News

Australia to resume repatriation flights from India from May 15

Australia will be lifting its ban on repatriation flights from India from May 15. The flights will resume from May 15 with one flight per 7-9 days, with an estimated 1,000 Australians returning by the end of June. Vulnerable Australians will be prioritised on these flights. An initial repatriation flight will leave from India to Darwin on May 15, while two other repatriation flights will be scheduled from India to the Northern Territory during this month. Standing by his decision for flight suspension barring any travel to and from India, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the flight suspension had given the quarantine system space to operate safely and to protect Australians from the Covid-19 pandemic, with the travel pause remaining in place until May 15 with no changes. “The global Covid-19 pandemic continues to rage outside Australia’s borders and the temporary pause on flights continues to give our quarantine facilities time to reduce infection rates and reduce the risk of Covid escaping into the community. Closing our international borders and the use of quarantine for returning Australians has protected the health of all Australians during the pandemic and given us a way of life that is the envy of the world,” Morisson said. The Australian government’s decision to suspend all flights and the subsequent announcement of a jail term and heavy financial penalty for those who attempted to breach the travel ban by flying from another South Asia country had drawn widespread criticism.

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Covid Surge: Rajasthan Govt Announces Lockdown From May 10 To 24; Here’s What’s Allowed, What’s Not

Amid coronavirus cases spiralling out of control across the country, Rajasthan became the latest state to impose a covid-induced lockdown. The decision follows a virtual state cabinet meeting held on Thursday evening. The lockdown will be effective from 5 am on May 10 to 5 am on May 24. During this period, all intrastate travel will be banned. The government also imposed other restrictions including barring weddings, which will be effective till May 31. These developments come in the backdrop of the state reporting 17,532 new Covid-19 infections and 161 fatalities on Thursday. With this new addition, the death toll has surged to 5,182, while the state’s infection count has risen to 7,02,568. Of these new infections, a maximum of 3,440 were reported from Jaipur while 2,301 more people tested positive for the infection in Jodhpur. Announcing the new restrictions, the Rajasthan government said all marriage functions in the state will be allowed only after May 31. The advance booking amount given to marriage gardens, bands etc. will be either returned or adjusted later. However, those marriages which have been scheduled in courts or at houses, will be permitted in the presence of maximum of 11 people. All MGNREGA works and intrastate movement will be restricted during the period. Barring emergency vehicles, no other vehicle, both private and public transport, will be permitted. Places of worship will be closed. Many restrictions were already in force in the state under 'Red Alert Public Discipline Fortnight' which have been made stringent on the basis of the suggestions given by the group of five ministers during the meeting. Those coming from outside the state will have to produce a negative RT-PCR test report. In case there is no negative report, the person will be quarantined for 15 days. In order to prevent migration of workers, they will be permitted to work in factories and special buses will be operated for the workers of factories/construction sites. Shops which have been permitted to open as per the earlier guidelines will continue to remain open.

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Thailand aims for wider tourism reopening from October

Thailand plans to waive its mandatory quarantine for vaccinated visitors to its capital Bangkok and top tourist destinations from October, an official said on Friday, in a bid to revive a key industry battered by coronavirus travel curbs. The new measure means easier access to hotspots like Pattaya, Phang Nga, Koh Samui, Krabi and the capital Bangkok, deputy government spokeswoman Traisulee Traisoranakul said, among 10 provinces that will welcome tourists with proof of vaccination against COVID-19 from Oct. 1. Thailand has since a year ago tightened visa processes and required all visitors and returning residents to undergo 14 days of quarantine in government-approved facilities. The announcement comes as the resort island of Phuket prepares to open to vaccinated travellers in July in a pilot scheme for the broader plan. It is seeking to inoculate most of its residents before the reopening, and before mass vaccinations begin in the rest of Thailand. Tourism a key source of income and jobs for Thailand. In 2019, it welcomed a record 39.9 million visitors who spent 1.91 trillion baht ($61.32 billion). That compared with 6.7 million arrivals last year. The new plan could draw 3.5 million tourists this year, generating 298 billion baht ($9.58 billion) in revenue, Traisulee said in a statement, adding that at least 70% of residents in each of the 10 provinces must first be inoculated. Thailand had until last month experienced only minor outbreaks and has been slow to procure and administer COVID-19 vaccines, with only 1.6 million doses used so far.

