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Vaccinated foreign travellers to South Korea to be exempted from self-quarantine

Vaccinated foreign travellers to South Korea will be exempted from the seven-day self-quarantine starting from March 21, the Health Ministry said on Friday. Those who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 at home or registered the full vaccination with the domestic health authorities will be exempted from self-quarantine when entering South Korea, reports Xinhua news agency. The fully vaccinated people refer to those who received two doses of Covid-19 vaccines two weeks earlier but less than 180 days ago, as well as those who got the booster shots. Four foreign countries, including Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Ukraine and Myanmar, were excluded from the self-quarantine exemption. All the foreign entrants to South Korea will still be required to take the rapid antigen tests twice six and seven days after entering the country.

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Relief to women passengers travelling with children! TSRTC begins baby trolley services at MGBS in Hyderabad

Baby trolley service begins at MGBS! For the convenience of women passengers carrying luggage and travelling with children, the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) has started a baby trolley service at Mahatama Gandhi Bus Station. Vara Prasad Ranga Reddy, TRCTC’s Regional Manager was quoted saying in an ANI report that the bus station is very huge, it gets difficult for elderly and women to carry their children along with their luggage to the station platform. Thus, this facility has been started by TSRTC, Reddy said. In the city of Hyderabad, there are two major bus stations. A free battery buggy has been started by TSRTC from the main road to the entrance of Mahatma Gandhi Bus Station (MGBS), he further said. According to Reddy, the decision has been taken by the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation for the convenience of women carrying small kids and infants. Depending upon the use of the existing troller, a further two or three trolleys will be introduced, the Regional Manager noted. He further informed that a similar trolley service will be started in another bus station as well. Many other initiatives are being taken by Road Transport Corporation, particularly for women and the elderly as per the instruction of the Managing Director. Reddy also requested the public to use this facility, further adding that the Corporation will get encouraged to introduce many more initiatives. The Telangana State Road Transport Corporation is operating services across major cities and towns in the state of Andhra Pradesh (Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram, Kakinada, Rajahmundry, Srikakulam, Eluru, Guntur, Ongole, Nellore, Chittoor, Anantapur, Tirupathi, Kadapa, Kurnool, etc.), in the state of Telangana (Hyderabad, Mahabubnagar, Sangareddy, Nalgonda, Miryalaguda, Nizamabad, Karimnagar, Warangal, Bodhan, Nirmal, Adilabad, Khammam, Bhadrachalam, etc.) as well as surrounding cities such as Pune, Mumbai, Shirdi, Nagpur, Bengaluru, Vellore, Chennai, etc.

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Air Canada to operate 21 return flights to India per week

Air Canada will operate 21 return flights a week to Delhi from its international hubs in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver during the busy March Break and spring season. The airline will operate the flights with Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner and Boeing 777 aircraft configured with Signature Class, Premium Economy and Economy Class cabins, from Toronto and Montreal in April. The flights allow Aeroplan accumulation and redemption and, for eligible customers, priority check-in, Maple Leaf Lounge access, priority boarding and other benefits. In March, flights operate daily from Toronto, with a second flight on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. There is also a daily service from Vancouver and flights from Montreal take off four times per week on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. “India and Canada have strong and close ties and people from both countries are eager to travel to visit family and friends, take a long-delayed holiday or conduct business,” said Mark Galardo, Senior Vice President, Network Planning and Revenue Management at Air Canada. “Air Canada makes this convenient by offering a total of 21 return flights weekly between Delhi and Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. We are the carrier with the most flights between India and Canada and will return to nonstop service between Toronto, Montreal and Delhi, showing our deep commitment to this important market.”

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Fully vaccinated travellers no longer need to take any RT PCR test before entering Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi has revised its COVID-19 travel restrictions and protocols following positive indicators that signal the emirate has entered the recovery phase of the pandemic. Under the updated regulations from the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), the Green List system has been removed for all travellers flying into Abu Dhabi. Fully vaccinated inbound travellers from India no longer need to take a rapid RT-PCR test at Indian airports before boarding their flight. They are, however, still required to show an official COVID-19 vaccination certificate with a readable QR code upon arrival. Unvaccinated inbound travellers will still need to present a negative PCR test result taken within 48 hours of their scheduled departure, or a COVID-19 recovery certificate dated within 30 days of departure, complete with a readable QR code. Travellers under 12 years old are exempt. The on-arrival PCR test at Abu Dhabi International Airport is no longer mandatory for travellers, regardless of their vaccination status. However, the testing facility remains at the airport for those who wish to take a test, for AED 40 per swab. Though not mandatory to enter Abu Dhabi, travellers are encouraged to take the PCR test at the airport in order to activate their Green Pass on the Al Hosn app, which is still required to gain access to many of Abu Dhabi’s indoor tourist attractions such as malls, hotels, theme parks, and restaurants. The Green Pass on the Al Hosn app is enabled for those who are fully vaccinated and have a 14-day valid negative PCR test result, or are officially exempt from vaccination and have a 7-day valid negative PCR test result, or are under 16 years of age. The PCR test must have been performed in the UAE. Tourists are considered fully vaccinated even if they have not had a booster shot. The Green Pass on the Al Hosn App or a negative PCR test result obtained within 96 hours is still required for gaining entry into exhibitions and events. Vaccinated tourists can alternatively gain entry to public places by presenting their COVID-19 vaccination certificate, or by showing full vaccination status on their home country’s mobile app, as well as a negative PCR test result obtained within the last 14 days. The PCR test must have been taken in the UAE. Those who have been in close contact with a positive COVID-19 case are no longer required to quarantine. Instead, they should take daily PCR tests for five consecutive days. In Abu Dhabi, the use of facemasks is now optional in outdoor spaces, although facemasks are still required when indoors. Social distancing is no longer required.

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Hong Kong not to lift travel bans until outbreak eases, says the government

The Hong Kong government has announced that it won't be lifting COVID-19 ban until the outbreak in the region eases domestically. Chief Executive Carrie Lam at a briefing made the important announcement while the city struggles to contain surging infections. As of now, Hong Kong hasn’t lifted its flight ban from nine countries including the US, UK and Australia. Lam said, “It's not the time to immediately lift the ban”. She further said that a number of people will rush to come back when the reopening takes place. "Inevitably among some of those people there will be infected cases. There may even be critically ill cases arising from the returns, and that would add a lot of pressure to our public hospital system." Now Hong Kong is planning to do a mass testing and only then will think of opening. As soon as the fifth wave is under control, the government will have plans or a pathway to open up Hong Kong again for our own people and for international travel," she said. On Thursday, health authorities in Hong Kong stated that the daily COVID-19 caseload peaked earlier this month, and the city confirmed around 31000 new cases. The latest outbreak has claimed a number of lives, mostly among unvaccinated elderly residents.

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US extends mask rule for travel while weighing new approach

Federal officials are extending the requirement for masks on planes and public transportation for one more month - through mid-April - while taking steps that could lead to lifting the rule. The mask mandate was scheduled to expire March 18, but the Transportation Security Administration said on Thursday that it will extend the requirement through April 18. TSA said the extra month will give the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention time to develop new, more targeted policies that will consider the number of cases of Covid-19 nationally and in local communities, and the risk of new variants. The TSA enforces the rule, which extends to planes, buses, trains and transit hubs. As of March 3, more than 90 per cent of the US population lived in areas with low or medium Covid-19 case levels, meaning that the CDC no longer recommends face masks in public indoor settings.

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