Singapore has slowly relaxed the entry requirements under which non-citizens/residents can visit the city-state.
The country has already allowed visitors from Thailand, Vietnam, New Zealand, Brunei, and Australia, excluding Vitoria. Eligible passengers must apply for an Air Travel Pass and test for Covid-19 upon arrival. If the test is negative, there are no restrictions for movement within the country.
Qatar Airways and the State of Qatar are facing public backlash after female passengers on several flights were forced to go through invasive medical exams to see if they had recently given birth.
A prematurely born baby girl was found in one of the ladies’ restrooms at the Hamad International Airport concealed in the garbage. Someone then thought that violating female passengers’ rights was the right course of action and conduct invasive exams on the tarmac.
Argentina began allowing domestic commercial flights for the first time since March last week. Buenos Aires has eased strict lockdown this week, allowing restaurants, businesses, and gyms to reopen at 25% of their usual capacity.
Now, the country’s Tourism & Sports Minister has told that Argentina will reopen for tourism from neighboring countries through the air (EZE) and port (Buenos Aires) from this summer (no date specified) with a negative PCR test.
On Thursday, European Council updated the list of countries where travel to the EU and Schengen-countries, including Iceland/Liechtenstein/Norway/Switzerland, should be allowed.
Canada, Georgia, and Tunisia were culled from the list, and Singapore was added. Travel from Hong Kong SAR and Macao SAR would be allowed based on reciprocity.
There have been talks in several countries trying to attract remote workers that previous visa options cannot capture.
Dubai, the UAE’s commercial hub, has this week launched a one-year-long virtual worker program to attract qualified remote working professionals looking to relocate.
Australia introduced a “bubble” in early October, allowing Kiwis to visit part of the country without quarantine upon arrival, although they still do if and when they return to New Zealand.
Not sure if any other western democracies don’t allow its citizens and permanent residents to leave except Australia? I am surprised that Aussies don’t feel that this would violate their rights.
Vancouver Hotel Destination Association (VHDA) has brought back the fantastic promotion for gift cards when staying at participating hotels in Vancouver through February 28, 2021.
You can get a C$50 to C$125 Visa gift card for the first night of the stay and an additional C$50 for every subsequent night for up to 5 nights total (up to C$325 per stay).
As Europe faces the second wave of Covid-19 infections, the intra-bloc travel restrictions eased for the Summer have sprung up again, making travel within the countries difficult.
Today, EU ministers reached an agreement with a coordinated plan that brings more clarity and predictability to intra-bloc travel designating regions as green, orange, or red.
Roosevelt Hotel (more than 1,000 rooms) in New York City that opened its doors in 1924 is set to close this month based on information the hotel posted on its website and a statement released to CNN.
The famous hotel was once owned by Conrad Hilton and has been leased and owned by the Pakistani International Airlines (PIA) since 1979.
Russia has previously introduced a complimentary electronic visa for St. Petersburg, Kaliningrad, and Vladivostok, and tentative plans were in place to have one for the entire country from January 21, 2021.
Russia’s prime minister signed a directive last week, making this official. Citizens from 52 countries can enter and roam free within Russia for up to 16 days. The definitive start date has not yet been announced beyond January 2021.
When I have written about my most recent travel to the UK and around Europe, some readers commented if there were quarantine or Covid-19 test requirements in place that would have affected me.
UK didn’t require any quarantine (this is mandatory in the UK from many countries) if coming from Japan, and there were none required in Italy, Switzerland, and Spain either.
There has been great interest when Australia’s external border would reopen, allowing Aussies to travel overseas without prior clearance, and foreigners visit Australia.
Talks are being held about various “bubbles,” allowing some level of travel between certain countries in Asia if their Covid-19 infection rates stay low. Aussies cannot even travel freely within their own country due to restrictions between states.
Peru has reopened its airports for international arrivals from nearby countries for passengers with a negative Covid-19 test administered no more than 72 hours before departure.
Passengers must also complete an “Affidavit of Health and Geolocation Authorization” on the immigration website 72 hours before departure.
Japan closed its borders for most foreign arrivals in March (I got in just before the quarantine was put in place) and recently allowed foreign residents to return who were overseas when the ban was instituted.
As the 2020 Olympics were moved by a year to 2021, the Japanese government has difficulty putting forward a plan to allow international arrivals in 2021 in time for the games.
