Travel news: Japan, Australia and Argentina reveal plans to reopen

By Alvin K. Hegg Last updated Oct 2, 2021

(CNN) – It was World Tourism Day on September 27 this week, but it’s safe to say that it has been another bad year for tourism around the world. If you’re wondering where and when it’s safe to go, and what to do to get there, CNN Travel has you covered with these weekly roundups.

Here’s what we learned on pandemic trips this week:

1. Norway lifted national restrictions on Covid – then moved directly to the US ‘very high’ risk category

It was not until September 25 that Norway lifted its national restrictions related to Covid, with the government issuing a statement calling for a cautious return to “normal daily life.” Quoting Prime Minister Erna Solberg, the statement said that “The pandemic is not over. People will always get sick and therefore it is important that everyone gets vaccinated.”

Just two days later, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) placed Norway in the highest risk category on its list of travel advisories for destinations around the world. While there are plenty of tourist favorites alongside them in the “Level 4” category – including the UK, France and Spain – their Scandinavian neighbors, Sweden and Denmark, are still at “Level 4”. 3 “.

2. Japan is now a little easier to visit (if you are fully vaccinated and with an approved vaccine)

Japan’s health ministry has agreed to ease entry restrictions for visitors to the country who can prove they are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus.

Travelers will need to show proof of obtaining Pfizer, Moderna, or AstraZeneca vaccines, as they are currently the only ones accepted in Japan. It is therefore bad news for the Chinese Sinopharm and the American Johnson & Johnson.

Eligible travelers will no longer have to undergo a 14-day quarantine – instead, they can do 10. At the end of the 10-day period, they must take a PCR test. If this test is negative, then the person can move around freely.

3. Australia has revealed its intention to reopen its borders to fully vaccinated citizens

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced plans to reopen the country’s borders to fully vaccinated Australian travelers for international travel, which is expected to take effect in November. CNN’s Angus Watson reports.

On October 1, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced plans to reopen the country’s borders to fully vaccinated citizens and permanent residents.

It has now been more than 18 months since Australia closed its borders in response to the pandemic, imposing strict quotas on arrivals and a mandatory 14-day quarantine for those who were able to make the trip. The reopening – which is expected to take effect in November – is good news for the thousands of Australian citizens still stranded abroad.

4. Argentina will also reopen to fully vaccinated international visitors on November 1

Drone footage captured a curious southern right whale hitting a paddle boarder off the coast of Argentina.

We are now entering spring in the southern hemisphere and so it will be a peak time to visit Argentina when it reopens to international tourism on November 1.

All foreign visitors will be invited to take a non-quarantine visit, provided they have received the approved vaccines at least two weeks in advance and also present a negative PCR test performed within 72 hours of their arrival in the country.

Argentine Minister of Health Carla Vizzoti tweeted the news on September 21. The country’s land borders have already reopened on October 1, allowing foreign nationals from neighboring countries to enter.

5. Vietnam’s largest city eased its Covid restrictions

A health worker checks the temperature of a member of the public at a Covid-19 vaccination center in Ho Chi Minh City on August 5, 2021.

Maika Elan / Bloomberg / Getty Images

Vietnam has been in strict containment since early July, following a wave of Covid linked to the Delta variant which would lead to a record 804 deaths in one day on September 1.

Although cases have declined, there are still more than 62,000 new cases per week and less than 10% of the population are vaccinated.

However, the economy was hit hard and officials in Vietnam’s largest city and commercial center, Ho Chi Minh City, made the decision to end travel restrictions in the city and allow certain hotel facilities. , shopping centers and construction projects to resume operations, reports Reuters.

6. A married couple at the Canada-US border for the bride’s family to attend

Karen Mahoney and Brian Ray got married on the Canada-U.S. Border so her family could witness it.

Courtesy of Karen Mahoney

Some people want a church wedding, others want beach service, but for the newlyweds Karen Mahoney and Brian Ray, a US-Canadian border crossing outside of Burke, New York, was perfect.

Covid-19 restrictions had made it difficult for the Canadian bride to have her family at her wedding in the United States, so this was the way for Mahoney’s parents and his 96-year-old grandmother to be at home. celebration.

â€œThe most important part of the day for us was the promises we made to each other, and we wanted my parents and grandmother to witness that,â€ Mahoney told CNN.

7. A baby is born on a Turkish Airlines flight to the United States

On a flight from Istanbul, Turkey to Chicago, Illinois on September 27, a passenger gave birth with the help of an onboard doctor and Turkish Airlines cabin crew. The flight continued with healthy mother and baby. The cabin crew on the flight were: Flight Attendant GÃ¼lderen DoÄŸu, Gulderen Dogu, Pinar Yildirim, Mehmet Topaloglu, Sinem Ozdemir, Abdulkadir Demir, Ahmet Yakar, Mustafa Can Oksuzomer, Sena Yumru, Ugur Sacak, Ezgi Dilara Subasi, Ismail Serkan Dalkil and Mech. .

Turkish Airlines crew members with the baby they helped deliver.

Courtesy of Turkish Airlines

A Moroccan woman gave birth on a Turkish Airlines flight from Istanbul to Chicago on September 27. Her son gave birth with the help of the cabin crew and a doctor who was on board, reports Nola.com.

The flight continued as the mother and baby were healthy, a Turkish Airlines spokesperson said in a statement.

8. Middle Eastern Airline Named World’s Best

Doha-based Qatar Airways has been named the Best Airline of 2021 twice: first by AirlineRatings.com in July and now by review body Skytrax.

The Skytrax World Airline Awards are voted on by travelers through a customer survey, which this time took place from September 2019 to July 2021.

“It is clear that Qatar Airways has maintained its high standards of innovation and service, both in more normal times and during the current global pandemic,” said Edward Plaisted, CEO of Skytrax, in a earnings statement.

9. Parts of United Airlines’ vaccination mandate were postponed under a temporary agreement

Nited Airlines pilot Steve Lindland receives a Covid-19 vaccine at O’Hare International Airport in March 2021.

Scott Olson / Getty Images

United Airlines’ vaccine mandate went into effect this week, but the airline is delaying full implementation while a legal challenge to the mandate progresses.

As part of a temporary agreement, employees whose request for religious or medical accommodation has been rejected by the company will be allowed to remain active in the company until October 8, when the court set a deadline. hearing in the context of the trial.

United’s policy will still apply to employees who do not present proof of vaccination and have not requested a religious or medical exemption.

10. Road trips in the UK have been difficult due to a petrol crisis

The British military is ready to deliver petrol to gas stations after a shortage of tanker drivers forced some to close last week, sparking a wave of panic buying among British motorists.

The weeklong gasoline shortage in the UK, which has seen petrol stations closed and long lines at open ones, is starting to ease although things have not yet returned to the normal.

This is because of a shortage of tanker drivers, aggravated by the Brexit situation but also by the panic buying of the general public. CNN’s Charles Riley has the bottom line on what you need to know.

CNN’s Chris Isidore, Lauren M. Johnson, Lilit Marcus, Duarte Mendonca, Henrik Pettersson, Charles Riley, Tierney Sneed, Francesca Street, Angus Watson and Ben Westcott contributed to this report.