News

Keep middle seats empty in flights or give protective gear to flyers: DGCA tells airlines

Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Monday asked airlines to allot seats in such a manner that middle seats are kept vacant on planes to ensure physical distancing. DGCA's order came after the Supreme Court pulled up the aviation regulator and Air India for putting the lives of the flyers at risk by booking for middle seats as domestic flights resumed after two months of coronavirus-led national lockdown. DGCA in its order said, "The airline shall allot the seats in such a manner that the middle seat is kept vacant if the passenger load and seat capacity permits the same." It added, "However members of the same family may be allowed to sit together." Hardeep Singh Puri, Civil Aviation Minister, had earlier said that keeping the middle seat vacant would not be viable for both - airlines and passengers - as the fares would shoot up. DGCA added that in case the middle seat can't be kept vacant, the occupant must be provided extra protective equipment. The order added, "Additional protective equipment like 'wrap-around gown' [Ministry of Textiles approved standards] shall be provided to the individual occupying the intervening seat in addition to three-layered mask and face shield." India resumed the domestic passenger flight operations after a pause of around two months due to the lockdown. The international flight services would start before August, Puri said. From now on, no meals or drinking water shall be provided onboard except in extreme circumstance, the DGCA order read. The entry and exit in a flight shall be sequential. The passenger should not rush towards the exit as soon as the flight lands. Airlines must ensure the orderly entry and exit of the travellers, the regulator said. Domestic flights in the country resumed on May 25, with strict health and security checks at airports. The fifth phase of the lockdown - Unlock 1.0 - began today. The Centre has extended the lockdown until June 30 only in the containment zones, but has allowed malls, restaurants, and religious places to reopen from June 8.

Read more

Greece reopens to tourists, with coronavirus tests on arrival

Hotels, golf courses and public swimming pools have now reopened in Greece, where authorities are ramping up preparations for the crucial summer tourism season. The Greek government is keen to ensure the season is not lost to the coronavirus pandemic, and that holidaymakers can safely return to the country’s beauty spots. Taxes on airplane and boat tickets have been cut to make prices more attractive. Tourism accounts for almost one-fifth of the Greek economy, and reopening the industry is vital to the country's recovery. According to the Tourism Ministry, 350,000 jobs depend directly on tourism, as many as double that number indirectly. International flights with screening procedures will return to Athens and Greece's second-largest city of Thessaloniki starting on June 15 and will be expanded to the rest of the country on July 1. Most airlines have already started selling tickets to Greece. "The good news in the case of Greece is that it is going to be more than 50 per cent, probably close to 55 per cent of our planned capacity and around about 90 per cent of all our planned Greek routes," said Ryanair Chief Commercial Officer David O'Brien. Greece restarted regular ferry services to its islands last week, and cafes and restaurants were also back open for business as the country accelerated efforts to salvage its tourism season. Compulsory or random testing Currently, every passenger arriving in Greece must be tested for the virus and stay overnight at a designated hotel. Visitors who test negative are required to self-isolate for seven days, while the ones who test positive must spend 14 days under a supervised quarantine. From June 15, the rules will be somewhat relaxed, depending on where tourists come from. International passengers will be accepted into the country without having to systematically undergo a coronavirus test or be placed in quarantine, unless they come from airports that the European Union Aviation Safety Agency has put on its list of high-risk areas. The list currently includes passengers coming from Paris airports, northern Italy, Belgium, Spain, the UK and the United States, among others. These passengers deemed at a higher risk of infection can still come to Greece, but they will have to comply with existing compulsory quarantine rules. That means being tested on arrival and then going in self-isolation for seven days or being placed in supervised quarantine for 14 days, depending on whether the test comes out negative or positive. Euronews spoke to one tourist from Finland, who explained how the procedure went for him. "I took a flight from Helsinki to Frankfurt and from Frankfurt to Athens. I had to stay one day here with the quarantine, they tested me and everything was ok, and now I can continue my travels," he explained. Passengers who test negative can indeed comply with self-isolation at the destination of their choice, while those placed under quarantine must do so in a supervised location in Athens. Restrictions will be further relaxed from July 1: International flights will be allowed to all airports in Greece and visitors will be subject only to random tests. Restrictions applying to specific countries might be announced at a later date. Land border arrivals from Albania, North Macedonia and Bulgaria will also be allowed from June 15, with visitors only subject to random tests upon arrival. The Greek government says the nation’s success in containing the virus should reassure visitors worried about their health and safety. Strict public safety measures have kept the country's COVID-19 infection rate low. Greece has seen only 175 virus-related deaths, according to health ministry data.

