1. France bans unvaccinated US travelers
France has become the latest European country – and top tourist destination – to remove the United States from its safe travel list, following EU recommendations in the wake of a spike in coronavirus infections in America.
On Thursday, a French government decree moved both the United States and Israel from the country’s “green” list, to the “orange” list, effectively banning non-essential travel to France for unvaccinated visitors.
However, the caution is mutual, as France was added to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s highest risk category, the “Level IV: COVID-19 very high” category – again on August 9, which means that US citizens are being advised Avoid unnecessary travel there
2. Spain does the same
The Department of Health told CNN on Tuesday, in a change from policy earlier this summer, that Spain only allows tourists from the United States if they are fully vaccinated.
The new rule, which took effect this week, states that visitors from the United States in cases of “non-essential travel”, such as tourism, must show “a certificate of vaccination recognized as valid by the (Spanish) Ministry of Health”.
Like France, Spain falls under the CDC’s Tier 4 highest risk category.
3. Cuba will start reopening its borders in November
Cuba’s state-run media announced that the island would begin reopening its borders in November, despite the recent spike in COVID-19 cases.
Cuba closed its doors during most of the pandemic, hitting the local tourism industry hard.
According to the Cuban Ministry of Health, more than four million people on the island have been fully vaccinated with the island’s locally developed vaccines.
A statement from the Ministry of Tourism published Monday said that Cuba will gradually reopen the borders from November 15, and will not require travelers to undergo a PCR examination upon arrival.
4. Israel will reopen its doors to small groups of tourists this month
A pioneering Israeli program will allow small foreign tour groups from selected countries to start tourism, Reuters reported.
The Israeli Ministry of Tourism said on September 5 that fully vaccinated tour groups of between 5 and 30 people from countries on green, yellow and orange travel lists would be allowed into the country.
Individual tourists will not be allowed entry without a tour group, with exceptions for people visiting family members.
5. The Vietnamese island of Phu Quoc will reopen next month
Vietnam has taken a tough stance on COVID-19 restrictions, and this week a man was sentenced to five years in prison for spreading the virus, but there are still plans to revive its tourism industry.
Local authorities hope to reopen the Phu Quoc island sanctuary to foreign tourists from next month, for a trial period of six months.
The 222-square-mile island is known for its stunning beaches, including Sao Beach, Long Beach and Aung Lang Beach.
6. Add Jamaica and Sri Lanka to the “Do not travel” list in the US
Jamaica in the Caribbean and Sri Lanka in South Asia, among the tropical islands popular with tourists, are the latest additions to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s list of COVID-19-risk destinations.
The two destinations join Greece, Portugal, the United Kingdom, Ireland, South Africa, Thailand, the Bahamas and many other popular holiday destinations.
7. UK government criticized for long queues at London Heathrow Airport
Last weekend saw long queues at London Heathrow as families returned from their overseas trips in time for the new term.
And criticism grew on social media, with some claiming they had been waiting for hours.
The airport media office criticized the British Border Force on 4 September, saying: “We are very sorry that passengers faced unacceptable waiting times last night (September 3) due to the lack of Border Patrol officers on duty.”
The UK government could abolish the travel traffic light system within weeks, the BBC reports, and could be replaced with a new strategy that would allow vaccinated travelers to bypass quarantine to countries with high levels of vaccination such as the UK.
