Swiss Bask In Reopened Shops As COVID-19 Cases Drop

GENEVA (AP) — The timing couldn’t have been better for Michele Pesson for Swiss authorities to order a reopening of stores across Switzerland amid a recent drop in coronavirus cases and deaths: Her son’s birthday is coming up, and she wanted to get her hands on something special for him to read.

Pesson, a school teacher and administrator, was one of the droves of shoppers who turned out on Monday in a Geneva shop of well-known Swiss bookstore chain Payot to buy up magazines, books and other wares after a six-week shutdown that left only essential stores in Switzerland open because of the pandemic.

“Honestly, it does a lot of good,” she said. “You get the feeling that it’s something that’s not just the stores that are opening — but it’s a whole social aspect that’s reopening.”

Swiss authorities last week gave a go-ahead to what they called a “cautious” reopening despite a new, more-transmissible COVID-19 variant that first appeared in Britain that is increasingly circulating in the rich Alpine country.

In mid-January, authorities ordered the closure of stores except for supermarkets, pharmacies and other essential businesses — around the time that the country of 8.5 million was tallying more than 3,000 new coronavirus cases per day based on a seven-day average. That rate has gradually dropped in recent weeks, now to about 1,000 per day — or less.

The seven-day average of deaths has come in in the single digits in recent days, declining steadily from more than 70 on New Year’s Day and a plateau of over 80 per day in most of November and December.

The new measures don’t just affect stores: museums, zoos, library reading rooms and outdoor sports facilities like tennis courts and skating rinks can reopen. The government also is allowing more people to gather in public or private — 15 people, up from five.

President Guy Parmelin last week acknowledged public pressure for a faster reopening, but called for “discipline” in the face of the new variant’s spread. A reopening of restaurants and bars is planned for April 1, but that could be moved forward “if the situation continues to improve,” he said.

He cited rising vaccinations and COVID-19 testing in Switzerland as reasons to be confident.

Shop owners too expressed relief Monday that life was getting a bit closer to normal.

Nabil Slimani, manager of a Geneva store of snowboard, freeski, surf, skate and streetwear vendor Blue Tomato, said the closures last month and other forced closures in November “were really starting to weigh us as much as on the customers.”

He said more customers flooded into the store after a previous shutdown last year, and this time, “it’s been pretty calm ... it hasn’t been crazy.”

Ikea reported a few longer lines than usual. Spokesman Aurel Hosennen said Monday wasn’t nearly as busy as after a reopening from a longer lockdown last spring, when visits to reopened stores were nearly twice as much as on a normal day. On Monday, traffic was up about 30% from a normal Monday.

But the managers of the Payot bookshop said a combination of a back-to-school rush after university holidays and an eagerness to return to the feel of new books — after some online shopping in recent weeks — was driving up traffic on Monday.

“For a month and a half, people missed coming to bookstores,” said Christophe Jacquier, the Payot store manager. “There’s a real pleasure for people to come to hunt for and chose their books — it’s not the same thing as searching on the Internet.”

By JAMEY KEATEN

Travelore News: Thousands In Greece Spend Night Outdoors After Powerful Quake

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Fearful of returning to their homes, thousands of people in central Greece were spending the night outdoors late Wednesday after a powerful earthquake, felt across the region, damaged homes and public buildings.

The shallow, magnitude-6.0 quake struck near the central city of Larissa. One man was hurt by falling debris but no serious injuries were reported.

Officials reported structural damage, mainly to old houses and buildings that saw walls collapse or crack. One of them was a primary school, stone-built in 1938, in the quake-hit village of Damasi where 63 students were attending classes.

“The teachers kept their cool and the pupils stuck to the emergency drill, and everyone got out okay,” headmaster Grigoris Letsios said while on a video call with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. “The building will be condemned now...We’ll need a new school.”

The army set up tents and meal counters at a nearby soccer field as local officials urged people to remain outside their homes until they could be inspected. A series of powerful aftershocks of up to 5.2 magnitude kept many residents on edge.

“Have you seen how trees move when the wind blows? That’s how the houses moved,” Damasi resident Vangelis Mouseris said.

“I stood still like a statue. I wondered whose house would fall? The neighbor’s house? My house? I’ve never felt something like this before.”

The quake struck at 12:16 p.m. (1015 GMT), according to the Athens Geodynamic Institute, and was also felt in neighboring Albania and North Macedonia, and as far north as Kosovo and Montenegro.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu phoned his Greek counterpart, Nikos Dendias, to convey solidarity and offer assistance if needed, according to officials from the two neighboring countries — which are longtime regional rivals.

The foreign minister of Albania, Olta Xhacka, also called Dendias to express support.

In Athens, seismologist Vassilis Karastathis told reporters that the quake originated in a fault line in the area that has historically not produced temblors of much larger magnitude than Wednesday’s. He said the post-quake activity appeared normal so far but experts were monitoring the situation.

“The earthquake had an estimated depth of just 8 kilometers (5 miles) and that was one of the reasons why it was felt so strongly in the region,” said Karastathis, who is the deputy director of the Athens Geodynamic Institute.

