News

“Freedom Day” in the UK as the country removes all the COVID restrictions from July 19, 2021

After remaining in stringent lockdown for a long time, the United Kingdom has finally lifted all the COVID restrictions from Monday. The government has decided to reopen all the clubs, pubs and restaurants in the country to their full capacity. British media is calling July 19, 2021, as the “Freedom Day”. Boris Johnson, the UK Prime Minister, who currently is isolating himself, has urged its residents to be extremely cautious. The PM in a video said, “Please, please, please, be cautious”. The UK government said that two-thirds of the adult population is now fully vaccinated and the risk can be managed. That’s the reason they are risking reopening the economy to the fullest. Important points: 1) All the restrictions on the number of people one can meet have been removed. 2) Face masks mandate has been removed too. Though the government recommends that people should wear face masks when in public. 3) Maintaining ‘one metre plus’ social distance rule has been lifted off except for places like hospitals. 4) Nightclubs, pubs and restaurants can reopen. 5) Limits have been removed from weddings and funerals, concerts, theatres or any such event. 6) Communal worship is allowed. 7) From August 16, restrictions in schools will also end. Work from home has also ended. 8) Travellers from other countries are subject to COVID quarantine and testing.

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Kerala: Fully vaccinated people will no longer require RT-PCR negative test result

Those travelling to Kerala and have taken both doses of COVID-19 vaccine, will no longer be required to submit an RT-PCR negative certificate for any purpose. This rule will be applicable for people coming to Kerala from any other state. They will just need to show the vaccination certificate which bears proof that they have taken both the vaccine doses. However, those who develop COVID-19 symptoms, they will be required to undergo RT-PCR test, and carry the negative result. This updated rule has already come into force. As per the latest news reports, the Kerala state government has now removed the mandatory requirement of negative RT-PCR test result for inter-state travel. As per a release by the State Disaster Management Authority, the decision has been made on the grounds that COVID vaccination is progressing well. Reportedly, during the first week of June, Kerala had made the RT-PCR test negative result mandatory for various activities, including inter-state travel and also for those attending examinations. The revised order has now been put into place in the wake of the good progress of COVID-19 vaccination. The demand for making vaccination certificates an alternative for RT-PCR certificate has been ongoing, and was raised by several sections, including Keralites who are living in other states. There were some instances in which Keralites returning from other states were denied entry to the state due to absence of an RT-PCR negative certificate. As such, with the new updated rule in place, it’s expected that travel to the state will not be much of a hassle now.

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Weekly flights between Kathmandu and New Delhi increased from 2 to 6

The national flag carriers of Nepal and India have increased the number of weekly flights from two at present to six on the Kathmandu-Delhi route under the air bubble arrangement between the two countries, a media report quoted Nepal's civil aviation body as saying. Currently, the services remain capped due to an air bubble arrangement between Nepal and India that allows one weekly flight in either direction amidst the travel restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic. There has been an increase in demand for tickets with an exponential rise in the number of outbound passengers from Kathmandu, mostly travelling for medical treatment, and passengers have been scrambling to get tickets on the route, the busiest and the most lucrative one for the airlines. Raj Kumar Chettri, the spokesperson for the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, told the Kathmandu Post on Sunday that Nepal Airlines and Air India have been permitted to operate three flights a week each and will be effective from Monday. While, as per the approved schedule, Air India will operate flights on the sector on Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays, while Nepal Airlines, which operates services every Wednesday, is yet to get the slot approval from India's civil aviation regulator, the report said. In December last year, Nepal and India entered into an air bubble agreement, a dedicated flight service between the two countries following strict health and safety protocols set by the authorities of the respective countries. “Both carriers Nepal Airlines and Air India applied to raise their frequencies on Sunday after the government decided to increase the frequencies in the sector. We have approved their operating permits accordingly,” said Chettri. However, according to Chettri, under the air bubble arrangement, other airlines in India are still restricted to operate on the Kathmandu-New Delhi route. India's low-cost carrier IndiGo and startup carrier Vistara have also applied to operate in Nepal. Demand for tickets on the Kathmandu-Delhi route has been going off the charts, and airfares have been soaring due to the limited frequencies, the report said. Travel agencies have reported that the price of a seat on a flight to Delhi has reached Rs 50,000, almost six times the normal cost because flights between the two neighbours have not been increased despite a massive surge in travel demand. Flight frequencies on other international sectors have returned to near-normal levels, the report said. Dim Prasad Poudel, managing director of Nepal Airlines, said they would immediately apply for the slot at Delhi airport once they receive the approval letter from the Nepal Civil Aviation Authority. Shyam Raj Thapaliya, managing director of Osho World Nepal, one of the leading travel agencies in Nepal, said as most of the embassies based in Kathmandu have started issuing visas from New Delhi, travellers have to go to the Indian capital to get their entry permits, resulting in a travel rush.