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MoU inked for Rs 100-crore worth projects to develop Badrinath as spiritual township

An agreement for projects worth Rs 100 crore was signed on Thursday between Shri Kedarnath Utthan Charitable Trust and the PSUs of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas to develop Badrinath as a spiritual township. Secretary Tannu Kapoor, on behalf of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, and Tourism Secretary Dilip Jawalkar, on behalf of the state government, signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in the presence of Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat. Addressing the programme organised virtually, Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said the famous four Himalayan temples (chardham) of Uttarakhand are major pilgrimage centres and the makeover of Badrinath is a commitment of the oil companies. Badrinath will be developed as a smart spiritual township in accordance with the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said. Some works will also be done in Gangotri and Yamunotri in the coming times on the lines of what is being done in Kedarnath and Badrinath, the Union minister said. Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Rawat said reconstruction works which were started in Kedarnath under the guidance of prime minister after the 2013 natural disaster are in their final stages. On the lines of Kedarnath, the prime minister also decided to give a makeover to Badrinath where facilities are to be developed gradually over an area spread over 85 hectares keeping in mind requirements for the next 100 years. Highlighting steps being taken by the state government to boost facilities in Badrinath, Rawat said makeover of Badrinath township is a commitment. Tourism Minister Satpal Maharaj said Badrinath dham is important not just from the religious point of view but also financially as it gives employment to thousands of people. He said reconstruction work in Badrinath must be carried out without causing any harm to the environment.

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Italian PM announces new travel passes for summer

“From the second half of June the European Green Pass will be ready,” Draghi announced at a press conference on Tuesday afternoon following a meeting between G20 tourism ministers. “In the meantime, the Italian government will introduce a national green pass, which will come into force starting in the second half of May”. Italy’s tourism minister confirmed on Wednesday that the passes could be used by travellers from outside Europe, including from the US and UK. “It is valid for everyone, also and above all for tourists from outside the EU”, Massimo Garavaglia told news channel Sky TG24. “All you need is a simple piece of paper certifying that you respect the rules” and either “you’re vaccinated, you’re immune because you’ve had the disease, or you have had a negative test,” he said, without giving further details. The Italian announcement followed the European Commission’s suggestion last week that countries should open borders to vaccinated non-EU travellers, although the final decision is down to each individual member state. Tourism from within the EU remains possible under Italy’s international travel restrictions, but is currently discouraged by the Italian Foreign Ministry, which urges people to avoid any overseas trips unless absolutely necessary. All arrivals from the EU must quarantine for five days on arrival and take two corona virus tests. With the introduction of the travel pass, this requirement looks likely to be dropped when it expires on May 15th. “The world wants to travel to Italy, the pandemic has forced us to close, but Italy is ready to welcome back the world,” Draghi said. “It’s time to book your holiday in Italy, we can’t wait to welcome you again,” he urged. Italy’s tourism industry, worth around 13 percent of GDP before the pandemic hit, is one of the sectors worst-hit by the coronavirus crisis. The tourism sector, Draghi said, must be made “more sustainable and inclusive, to protect the environment and also ensure the inclusion of local communities.” “Our mountains, our beaches, our cities are reopening. Some economic sectors are destined to shrink, but others to grow. and I have no doubt that tourism in Italy will return stronger than before.” While Italian tourism industry bosses expect to see a strong recovery in 2021, the government has so far been hesitant to announce firm dates for relaxing restrictions amid a still-high infection rate in Italy and a relatively slow vaccine roll out.

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Kerala announces a complete lockdown from 8 to 16 May

Given the COVID-19 situation in the country, Kerala government has announced a complete lockdown from May 8 to 16 to cap the spread of the highly contagious virus. The test positivity rate in Kerala has crossed the 25 percent mark in one week, and has breached 40000 daily positive cases mark. Earlier, weekend restrictions were imposed by the state government to help the situation. But, given the current scenario and rapidly increasing positive numbers, the state has decided to go in a complete lockdown. The 9-day complete lockdown is prompted by the current emergency COVID situation as the new mutant is causing havoc like never before in the state. Pinarayi Vijayan, the Chief Minister of Kerala, during a press conference, mentioned that to curb the infection rate, stricter containment measures will be required. Though Kerala has been able to manage the COVID pressure better than most states so far, the Minister said that the state might face the fate as other states if they don’t take precautionary measures right now. The CM also took to Twitter and tweeted: "The entire state of Kerala will be under lockdown from 6 am on 8 May to 16 May. This is in the background of a strong second wave of COVID-19."

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