Read more

Rajasthan's Monuments Re-Open for Tourism

The Rajasthan government has announced that with restrictions being lifted under Lockdown 5.0, it will be reopening monuments under its archaeology and museum department for tourists, starting today. All monuments—except those in containment zones and curfew areas—will be open four days a week for two weeks. Hours will be staggered at first, but from the third week onwards, tourists will be able to visit the monuments daily. We were in conversation with Sreya Guha, Principal Secretary for Tourism, Art and Culture, Government of Rajasthan, to find out more. What brought about the decision to open the state up for tourism today? We decided to open up since most states are now easing lockdown norms, so we expect some movement of visitors to start. We felt opening up our attractions would also give a sense of “returning to normalcy.” What is opening for the public? We have reopened the monuments under the Archaeology Department and the museums. We have also opened up the biological parks and wildlife safaris. The tiger reserves will be opened after NTCA clearance. Are you expecting domestic tourism to pick up in a big way? The first movement we are expecting is very local. To celebrate the reopening, the monuments will have free admissions in the first week. Now that interstate travel has opened, we expect visitors from neighbouring states to also come, but it will be a gradual process. Our focus now will be domestic tourism. What are the protocols being followed and what precautions are being taken? We have sanitised and fumigated all our premises. We have SOPs in place. We are ensuring all hygiene and social-distancing norms are followed. How has the tourism suffered during this lockdown in terms of numbers and are there any additional schemes the state is introducing? We have taken a hit of 100% turn down in business compared to March 2019, as footfall has totally dried up. There are currently 90% cancellations for bookings for the next season. By industry estimates, revenue loss in hotels/restaurants and other travel services will be more than Rs 12-15 crore, and the loss of direct and indirect employment of over 10 lakh people is anticipated in next 3-4 months. There shall be loss in terms of GST to the state government estimated to be over Rs 2,000 crore, since the total contribution of tourism in the state GDP is around 22 to 25 per cent. We are working closely with the industry to prepare for the coming season and planning strategies so that we are able to recover in 2021. We have been sanctioned a Tourism Development Fund, which we are trying to utilise to promote tourism, and create new products that will be more attractive in a post-pandemic tourism scenario.

Read more

Indian Railways starts 200 special trains from today

Indian Railways has started running a pair of 100 trains from Monday, after a gap of over two months due to coronavirus lockdown across India. Mahanagari Express, the first train among 200 special trains to start today, departed from Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus for Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. States such as Maharashtra have had their reservations regarding the opening of passenger trains, but last minute arrangements were made to run the special trains from their respective source stations. These special trains are in addition to already operational 30 Rajdhani type trains, and Shramik trains, which are being used to ferry stranded migrant laborers. Ministry of Railways after consultation with Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) and Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had announced the train services to be further partially restored with effect from June 1. New charting, boarding rules you should know 1) Passengers to reach station 90 minutes in advance 2) Along with Fully confirmed and RAC passengers, partially Waitlisted Ticket holders (if in single PNR there are confirmed and WL passengers both) also allowed. Not Allowed - Waitlisted passengers. 3) Passengers will be compulsorily screened and only those found asymptomatic will be allowed to board trains. All passengers must wear face covers/masks at the entry and during travel. 4) If during screening at the station a passenger has very high temperature/symptoms of Covid-19 etc., he shall not be allowed to travel despite having confirmed tickets. In such case full refund shall be provided to the passenger. 5) Maintaining social distance is a must all the time. 6) Use of Arogya Setu app mandatory. 7) First chart shall be prepared at least 4 hours before scheduled departure and second chart shall be prepared at least 2 hours (unlike present practice of 30 minutes) before scheduled departure. 8) No unreserved (UTS) tickets will be issued and no tickets will be issued onboard to any passenger during the journey. 9) If during screening at the station a passenger has very high temperature/symptoms of Covid-19 etc., he shall not be allowed to travel despite having confirmed tickets. In such case full refund shall be provided to passenger as under:- On PNR having single passenger. On a party ticket if one passenger is found unfit to travel and also all other passengers on the same PNR do not want to travel in that case full refund shall be granted for all passengers. On a party ticket if one passenger is found unfit to travel however other passengers on the PNR want to travel in that case full refund of fare shall be granted to passenger who was not allowed to travel. 10) There will be no unreserved coach in the train. Catering rules in railways No catering charges shall be included in the fare. Provision for pre paid meal booking, e-catering shall be disabled. However, IRCTC shall make provision for limited eatables and packaged drinking water on payment basis only in limited trains, having Pantry car attached. Passengers are encouraged to carry their own food and drinking water. All static catering and vending units (Multi Purpose stalls, Bookstalls, Misc./Chemist stalls etc) at Railway stations will remain open. In case of Food Plaza and Refreshments rooms etc, cooked items may be served as take away only with no sit-down eating arrangements in place Linen and Blanket in trains: No Linen, blankets and curtains shall be provided inside the train. Passengers are advised to carry their own linen for the travel. The temperature inside AC coaches shall be suitably regulated for this purpose. Here are a few facts about these special 200 trains 1) Over 1.45 lakh passengers will travel on 200 trains from Tuesday. 2) Around 26 lakhs passengers booked for Advance Reservation Period 01 to 30 June 2020. 3) Services in addition to Shramik Special trains and Special AC trains being run since 12th May. 4) Tickets can be bought online through IRCTC website or mobile app. Railways has also allowed booking of reservation tickets through the reservation counters, Common Service Centers and IRCTC ticketing agents. 5) First time in Indian Railways' history, the TTEs will be without their customary black coats and ties and will instead wear gloves, masks, PPEs and check tickets with magnifying glasses. 6) Indian Railways issued an appeal for people with comorbidity, pregnant women, children below age of 10 and those aged above 65 to avoid travel by rail 7) Travelers will also be provided with hand sanitizers at entry and exit points at station and in coaches 8) Zonal Railways have been instructed to ensure that there are separate entry and exit gates at Railway stations to the extent feasible so that there is no face to face movement of passengers.

