05/05/2020
Changes starting to happen as the world awaits the excitement of travelling again:
Updates as of the 05th of May 2020 Powered by Travelinfo Plus
• LATVIA: Riga Airport readies to resume flights
• CHINA: Beijing’s major inter-provincial bus hub resumes operations
• PUERTO RICO: Puerto Rico Tourism rolls out health and safety certification programme
• UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Airline passengers told to wear face masks
• AUSTRIA: Vienna airport offers on-site COVID-19 test
• FRANCE / BELGIUM / UNITED KINGDOM: Eurostar passengers required to cover their faces
LATVIA: Riga Airport readies to resume flights
Riga Airport is working on additional preventive measures at the terminal to protect employees and passengers and limit the spread of COVID-19, as well as planning the necessary personnel and infrastructure resources for a gradual increase of the number of flights, Travel Daily News reports.
The airport will introduce more extensive measures to protect its employees and passengers and to limit the spread of COVID-19.
These include health safety measures in the check-in area, at security controls, boarding gates and on buses, as well as the provision of safety glazing at check-in desks and the provision of personal protective equipment for staff members. Intensified cleaning and disinfection measures are also planned in the terminal premises, equipment and buses and medical staff will be involved to monitor passenger health.
Available airline data shows that the resumption of flights will take place gradually after the lifting of emergency rulings, taking into account both travel and communication restrictions in Latvia and other countries.
CHINA: Beijing’s major inter-provincial bus hub resumes operations
Beijing’s Liuliqiao inter-provincial transport hub, a major long-distance bus terminal in China’s capital city, has officially restarted operations after being closed for over three months due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since January 26, Beijing has suspended inter-provincial and chartered bus services to and from the city to help control the spread of COVID-19, eturbonews reports.
On April 30, the city lowered its emergency response from the top level to the second level, and long-distance passenger transport services are also being gradually restored.
This week, inter-provincial passenger and chartered bus services to and via low-risk areas within 800km of Beijing will resume. And services to and via all other low-risk destinations are expected to gradually resume next week.
About 39 routes will commence operations this week, mainly to Hebei, Shanxi and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Frequency is expected to reach 200 a day on 85 routes by May 9.
Epidemic prevention measures are being strictly implemented at all bus stations, and passengers must wear masks, have their temperature taken and display their green health codes.
PUERTO RICO: Puerto Rico Tourism rolls out health and safety certification programme
The Puerto Rico Tourism Company (PRTC) has announced a programme to grant a gold-star validation seal to tourism-related businesses in an effort to offer additional measures to protect the island as a tourist destination.
The certification (or badge) will be granted to those who are implementing the highest health and safety measures, eturbonews reports.
The objective is to elevate Puerto Rico’s tourism industry and position it as the new gold standard in destination health and safety. The PRTC aims to increase consumer confidence in Puerto Rico as a destination that is prepared and has adjusted to the current situation.
The two-level system is based on the guidelines to prevent the spread of COVID-19 established by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), World Health Organization, the OSHA 3990 report, the Puerto Rico Department of Health guidelines and high-calibre programmes such as Singapore’s Safety Seal and the National Restaurant Association.
The first level is a Tourism Health and Safety Operational Guide, a practical guide with mandatory measures to safeguard the health of employees, visitors and local patrons. The Health and Safety Seal is a certification programme for all endorsed tourism industry businesses that meet or have exceeded the implementation and on-going ex*****on of the established measures.
These new standards of hygiene will apply to all tourism businesses island-wide, including hotels, resorts, paradores, posadas, bed and breakfasts, small inns, guesthouses, time-share properties, short-term rentals, casinos, tour operators, tourist transportations, experiences, management, restaurants, bars, nightclubs and attractions.
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Airline passengers told to wear face masks
Many big US airlines will now require passengers and cabin crew to wear face mask on flights to limit the spread of viruses, BBC News reports.
From Monday (May 4), Delta said it required passengers to wear a mask or other face covering in the check-in area, premium lounges, boarding gate areas and on board for the whole flight.
American Airlines and United Airlines will also require passengers and cabin crew to wear masks. The carriers say these are temporary measures as they slowly resume flights.
United will provide free masks to passengers.
AUSTRIA: Vienna airport offers on-site COVID-19 test
Vienna International Airport is offering an on-site COVID-19 test to all arriving passengers, eturbonews reports.
Austrian health officials require everyone arriving in the country by air to provide a health certificate proving that they are not carrying COVID-19 virus. Travellers without one, issued no less than four days prior to arrival, must sign up for two weeks of self-isolation.
However, starting Monday (May 4), passengers can avoid the mandatory 14-day quarantine by taking an on-site express test with a three-hour wait before the results come through.
The same PCR express test would be available to people leaving Austria who might need a certificate to travel to another country with similar entry requirements, or for other people who wished to be tested, the airport said on Sunday. The service costs €190.
Austria is in the process of loosening its national COVID-19 lockdown, with some non-essential businesses allowed to open after almost seven weeks of closure.
FRANCE / BELGIUM / UNITED KINGDOM: Eurostar passengers required to cover their faces
Eurostar passengers will be required to cover their faces from today (May 4) or risk being refused travel.
The rule for travellers to wear face coverings is in line with guidelines from the French and Belgian governments, BBC News reports.
The rail company says in a statement that any type of face covering is allowed as long as it effectively covers the nose and mouth. Fines may be imposed in France and Belgium for anyone without a face covering.
The company is operating a significantly reduced service, in line with increased border controls and a lower demand for travel triggered by COVID-19.
Four services run each day between London and Paris, and London and Brussels, according to timetables published on the company's website.