The head of Greece’s armed forces was in the quake-hit area to assist emergency service, and Fire Service helicopters were used before nightfall to assess building damage around the central Greek towns of Tyrnavos, Elasona, and elsewhere near the epicenter.

The fire department said it had received multiple calls Wednesday to deal with medical emergencies, helping patients with various chronic conditions get hospital access, already affected by the pandemic.

Greece lies in a highly seismically active region. The vast majority of earthquakes cause no damage or injuries, many occurring under the sea.

Last October, an earthquake that struck the eastern Greek Aegean island of Samos and the nearby Turkish coast killed two high school students on Samos and at least 75 people in Turkey. In 1999, an earthquake near Athens killed 143 people.

___ Elena Becatoros and Theodora Tongas in Athens, Llazar Semini in Tirana, Albania, and Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey contributed. ___

Travelore Cruise News: Regent Announces Additional Complimentary Land Programs

Regent Seven Seas Cruises is offering guests the chance to enhance and extend their vacation by up to six nights in a range of exotic destinations across Africa, Asia, Australia and New Zealand and South America, with the Free Extended Explorations program.

The program offers 13 complimentary pre- and post-cruise land programs that can bookend 22 voyages onboard the Seven Seas Explorer and the Seven Seas Voyager – sailing between October 2021 and March 2022.

The shore programs, which range between two and three nights in length, showcase destination “must-sees” while revealing local hidden treasures in iconic locales including Hong Kong, Singapore and Australia.

For example, guests could enhance a 10-night cruise onboard the Seven Seas Voyager sailing Feb. 19, 2022 by enjoying a free three-night pre-cruise Authentic Buenos Aires land program, as well as a free three-night post-cruise A Passion for Rioland program, creating a truly immersive, 16-night luxury travel experience.

Other land programs include the Sacred & Scenic Tokyo tour, which visits the most significant Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines in Tokyo on a celebration of Japan’s spiritual heritage; and a Winelands and Wildlife tour from Cape Town, South Africa, which combines wine tasting and big game viewing.

Guests who do not wish to take advantage of one or both of the free land programs can opt to receive savings of up to $3,000 per suite.

“One of the joys of travel is being completely immersed in a new culture, being able to learn about different histories, taste new flavors and discover different ways of life,” said Jason Montague, president and chief executive officer, Regent Seven Seas Cruises. “After being starved of these simple pleasures for so long, we wanted to offer our guests the opportunity to make up for lost time and maximize their next vacation with immersive exploration experiences at no extra cost to them. FREE Extended Explorations means they can do this while enjoying the highest standards of personalized service, as well as an ever-expanding list of complimentary luxury amenities.”

FREE Extended Explorations also offers 50 percent reduced deposits and is applicable to bookings made between March 1 and 31, 2021.

Source: https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/

Disney World Modifies Mask Policy For Dining Locations

Disney World has again updated its face mask policy, saying visitors at dining locations must wear their face masks while “standing, waiting or sitting.”

The theme park has updated its protocols several times during the pandemic. But the face mask policy for dining locations was not specific, aside from an admonition that visitors keep their face masks up unless “actively eating while stationary” at the parks and Disney Springs.

“Face coverings for each Guest age 2 and up, which must be worn in all public areas and can only be removed while actively eating or drinking,” reads the policy on the Disney World website. “Face coverings must be worn while standing, waiting, or sitting in dining locations.”

The policy on masks also applies to those who have been vaccinated for Covid-19.

Disneyland theme park remains closed, although the retail areas and restaurants are open with capacity restrictions.

Source: https://deadline.com/2021/02/disney-world-modifies-mask-policy-for-dining-locations-1234702599/

Germany Limits Travel From French Region Over Virus Variant

BERLIN (AP) — Germany announced Sunday that travelers from France’s northeastern Moselle region will face additional restrictions because of the high rate of variant coronavirus cases there.

Germany’s disease control agency, the Robert Koch Institute, said it would add Moselle to the list of “variant of concern” areas that already includes countries such as the Czech Republic, Portugal and the United Kingdom.

Travelers from those areas must produce a recent negative coronavirus test before entering Germany.

The Moselle region in northeastern France includes the city of Metz and borders the German states of Saarland and Rhineland-Palatinate.

Clement Beaune, the French minister for European affairs, said France regrets the decision and is in negotiations with Germany to try to lighten the measures for 16,000 inhabitants of Moselle who work across the border. Specifically, he said France does not want them to face the daily PCR virus tests that Germany has applied elsewhere to travelers along some borders.

“We don’t want that,” he said.

Beaune said France is pushing for the use of easier, faster testing methods and for tests every 2-3 days rather than daily. More talks were expected later Sunday, he said.

The weekly rate of new infections in Moselle, at more than 300 per 100,000 people, is well above the average for France’s eastern region and the national average. In Germany, the number of cases per week currently stands at almost 64 per 100,000 inhabitants.

The Robert Koch Institute recorded 7,890 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Germany over the past day, taking the total to over 2.4 million cases. The death toll rose by 157 to 70,045.