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Delhi Airport set to reopen T2 from Thursday, as passenger numbers rise

Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), a GMR Group led consortium that operates the Delhi airport, today said flight operations at Terminal 2 will recommence with effect from Thursday, July 22 at 0001 hours. Reopening of terminal 2 at Delhi airport, where flight operations are happening only from Terminal 3, is a proof of rebound of domestic passenger traffic in India. Domestic traffic had taken a huge hit during the second wave with daily passenger numbers falling to 30,000 during the middle of May from a high of 300,000 passengers a day. Operations from Terminal 2 resumed on October 1, 2020, after being shut due to decline in passengers during the first wave. Commercial operations of domestic flights from the terminal were suspended again at T2 on May 18, 2021, following a significant drop in domestic air traffic. “The decision to resume T2 operations has been taken after Delhi Airport started witnessing gradual growth in passenger footfall post relaxation in lockdown and travel norms by various states since June,” the airport company said. The airport company said that resumption of operations at T2 will be with approximately 200 air traffic movements (100 departures and 100 arrivals) per day and increase progressively up to 280 expected by end of August. “The terminal will resume operations with IndiGo’s 2000-2999 series flights and entire operations of GoAir and is expecting to witness around 25,000 passenger footfall in the initial phase. About 27 counters – 11 for GoAir and 16 for IndiGo - are available to cater to the passengers of respective flights,” the airport operator said in a statement. The first flight scheduled from T2 after reopening of this terminal would be Kolkata bound Indigo flight, which will take off at 03:00 AM. DIAL has taken several safety measures to contain the spread of COVID-19 and ensure safety of passengers, as directed by the Government of India. “Delhi Airport is all set to reopen T2 once again for domestic flight operations after the recent shutdown owing to the second wave of COVID-19. We would like to assure passengers that at Delhi airport, they would be in a safe and healthy environment. We have implemented several measures at the airport to ensure passenger safety without compromising their comfort and experience. Our teams have worked round-the-clock to sanitize the terminal. DIAL will continue its awareness drive by educating and encouraging passengers to wear face masks and maintain social distance while at the airport,” said Videh Kumar Jaipuriar, CEO-DIAL.

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Puducherry has now reopened its tourist sites with 50 percent capacity

Tourists can now head to Puducherry as the government has decided to reopen with 50 percent capacity. The destination has already opened up its tourist destinations from July 16 onwards as the infection rate has started to come down. While the government in Puducherry has already extended the lockdown until July 31, it has also reopened certain tourist destinations such as the botanical gardens, and Chunnambar Boathouse. Public Works Minister, K Lakshminarayanan said in a statement, "We decided to reopen tourist spots with 50 per cent capacity with strict instruction to comply with Covid-19 appropriate behaviour. The government-run Chunnambar Boathouse, a private boathouse and other tourist spots resumed operations from Friday. On day one of reopening, the collection at the government boathouse stood at 89,000. Tourists started visiting Puducherry in large numbers after the second wave of infection started subduing. We can witness Puducherry returning to normalcy slowly from this weekend." Apart from the destinations, the territory has also been permitted to reopen bars, and restaurants that are housed within hotels, guest houses, and lodges. Moreover, the government in Puducherry has also proposed to launch a doorstep delivery service for alcoholic beverages inside the territory. This has been suggested in order to reduce the crowd in liquor stores that may lead to more infections. Lakshminarayanan also said that Puducherry is planning to grant permission for all activities in a phased manner, so that all sectors can have a chance at revival. He further said, “If people are unruly we will revive special wings like tourist police to ensure compliance.” Tourism of course is very important for Puducherry, and it is important to revive it as much as it is important to ensure the safety of tourists, and residents.

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France approves India-made Covishield

France has now approved entry to visitors vaccinated with India-made Covishield vaccine, and is now the latest EU member to do so. The news has come in the midst of apprehensions regarding vaccine approval for vaccines made outside Europe; moreover, there has been public outcry that European Union's COVID-19 certificate only approves Europe-made AstraZeneca vaccines. French Prime Minister Jean Castex announced the same on Saturday. Other than France, the vaccine is already approved by Belgium, Bulgaria, Austria, Germany, Greece, Finland, Hungary, Estonia, Ireland, Latvia, the Netherlands, Sweden, Spain and Slovenia. In addition, Iceland and Switzerland have also given a nod to visitors vaccinated with Covishield vaccine. A number of countries, including Italy, Croatia and Norway have still not approved Covishield. France's move to approve the vaccine has come as a surprise since the country is seeing a rise in the number of infections over the past few weeks. Further, there are growing concerns over the Delta variant, which is highly infectious. In a bid to contain COVID outbreak, French President announced a number of measures recently, including mandatory usage of COVID health pass for entry to most public places. The French government is also vying to vaccinate all its healthcare workers. Reportedly, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has predicted a spike in COVID cases by as early as August. As such, all non-essential travel is highly unadvisable currently.

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