim, this exhibition helps us appreciate Clementine Hunter from a uniquely Louisiana perspective,” Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser said in a news release.

On April 22, Tom Whitehead and FBI agent Randolph Deaton will give a free Zoom talk about how they identified William Toye of Baton Rouge as the forger. According to material provided by the museum, Toye and his wife, Beryl, owned more than a hundred cats between 1977 and 2009, and cat hair stuck in the oil paint on many of the fakes.

Whitehead and Art Shiver, co-authors of “Clementine Hunter: Her Life and Art,” will discuss Hunter’s life and career in the Cane River region sometime in the fall.

Hunter’s parents were field workers on a plantation near Cloutierville, and her grandparents included an enslaved woman. Hunter was about 13 when her family moved to nearby Melrose Plantation; she lived on or near there for the rest of her life, dying at age 101.

She was about 50 when she started painting.

The abstracts were painted in the early 1960s, according to the museum.

James Pipes Register, a friend, mentor and collector, reportedly gave her montages made from bits cut from newspapers and magazines, asking her to paint what she saw.

“Though Hunter usually rejected attempts to influence her style or subject, she went along with his request between 1962 and 1964,” according to the museum’s caption for one such work.