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Goa: Hotels to have mandatory isolation rooms; new SOP to be issued soon

Tourists visiting Goa might soon find an isolation room in the hotels. Goa Health Minister has announced that they are in the process of issuing new SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) for hotels, as all restrictions have been relaxed for tourists visiting the state. Referring to this, the Health Minister added, “We are in the process of issuing guidelines for hotels, which will make it mandatory for them to reserve one room as an isolation room on their property.” According to him, this will ensure all patients, whether with mild or critical symptoms, get oxygen on a timely basis. He further added that anyone who tests positive for Coronavirus, but is asymptotic, can be put in the isolation room in the hotel premises. While speaking to the media, the Minister also added that the coastal area will not be sealed for tourists. The Minister mentioned that constant monitoring of patients in home isolation has helped to bring down the COVID-19 mortality rate in the state. He also added that they don’t get patients in a breathless stage any more, as they have been monitoring their health in home isolation. Elaborating more on this, he added that anaesthesia technicians are being trained, who will be monitoring oxygen supply to patients either in the ward or remotely. The Minister assured that no preferential treatment would be given to anyone, and that hospital beds will be available for all patients in need. Nodal officers at COVID-19 hospitals will have the final authority on discharging patients. Reportedly, the government has notified District Hospital, GMCH, and ESI Hospital, both in Margao and the Sub-District hospital at Ponda, as COVID-19 treatment facilities

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IndiGo Resumes 650+ Weekly Flights To Uttar Pradesh

IndiGo is currently operating more than 650 weekly flights including the RCS routes to and from the cities of Lucknow, Varanasi, Prayagraj and Gorakhpur in the state of Uttar Pradesh. The airline witnessed highest air travel demand from Lucknow which is directly connected to 13 domestic destinations including new direct flights to Indore & Raipur. In addition, IndiGo also operated approximately 300 Vande Bharat and Air Bubble flights Connecting Uttar Pradesh with Dubai, Doha, Sharjah, Jeddah, Kuwait, Dammam, Riyadh & Abu Dhabi. Sanjay Kumar, Chief Revenue and Strategy Officer, IndiGo said, “Uttar Pradesh being the largest state in the country has a huge potential for revival of air travel. We have witnessed moderate air travel demand and are optimistic that there will be more people travelling to meet their families after many months of being home bound. Being the safest mode of travel, flying has become the leading choice for people travelling across segments including migrant labour, especially with limited rail and bus operations. This trend is being further fuelled by affordable fares, ease in government restrictions and lesser travel time onboard our lean, clean flying machines”. Currently, IndiGo connects Varanasi to 7 domestic destinations including Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi, Hyderabad & Chennai. The airline operates direct flights to 7 domestic destinations which includes Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Pune, Kolkata, Gorakhpur & Raipur from Prayagraj (Allahabad). IndiGo connects Gorakhpur to 5 domestic destinations which includes Kolkata, Delhi, Hyderabad, Prayagraj, with Mumbai being a new route.

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Shirdi Sai Baba Temple Reopens With COVID-19 Norms; RT-PCR Tests, Online Booking Mandatory

Shirdi's Sai Baba Temple will now require devotees to undergo RT-PCR tests at the temple gates. The temple is all set to reopen on Monday, November 16 as the Maharashtra government permits the reopening of religious places across the state under the fresh COVID-19 health and safety protocols. While speaking to ANI, the management of the Shirdi temple said that the devotees will have to book their darshan time slot online before visiting the premises. The temple was shut down following the COVID-19 outbreak which led to a complete lockdown across India. Temples reopened in Maharashtra On Saturday, Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray had declared that the religious places across the state will be allowed to reopen from November 16 onwards. While the Ministry of Home Affairs had granted permission to reopen religious places across India from June 8 onwards, the Maharashtra government decided against it due to the rising COVID-19 infections. While making the announcement, CM Uddhav Thackeray told the citizens to stay on guard, follow all health and safety protocols and take any and all necessary precautions. He emphasised the importance of wearing face masks inside religious places as well as avoiding crowding. All trusts and organisations managing the religious places have been advised to ask the people above the age of 65, people with comorbidities, children under the age of 10 years and pregnant women to stay at home and avoid taking any risks. Maharashtra government has also urged the citizens to install and use the Aarogya Setu app as a precautionary measure. Ahead of the reopening the state government also issued a list of Standard Operating Procedures (SOP's) that need to be adhered to. COVID-19 guidelines for Temple reopening in Maharashtra - Entrance to have mandatory hand hygiene and thermal screening provisions - Separate entry and exits for visitors will be organised - Only asymptomatic persons to be allowed in the premises of the place of worship - Mandatory use of face masks - Posters on preventive measures about COVID-19 to be displayed prominently. Audio and video clips spreading awareness about COVID-19 should be regularly played in all places of worship Staggering of visitors will be done by the trust managing the religious place in consultation with the local authorities - Footwear should preferably be taken off inside own vehicle - Proper crowd management in the parking lots and outside the premises - All shops, stalls, etc. outside and within the premises shall follow social distancing norms - Before entering the place of worship, people should wash their hands and feet with soap and water - The seating arrangement should be made in a way that adequate social distancing is maintained Touching of holy books/ idols etc. is not allowed - Large gatherings to remain prohibited

