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Govt orders airlines to restrict in-flight meals amid Covid-19 spike

As novel coronavirus cases surge in the country to breach record highs in single-day tallies for the past few days, the Aviation Ministry on Monday banned in-flight meals on flights having duration of less than 2 hours. The amended norms to come into effect from April 15, the fresh order stated. For flights longer than 2 hours, the servicing of meals will be staggered among adjacent seats, it added. The development comes after India reported close to 1.70 lakh Covid-19 cases on Monday, it's highest single-day tally since the outbreak of the pandemic.With this, India has surpassed Brazil to record the second-highest number of virus cases. As many as 1,68,912 more people tested positive for Covid-19 across the country in the last 24 hours, taking the cumulative caseload to 1,35,27,717, said the Union health ministry on Monday morning. Recently, Aviation regulator DGCA had approved 18,843 flights per week from 108 airports for the summer schedule, which begins on the last Sunday of March and ends on the last Sunday of October. The number of flights for this year's summer schedule has been approved keeping in mind that airlines are permitted to operate not more than 80 per cent of their pre-COVID flights. It said IndiGo's 8,749 weekly flights and SpiceJet's 2,854 have been approved for the summer schedule. GoAir's 1,747 flights, Air India's 1,683, Vistara's 1,288 and AirAsia India's 1,243 have also been approved. India resumed domestic passenger flight operations on May 25 last year, after a gap of two months due to the coronavirus-triggered lockdown. At that time, airlines were permitted to operate a maximum of 33 per cent of their pre-COVID flights. This was gradually increased to 80 per cent.

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Thailand approves 8 specific vaccines for foreign visitors

Thailand has approved a list of eight Covid-19 vaccine-makers, including Sinovac Biotech Ltd. and Pfizer Inc., for foreign visitors seeking to shorten a mandatory quarantine on arrival, reports Bloomberg. Visitors to Thailand will need to upload copies of the vaccination certificates on the website of the nation’s Foreign Ministry prior to arrival to reduce the quarantine period to seven days. Those without vaccinations will still need to undergo 10 days of isolation and visitors from countries including South Africa will be subject to two-week quarantine. The list of approved vaccine-makers are Sinovac, AstraZeneca Plc, SK Bioscience Co. Ltd., Pfizer, BioNTech SE, Serum Institute of India, Johnson & Johnson, Moderna Inc. and Sinopharm Group Co. Thailand is betting on a return of foreign visitors to rescue its economy from its worst performance in more than two decades. The nation, famous for its palm-fringed beaches, temples and backpacker culture, shortened the quarantine this month after the requirement was seen as the biggest hurdle to potential travelers. Phuket, an resort island, is also working to completely waive the quarantine from July for vaccinated tourists. Foreign visitors will still need to present a certificate of entry, a valid visa, health insurance, Covid-19 test results along with their vaccine certificate, according to the Foreign Ministry rules. Those seeking shorter quarantine should have taken their shots no less than 14 days before travel date. The pandemic has devastated Thailand’s tourism industry, which provided more than USD 60 billion in revenue from about 40 million foreign visitors in 2019. While Thailand has been largely successful in containing the outbreak, a fresh wave of infections tied to entertainment venues in Bangkok has prompted authorities to order closure of pubs and bars in the affected areas.

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India Signs Air Bubble Pact With Sri Lanka; Flights To Resume Soon: Aviation Ministry

India has established a bilateral air bubble arrangement with Sri Lanka for operation of special international passenger flights between the two countries, the Civil Aviation Ministry said on Saturday. With this, India now has such pacts with 28 countries, including Afghanistan, Bahrain, Canada, France, Germany, Iraq, Japan, the Maldives, Nigeria, Qatar, the UAE, the UK and the USA. Under an air bubble pact between two countries, special international passenger flights can be operated by their airlines into each other’s territories under restrictive conditions. “India has finalized an air bubble agreement with Sri Lanka, making it the 6th such arrangement in SAARC region and the 28th in total,” the Civil Aviation Ministry said on Twitter. “All the eligible passengers will be able to travel between the 2 countries in the near future,” it noted. Scheduled international flights have been suspended in India since March 23, 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, special international passenger flights have been operating under the Vande Bharat Mission since May last year and under bilateral air bubble arrangements since July.