These Are The Cruise Lines That Will Require COVID-19 Vaccinations For Guests And Crew

Several cruise lines have started announcing vaccination requirements for guests and crew members as the industry looks to restart after the the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last year, cruise ships that were mid-trip began facing COVID-19 related turmoils as the virus began trickling around the world, leaving passengers stuck, infected, or dead. Shortly after, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a no-sail order, which was later replaced by its "Framework for Conditional Sailing Order," a compilation of protocols needed for cruising to resume again.

Despite this new framework — and pent-up demand for highly anticipated cruise ships and trips — the official return of cruising still remains in limbo. Presently, no major US cruises will be welcoming passengers until May, but companies are constantly extending this pause on sailing.

However, as the COVID-19 vaccine continues to be distributed across the globe, this could soon change.

"If we start to see vaccines become more widely available, and if the vaccines are being administered in a far more efficient manner than they have been, I think it would be reasonable for the cruise lines to say a vaccine is required," Henry Harteveldt, a travel industry analyst and president of the Atmosphere Research Group, told Insider in an interview.

However, vaccine rollout and accessibility has been a notorious struggle around the world. As a result, Harteveldt notes that it may be "counterproductive" for major cruise lines like Carnival and Norwegian to require its guests to receive the vaccine if sailings actually resume in the next few months instead of later in the year, say July.

But over the last month, cruise lines have become increasingly vocal about the vaccine. While some companies — such as Carnival and its Holland America line — are "reviewing" the different vaccines, several others have already announced vaccination protocols for guests and crew members.

These are all the cruise lines with vaccine-related mandates so far:

Saga Cruises

On January 21, United Kingdom-based Saga Cruises announced that it would require all of its passengers to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 two weeks before a trip. Saga primarily caters to passengers over 50-years-old.

Royal Caribbean

Royal Caribbean expects to require its crew members to receive the vaccine before sailings return, a spokesperson told Insider.

Crystal Cruises

On February 18, Crystal Cruises said it would require guests to receive both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine at least 14 days before a cruise. The cruise line is also requiring a negative coronavirus test result from travelers and crew members, among other health protocols.

"We know that peace of mind is the greatest luxury, and the vaccine requirement is simply the best way to ensure the safest possible Crystal Experience for all on board," Jack Anderson, the cruise line's interim president and CEO, said in a press release.

Hornblower Group's "overnight" cruise lines

Hornblower Group's American Queen Steamboat Company and Victory Cruise Lines have both announced requirements for guests and crew members to receive the COVID-19 vaccine for sailings starting July 1.

According to John Waggoner, CEO and founder of American Queen Steamboat Company, requiring the vaccine will ensure the "safest cruising experience possible." However, the cruise lines is are still looking to resume sailing in April, prior to this vaccination deadline.

Norwegian Cruise Line and Regent Seven Seas Cruises

Norwegian Cruise Line and its Regent Seven Seas Cruises have announced COVID-19 vaccine requirements for crew members prior to boarding. However, the cruise lines are still "exploring all options" in regards to vaccination requirements for its guests, according to the cruise lines' statements sent.

Source: https://www.businessinsider.com/cruise-ship-covid-vaccine-requirements-guests-crew-each-company-2021-2

French Riviera Cities Under Lockdown As New Infections Soar

PARIS (AP) — Residents of Nice in the French Riviera will be denied their strolls along the beach on a sunny weekend, under a temporary local lockdown imposed to curb soaring COVID-19 infections.

Starting on Friday evening, Nice and the surrounding coastal area will be under weekend lockdowns for at least two weeks, in addition to a national 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew. The northern port of Dunkirk is under similar restrictions.

In both places, numbers of infections have spiked and hospitals are overwhelmed, with some patients being transferred to other French regions.

Nice mayor Christian Estrosi announced on Friday a ban on the beaches and the famous Promenade des Anglais esplanade, where lots of people usually go for a seaside stroll, to ensure the restrictions are fully respected.

“We absolutely need to avoid too big gatherings, as the weekend is expected to be summer-like and extremely attractive ... Reason must prevail,” he said in a video message posted on social media. Only essential shops will remain open, he added.

Nice reported this week a rate of almost 800 COVID-19 infections per 100,000 people, nearly four times the national average.

Estrosi has repeatedly attributed the worsening situation in his city to the presence of “too many tourists” during end-of-year holidays, listing the UK, Scandinavia, United Arab Emirates and Russia, which have direct flights to Nice airport.

“We are now paying a very high price,” he said. Since then, France has banned almost all travelers from outside the European Union and applied restrictions to those coming from inside the bloc.

The weekend lockdown also includes nearby coastal towns of Cannes, Antibes and nearby Mediterranean beauty spots.

Residents will be able to go out only for essential needs such as food shopping, medical appointments or urgent family business. Taking exercise outside will be allowed for a maximum of one hour per day and up to 5 kilometers (3 miles) from home.

The national 6 p.m. curfew will apply during the week.
By SYLVIE CORBET