News

Fully vaccinated passengers exempted from carrying a negative RTPCR report to travel to Port Blair

Port Blair, Sept 23 (UNI) The Civil Aviation Department of Andaman and Nicobar Administration has exempted all asymptomatic passengers who have been vaccinated with both doses of the COVID 19 vaccine and are in possession of the final vaccination certificate from mandatory requirement of carrying a negative RTPCR report to travel to Port Blair from mainland. All such fully vaccinated passengers who are in possession of the final vaccination certificate issued through the COWIN portal and 15 days have lapsed since the second dose of the vaccine will also be exempted from undergoing additional RTPCR test on arrival at Port Blair airport In an official advisory Dr. V. Candavelou, Commissioner-cum-Secretary (Civil Aviation and Health) mentioned that fully vaccinated passengers shall also have to produce the ID card /document mentioned in the Vaccination Certificate, for verification. He mentioned that passengers who are found symptomatic on arrival at Port Blair, irrespective of their vaccination status, shall be subjected to RTPCR/Rapid Antigen Test at the airport terminal to aid identification. “All other passengers viz. unvaccinated, partially vaccinated (those who have taken only 1 dose of COVID vaccine) and those who have taken both doses, but have not completed 15 days since the administration of 2nd dose, shall have to produce negative RT-PCR report to travel to Port Blair from mainland, as is the practice now. Those passengers will also have to undergo additional RT-PCR test on arrival at Port Blair,” Dr. V. Candavelou added. However, the Commissioner-cum-Secretary (Civil Aviation and Health) mentioned that despite above exemption, it is mandated that all passengers, irrespective of status of vaccination, shall scrupulously follow COVID Appropriate Behaviour at all times. Meanwhile, the Andaman Association of Tour Operators (AATO) has expressed gratitude towards A&N Administration for abolishing the mandatory negative RTPCR test report and RTPCR testing on arrival for all the double vaccinated passengers. AATO president M.Vinod said the decision will ease the travel restrictions for tourists and boost tourism.

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Kenya reopens borders for Indian travellers

Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) on Thursday said the African nation has reopened its borders for Indian travellers, which were closed for a brief period due to the second wave of Covid-19. The temporary ban of passenger flights from India was revoked after a brief period of suspension since May this year as a result of the spike of Covid-19 pandemic in the country, KTB said in a statement. As per Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA), the flights from India to Kenya can now resume, which will give impetus to travels that have been curtailed by the Covid-19-pandemic, it added. The travellers from India are exempted from quarantine given that they are in possession of negative PCR-based Covid-19 test results conducted 96 hours before travel, it added. To enhance mitigation measures against the pandemic, the visa-application process will remain online. Further, the statement stated that the yellow fever vaccine continues to be a mandate for each Indian visitor across all age groups, therefore, travellers would also need to possess a valid vaccine card upon their arrival into Kenya. Kenya is currently one of the few long-haul destinations open for Indians and KTB has continued to keep travellers interested to visit the country through marketing programmes, including digital campaigns, radio contests and webinars among others during the year.

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Two more Indian beaches, Kovalam and Eden accorded with international blue flag certification

In yet another recognition of India’s commitment to protect and conserve the pristine coastal and marine ecosystems through holistic management of the resources, the globally recognised and the coveted international eco-label ‘Blue Flag’, has accorded the blue flag certification to two new beaches this year –Kovalam in Tamil Nadu and Eden in Puducherry beaches. Foundation for Environment Education in Denmark (FEE) which accords the globally recognised eco-label - blue flag certification, has also given re-certification to eight nominated beaches in India namely, Shivrajpur in Gujarat, Ghoghla in Diu, Kasarkod and Padubidri in Karnataka, Kappad in Kerala, Rushikonda in Andhra Pradesh, Golden in Odisha and Radhanagar in Andaman and Nicobar, which were awarded the blue flag certificate last year. Announcing the same in a Twitter post, Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav expressed happiness and congratulated everyone stating that it is another milestone in India's journey towards a clean and green India led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Commenting on the achievement, Union Tourism Minister, G Kishan Reddy said, “Another feather in India’s clean and green endeavour. The addition of two new beaches, Kovalam in Tamil Nadu & Eden in Puducherry to the existing eight as international blue flag beaches, while giving thrust to eco-tourism will further boost tourism in India.” FEE Denmark conduct regular monitoring and audits for strict compliance of the 33 criteria at all times. A waving ‘Blue Flag’ is an indication of 100 per cent compliance to these 33 stringent criteria and sound health of the beach.