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Negative RT-PCR report needed to enter Himachal Pradesh after April 16

The Himachal Pradesh government said on Sunday it will issue a directive asking people travelling to the state from Punjab, Delhi, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh to carry a negative RT-PCR Covid-19 test report after April 16, the chief minister’s office said. The decision was taken after Himachal Pradesh chief minister Jai Ram Thakur reviewed the Covid-19 situation in the state, his office said. Himachal Pradesh issued a similar order for people entering the state on Friday but it only made negative RT-PCR tests mandatory for labourers of other states entering the state’s Spiti valley for work. It also asked contractors to present the negative RT-PCR tests before entering the valley. The state over the past week has imposed fresh restrictions on gatherings as well due to a surge in Covid-19 cases. The government on Tuesday restricted gatherings at marriage ceremonies to 50 people indoors and with a maximum of 200 for outdoors. It also said that only 50 people will be allowed to attend funerals. Himachal Pradesh reported 941 cases of Covid-19 on Saturday, which took the state’s tally to 69,114. The state also reported 12 fresh fatalities and now its death toll stands at 1,102. Delhi, Assam, Odisha, Uttarakhand, Gujarat and Karnataka have also issued similar orders following the rise in cases of the coronavirus disease across the nation. Delhi on Saturday made the RT-PCR test mandatory for people entering from Maharashtra. The Odisha government on Thursday said any person entering the state via rail, road or air will have to present a Covid-19 negative test report. Assam took similar measures last Sunday making the RT-PCR test mandatory for people entering the state from Mumbai and Bengaluru. Neighbouring state Uttarakhand made the negative RT-PCR test report mandatory on arrival on March 30 after witnessing a surge in the number of cases.

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Malta to pay foreign tourists who visit for at least 3 days

Aiming to revive its tourism industry and get ahead of rival destinations, Malta plans to offer foreign visitors a handout of up to 200 euros ($238.10) each if they stay at least three days on the Mediterranean island this summer. Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo announced the scheme on Friday, saying that with most COVID restrictions expected to be lifted by June 1, tourists booking summer holidays directly through local hotels would receive the handout. World Travel and Tourism Council data show the tourist industry, directly and indirectly, accounts for more than 27% of Malta‘s economy, but the sector has been hammered by the COVID-19 pandemic. The country attracted more than 2.7 million foreign visitors in 2019 but figures have fallen by more than 80% since the virus was detected in March 2020.Bartolo said tourists booking accommodation at a five-star hotel will get 100 euros from Malta’s Tourism Authority, which will be matched by the hotel for a total of 200 euros. In a similar arrangement, those opting for a four-star hotel will receive a total of 150 euros and those booking a three-star hotel will receive 100 euros.The grant grows by 10% when bookings are made with hotels on the smaller Maltese island of Gozo, three kilometres (two miles) north of the mainland.”The scheme is aimed at putting Malta’s hotels in a very competitive position as international tourism restarts,” Bartolo said. It is expected to benefit some 35,000 visitors. Malta has the highest virus vaccination rate in the European Union, having given at least one dose to 42% of adults.It has seen a sharp drop in new COVID-19 cases, with the positivity rate – the percentage of tests that show a positive result – down to 2.6%, and the government has been urging the EU to introduce vaccine passports to facilitate travel. Bartolo said he was also having talks to encourage travel between Malta and Britain, whose inhabitants account for a third of tourists in the former British colony.

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India Signs Air Bubble Pact With Sri Lanka; Flights To Resume Soon: Aviation Ministry

India has finalised a bilateral air bubble agreement with Sri Lanka, allowing the operation of special international passenger flights between the two countries, the Civil Aviation Ministry said on Saturday. With this, India now maintains such pacts with 28 countries, including Afghanistan, Bahrain, Canada, France, Germany, Iraq, Japan, the Maldives, Nigeria, Qatar, the UAE, the UK and the USA. Under an air bubble pact between two countries, special international passenger flights can be operated into each other's territories under restrictive conditions. All the eligible passengers will be able to travel between India and Sri Lanka, the Ministry informed through a tweet on Saturday. Regular flights suspended till April 30 Regular scheduled international flights have been suspended in India since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. However, special international passenger flights have been operating under the Vande Bharat Mission since May last year and under bilateral air bubble arrangements since July. The coronavirus-induced suspension of scheduled international passenger flights has been extended till April 30, Indian aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said last month. "However, international scheduled flights may be allowed on selected routes by the competent authority on a case-to-case basis," the DGCA added. The DGCA circular also said that the suspension does not affect the operation of international all-cargo operations and flights specifically approved by it.

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