Read more

Sri Lanka to reopen some tourism in August with restrictions

COLOMBO (Reuters) - Sri Lanka plans to reopen its tourism sector on Aug. 1 by allowing only small groups of visitors to begin with, a tourism official said on Sunday. Kimali Fernando, chairperson of the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, a government body, denied a report in the local Sunday Times that said the sector would re-open in mid-June. A limited number of small groups from around the world would be allowed to visit from August and stay in approved five-star hotels that have put strict safety measures in place, Fernando told Reuters. He confirmed that tourists will be required to carry a COVID-19-free certificate issued either by their governments or a reputed agency, as reported by the Sunday Times which quoted Sri Lanka’s Tourism Ministry Secretary S. Hettiaarachchi. Tourists would also need to wait on arrival at the airport for coronavirus testing. Fernando also confirmed that individual travellers will still not be allowed to enter the country. Sri Lanka reported another 20 cases of the virus on Saturday, taking the total number of cases so far to 1,613, including 10 deaths. The country attracted around 2 million tourists last year and the sector contributes around 11% to the nation’s gross domestic product. President Rajapaksa discussed the proposals at a meeting with representatives of the tourism industry this month, Fernando said. The main tourist season typically begins in around November. If the government approves the plan, Bandaranaike International Airport and Mattala International Airport, which have been closed under coronavirus restrictions, would partially reopen. Testing facilities would be set up at the airports and private hospitals are expected to provide assistance to tourists as part of the plans, Fernando said. Popular sites such as the Yala national park, Udawalawe, Arugam Bay, Trincomalee and selected beach areas would be among those open for tourists, whose temperatures would be monitored daily, he added.

Read more

In Unlock 1, Uttarakhand to resume Char Dham yatra and tourism activities

The Uttarakhand government is planning to resume tourism and start the Char Dham Yatra in a limited manner after June 8 in an effort to boost the economy, Cabinet minister and government spokesperson Madan Kaushik said on Sunday. In its latest guidelines on Saturday, the Centre allowed religious places to open after June 8 along with free inter-state travel of people in a bid to gradually open up the country after lockdown amid the Covid-19 pandemic. “We will implement the Centre’s guidelines after analysis. The Centre under its new guidelines has allowed the religious places to open after June 8, which is a commendable step as it will enable us to open our major religious places including the highly revered Char Dham, which attract many devotees across the country,” Kaushik said. “The government is planning to start the Char Dham Yatra but in a limited manner, allowing only limited people amid the pandemic. We will also gradually resume the tourism activities in the same manner as both Char Dham Yatra and tourism are basically the backbone of our economy.” The Char Dham Yatra is a religious tour circuit that draws a large number of pilgrims. The Cabinet minister said that the government had earlier suggested the Centre to allow the resumption of both aforementioned activities in the state as they are vital to boost the economy of the state which had been severely affected by the pandemic. He said, “We suggested the same before the latest guidelines were issued. And now when they have provided some more relaxations, we are hopeful to soon resume them after proper evaluation.”

Read more