70 percent of passengers on Italy-India flight tested positive +++ From January 9th: Israel allows entry again +++ Great Britain and southern Africa are no longer considered virus variant areas +++ The most important travel news about the coronavirus in star-Ticker.
The global spread of the coronavirus variants and government measures such as border closings are restricting personal mobility and thus travel. Here you will regularly find the latest news on the subject of the corona crisis and travel.
News from Wednesday, January 12, 2022
+++ Germany tourism below the level of the Corona crisis year 2020 +++
The restrictions on combating the corona pandemic have hit tourism in Germany hard for the second year in a row. Despite a significant increase in the number of overnight stays in November, the balance for the first eleven months of 2021 was worse than in the comparable period of the corona crisis year 2020.
From January to November 2021, hotels, guest houses, campsites and the like booked a total of 293 million overnight stays, as the Federal Statistical Office announced in Wiesbaden on Wednesday. That was 0.9 percent less than in the same period of the previous year. Because of the pandemic, in some federal states overnight bans for private travelers were in place until June 2021. In 2020, however, only around two months – mid-March to mid-May – were affected by such bans in the first half of the year.
In November, the accommodation providers recorded a significant increase with 24.6 million overnight stays by guests from Germany and abroad. That was 165.5 percent more than in November 2020, when an overnight stay ban for private travelers was in effect. Compared to November of the pre-crisis year 2019, overnight stays were 24.2 percent lower.
News from Friday, January 7th, 2022
+++ Dozens of countries are becoming corona high-risk areas – including Sweden and the UAE +++
The federal government has classified the neighboring country of Luxembourg and almost 40 other countries as high-risk areas from Sunday onwards, in whole or in part, due to the high number of corona infections. The Robert Koch Institute announced on Friday. Anyone who enters from such an area and is not fully vaccinated or recovered has to be in quarantine for ten days and can only get rid of it with a negative test five days after arrival at the earliest.
In addition to Luxembourg, Sweden, Australia, Argentina, the United Arab Emirates and their winter holiday destinations Dubai, Israel and Kenya will be on the risk list on Sunday. Overall, the number of high-risk areas worldwide increases to more than 100 countries in one fell swoop. This means that around every second country in the world is again a high-risk area. Ukraine is the only country to be removed from the list. Of the neighboring countries of Germany, only Austria will not be a high-risk area as of Sunday.
In France, which has already been a high-risk area, the overseas departments of French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mayotte, Saint-Martin and Saint-Barthélemy are added – as are the Dutch overseas territories of Aruba and Curaçao. Angola, Bahrain, the Bahamas, Belize, Bolivia, Cabo Verde, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Estonia, Fiji, Iceland, Jamaica, Qatar, Kuwait, Panama, Uruguay, the Ivory Coast (Cote d’Ivoire) and Gabon will also be considered high-risk areas in the future , Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, the Comoros archipelago, Mali, Mauritania, Nigeria, Rwanda, Zambia, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Togo and Uganda.
+++ 70 percent of passengers on Italy-India flight tested positive +++
After a flight from Italy to India, 70 percent of passengers tested positive for the corona virus. Before taking off from Milan, passengers had to show a negative test in order to be allowed to travel to India. After the flight of Euroatlantic Airways Flight 661 landed on Wednesday afternoon, all 160 adults of the 179 passengers were tested again, reported Indian media, citing officials and the airport manager in Amritsar. After that, 125 people were positive and were sent to institutional quarantine, according to the television station NDTV.
After the violent and deadly corona wave almost a year ago, the number of infections in India was low for months. They have been rising sharply for some time now. In the country with more than 1.3 billion inhabitants, almost 91,000 new infections were recorded on Thursday. The day before it was 58,000. However, there should be a certain number of unreported cases in the number of infections.
News from Tuesday, January 4, 2022
+++ From January 9th: Israel allows entry again – under certain conditions +++
After Germany was officially removed from the list of red countries, those who have been vaccinated and recovered will be able to return to Israel from January 9, 2022. According to a decision by the Israeli government, the country will open its borders again to individual tourism from January 9th. All vaccinated and recovered persons are allowed to enter under certain conditions.
Fully vaccinated is anyone who can demonstrate complete immunization with a vaccine approved by the World Health Organization (WHO). If the last vaccination was more than 180 days before entry, the third booster vaccination is necessary. The vaccination must also have been given at least 14 days before entry. The digital Covid vaccination certificate of the EU is valid as proof of vaccination for travelers from Germany, Austria and Switzerland. From Covid Genesene, digital proof of a positive NAAT test is required to enter Israel, as well as proof of at least one dose of a vaccine approved by the WHO.
In addition to the vaccination, a PCR or rapid test is required before entering the country. The swab may be taken a maximum of 72 hours or 24 hours before entry. Travelers must fill out a health declaration online 48 hours before departure – the so-called “Entry Statement”. Entry can only be made via Ben Gurion Airport.
Further information: https://new.goisrael.com/de
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+++ Great Britain and southern Africa are no longer considered virus variant areas +++
In view of the spread of the coronavirus variant Omikron in Germany, the federal government removed Great Britain, South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Eswatini and Lesotho from the list of virus variant areas from Tuesday. The nine states will then be listed as high-risk areas.
For people with a full corona vaccination, entry from these countries will be made much easier. The classification as a high-risk area, on the other hand, has an impact on unvaccinated travelers in particular: They have to be in quarantine for ten days when entering Germany from a high-risk country. After five days, however, they can “test themselves” with a negative test result. There is no quarantine requirement for vaccinated and recovered travelers.
News from Saturday, January 1, 2022
+++ Corona cases on the cruise ship: the “Aida Nova” stay in Lisbon is extended +++
Unplanned New Year’s Eve in Lisbon: Due to Corona cases among the crew, the onward journey of the cruise ship “Aida Nova” in the port of the Portuguese city is delayed until the New Year. Aida Cruises in Rostock said that the positive cases were discovered early on during routine tests and that those affected were accommodated on land in coordination with the authorities in Lisbon. They therefore have only mild symptoms and receive medical care. “RTL online” had previously reported on it.
According to the company, it was not yet clear when the ship would continue its voyage to the Canary Islands. You wait for important crew members to arrive and look at various travel options. According to the information, the cruise guests are allowed to leave the ship without restrictions. The company advised that all passengers 12 years and older and the crew must be vaccinated and both antigen and PCR tests must be carried out prior to departure.