Good News Travellers

 

Ever since the world was gripped with a pandemic two years ago, the activities in almost every sphere of life came to a crawl and for a while came to an almost standstill. Merciful, with a resolve that the world fought the onslaught by inoculating the populace, once again there is a silver lining over the dark cloud. New paradigms emerged for the travellers to satisfy their travel lust by taking virtual tours of the places, meetings and exhibitions.

Finally, there is good news for the footloose travellers of fewer restrictions for travel, especially for those fully vaccinated. Countries like Norway, Iceland and Ireland have fully eliminated the restrictions with regards to vaccination and pre-testing before entering their borders. Others like France and England have done away with pre-departure testing for those fully vaccinated. The definition of fully vaccinated differs from country to country as some consider two doses of vaccination as enough while others have included the booster dose also. It would be wiser to read between the lines before planning for travel so as not to be caught unawares due changing rules periodically. Costa Rica and Israel have allowed unvaccinated passengers to cross their borders with valid visas. The requirement of a negative PCR test taken 72 hours before travel is still mandatory for travel to Israel, followed by a 24-hour self-quarantine upon arrival.

Likewise, travel restrictions to Australia and Indonesia have been relaxed significantly. The advisory for travel to 130 countries is still in the 'red zone due to an increase in the number of Covid related cases.

Destinations are also relaxing the curbs on indoor gatherings due to the improved situation. Many countries in Asia and Africa though have eased travel restrictions but require opre departure testing and proof of vaccination.

The hotels and restaurants have gradually eased the restrictions of dining in the restaurants.The occupancy rates in some hotels have surged to almost 55%  within the country giving a fresh lease of life to the hospitality sector.. The booking of bigger spaces is still not picked up due to the fear of closer proximity and not too distant horror stories.

The sense of despair that reigned for almost two years is gradually lifting the veil. There is hope for a brighter tomorrow with every passing day. The guards still need not be lowered as prevention is always better than the cure

PS :Image Kind Courtesy Google