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The news of COVID-19 vaccine success is causing a spike in travel searches

Last week, Pfizer and BioNTech announced that their first COVID-19 vaccine has proven 90% effective in clinical trials, while this week Moderna delivered more good news that the experimental one currently in operation was shown to be 94.5% effective in preventing the coronavirus. While industry experts have shed light on what this means for the future of travel, it seems that the announcements have acted as a boost for the public, who according to some companies, have been searching for holidays since the news broke. What does the COVID-19 vaccine news mean for your 2021 travel? According to Skyscanner, UK searches for travel next spring and summer are up 48%, week on week. "Over the last few months, we've seen travelers in the UK reacting to changes as they happen. Obviously, it’s early days but with the promising vaccine news hitting the headlines yesterday we did see an immediate spike in searches for travel next spring and summer. Our data shows an increase in all searches from the UK for travel between April 1 and August 31, 2021, showing there really is a pent-up appetite for Brits to get exploring again. We believe this is the single biggest factor in restoring traveler confidence. In fact, a recent Skyscanner poll revealed that 62% of travel industry businesses said a readily available and proven vaccine is the most important factor in restoring this confidence," Skyscanner's Senior Global Brand Director Jo McClintock told Lonely Planet. Expedia also noted an increase in interest from people in the United Kingdom following the announcement. “We have seen that there is a newfound positivity following the announcement of a possible vaccine on Monday. Looking at accommodation data from over the past week, interest in holidays from mid-December onwards grew by 50%. There was a 20% increase in trips within the UK and a huge 80% increase in interest for international travel, especially for long-haul destinations,” a representative told Lonely Planet. “Judging from online traffic and internet searches, there are a lot of people daydreaming about Iceland right now,” said Kristjan Sigurjonsson, an industry expert who edits Turisti.is added. Interest in the country has indeed been significant, given that so many incredible experiences are on offer that are nature-based and revolve around the outdoors.

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India-Ethiopia air bubble arrangement to start; India’s travel bubble includes 22 countries now

Ethiopia is the latest country with which India has formed an air travel bubble arrangement. The Ministry of Civil Aviation announced this in an official tweet and stated, “Attention travellers! An air travel arrangement has been established between India and Ethiopia. Designated carriers of both countries are permitted to operate flights between the two countries. Please plan your travels accordingly.” Here's all that you need to know if you are eligible to take the flight under the new air bubble arrangement: From India to Ethiopia: - Residents of Ethiopia, stranded nationals, or foreign nationals travelling to Africa and transiting via Ethiopia or spouses of such people, whether accompanying or otherwise. - Any Indian national travelling to any country in Africa and is holding a valid visa for the destination country. The airlines concerned would be responsible to ensure that there is no travel restriction for Indian nationals to enter the destination country with the particular visa category before issuing boarding passes to them. - Seamen holding Indian passports, and those of foreign nationalities would have to get clearance from the Ministry of Shipping, and should be destined to countries of Africa only. From Ethiopia to India - Indian nationals who are stranded in any country in Africa. - All PIO (Person of Indian Origin) cardholders and OCI (Overseas Citizen of India) cardholders holding valid passports. - All foreign nationals (from any country in Africa), except those holding tourist visas, intending to visit India for any purpose (including their dependents on appropriate category of dependent visa). - Seamen from African countries. Currently, India shares bi-lateral travel arrangements with around 22 countries, including the United Kingdom, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Canada, Bhutan, France, Kenya, Iraq, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Maldives, Qatar, Oman, United Arab Emirates, and the United States.

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Tourists throng to Shimla and Manali to experience season’s first snowfall

It is the snowfall season in full swing for the hills in Himachal Pradesh. According to the latest reports, areas like Kufri, Sangla, Narkanda, Kharaptthar and other areas received the first snowfall of the season on November 16. While rainfall lashed the middle and lower Himalayas of the state, several other areas witnessed severe storms along with snow and rain. Reportedly, the major roads and five national highways remained open, but a few link roads in the interior areas stayed shut. Shimla Deputy Commissioner Aditya Negi told a news website that workers have been deployed to clear roads. In addition, he has also issued an advisory to the locals and tourists to avoid stepping onto risky skidding points after dark. Hill stations including Kalpa, Dalhousie, Keylong, Chamba, Dharamsala and Shimla are already freezing at six to 16 degrees below normal temperatures. News has it that the MeT office has predicted dryness in the region from November 17 to 22. Meanwhile, as Manali received its first snowfall lately, the Rohtang Pass became impassable due to heavy snowfall. After the advisory issued by the MeT department, the administration in Kullu has barred vehicles to go beyond Palchan and Solang from Manali. Besides, Lahaul administration is also stopping vehicles from moving from Koksar towards Rohtang Pass. The Leh route has been blocked beyond Jispa in the Lahaul valley; also, the Aut-Luhri highway has been shut after it snowed in the Jalori Pass. Meanwhile, Solang Nullah, after it received 8 inches of snow lately, has been drawing a lot of tourists. The Koksar and Marhi rescue posts have not been set up this time as pedestrians can now cross the Rohtang tunnel.

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