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UK’s New Travel Rules for Indians

The UK’s latest travel rule for India is not sitting well with Indians. The country has ruled that vaccinated Indians who have taken Covishield, manufactured by the Serum Institute of India, will have to undergo self-isolation for a period of ten days. This is because according to the UK, Covishield vaccine is not approved, and hence travellers vaccinated with this will be considered unvaccinated. India currently features in the Amber list of countries according to the system created by the UK. The UK has divided nations into three categories, red list, amber list, and green list for travel purposes. Harsh Vardhan Shringla, the Foreign Secretary of India, said in a statement, “Have raised the discriminatory nature of UK vaccine recognition for AstraZeneca but not Covishield. Discussions on, but if they do not satisfy us, we would be well within our rights to take reciprocal action." While the UK has decided to relax rules for people vaccinated with two doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, the country has disapproved of the same vaccine that is manufactured by Serum Institute of India, Pune. Travellers from Amber list countries must get tested three days before travelling to the UK. It must be noted that those travellers who arrive without a negative COVID 19 test report before departing, will be fined a sum of £500. Amber list travellers also need to take COVID-19 test on the second day after arrival.

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Mussoorie is open throughout the week; these rules will apply

Mussoorie is now open for tourists all days of the week. The same has been announced by the administration, after clearing doubts regarding the entry of tourists in Uttarakhand's popular hill station, Mussoorie. The officials in the know-how stated that to boost the Corona affected hospitality industry in the hill station, they have decided to keep the town open throughout the week for visitors. This is part of the statement that was released recently by the Mussoorie district tourism administration. However, the cap on the tourists will still remain in place, keeping in view the current COVID-19 situation. As per the reports, the officials have decided to allow only 15000 tourists during the weekend. Referring to this development, Dilip Jawalkar, Secretary, Tourism, Uttarakhand Government, stated that the system and rules allowing 15000 tourists to come on weekends are applicable from Saturday morning till 8 AM on Monday. He added that visitors can easily enter on other days, and the step has been taken to issue a safe and clean environment to the tourists. As regarding the travel guidelines that tourists need to keep in mind to enter Mussoorie, they will have to mandatorily carry either a negative report of the RTPCR/Rapid Antigen Test (RAT)/True Net test/Antibody test not older more than 72 hours before arrival, or a dual vaccination certificate. Apart from this, tourists will also have to register themselves on Dehradun Smart City portal and also provide proof of hotel booking. Mussoorie District Tourism Officer Jaspal Singh Chauhan further informed that those willing to visit the hill station can easily contact helpline numbers of the tourism department to get accurate information regarding any changes in the travel guidelines.

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COVID travel update: Germany removes India from its high-risk areas list

Now that the COVID-19 situation seems under control, Germany has removed India and 13 other countries from its list of high-risk regions. The other countries are Bangladesh, Brazil, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Cyprus, Ireland, Portugal – the Algarve region, Nepal, South Africa, Malawi, Lesotho and Eswatini. Reportedly, the countries have been selected on the basis of the COVID-19 spread in the respective territories. The report was prepared by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), a German agency for disease prevention and control. The RKI noted, “Travellers who have previously stayed in a high-risk area must have a test, vaccination or recovery certificate with them and, in the event that a carrier is used, present the proof for the purpose of the transport.” How does this affect India? The decision means that Indian travellers will no longer have to quarantine upon arrival; earlier, the same was mandatory for 10 days. All travellers need is their proof of recovery, a vaccination certificate or a PCR negative test certificate. Countries added to the high-risk zone Germany has prepared a new list of high-risk zone countries, and the same is valid from September 19. As per the new list, those visiting Germany from Armenia, Moldova, Barbados, Guyana, Belize, Antigua and Barbuda, and Venezuela will have to face entry restrictions. Also, more good news for Indian travellers is that Germany has approved entry for travellers vaccinated with Indian vaccine, Covishield (Serum Institute of India).

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