(CNN) — This was a pretty good week for the world’s wannabe jetsetters. The UK and Israel both cleared out their travel “red lists,” while India, Bali and Vietnam all announced reopening plans.
Here are 10 things we learned in pandemic travel this week.
1. The UK cut its ‘red list’ to just seven countries…
Thailand — including Phuket, home to Vijitt Resort — is coming off the UK’s red list.
Lillian Suwanrumpha/AFP/Getty Images
The UK introduced a new system for international travel, relaxing testing requirements for many fully vaccinated travelers and designating destinations either “red” or “green.”
From October 11, England is set to remove 47 countries from its red list, leaving only seven red destinations: Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Haiti, Panama, Peru and Venezuela.
2. …But there was anger over its quarantine rules
The UK’s recognized vaccines are Oxford/AstraZeneca, Pfizer BioNTech, Moderna and Janssen (Johnson & Johnson), or formulations of these.
3. The CDC lowered the risk category for France, Portugal and South Africa
The CDC is now okay with vaccinated Americans heading to Iceland’s Seljalandsfoss waterfall.
Sean Gallup/Getty Images
There was good news for Argentina, France, Iceland, Lesotho, Morocco, Nepal, Portugal and South Africa, and for Americans keen to travel there.
Meanwhile, six destinations have moved from Level 3 to Level 4 (“Very High”) which means nonessential travel should be avoided by US citizens.
Those destinations are Armenia, Austria, Barbados, Croatia, Latvia and New Caledonia.
4. India will start letting tourists in this month…
Tourists arriving by chartered flight will be able to do so from October 15, according to a press release from India’s Ministry of Home Affairs. Other arrivals will be permitted from November 15, it said.
5. …And Bali will gradually reopen too
Bali’s Kuta Beach is pictured at sunset in September 2021.
Sonny Tumbelaka/AFP/Getty Images
The Indonesian island of Bali will reopen its airport to international arrivals on October 14, officials have announced.
Bali Ngurah Rai Airport in Denpasar will begin welcoming arrivals from a select number of countries, according to Luhut Binsar Panjaitan, Indonesia’s minister of maritime affairs and investment.
6. Vietnam plans to fully reopen by June 2022
Sanato beach on the Vietnamese island of Phu Quoc.
Adobe Stock
Vietnam still has a way to go when it comes it vaccinating its population: Just over 13{32bc5e747b31d501df756e0d52c4fc33c2ecc33869222042bcd2be76582ed298} are fully vaccinated, making it one of the lowest rates in Asia.
7. Soon New Zealand will only let foreign nationals enter if they’re vaccinated
New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announces the country is moving from eliminating Covid-19, amid a persistent outbreak of the Delta variant, and will instead transition to a strategy of ‘living with the virus.’
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced in press conferences this week that the country is transitioning away from its Covid-19 elimination strategy and will start using vaccine certificates as early as next month.
From November 1, all foreign nationals entering New Zealand will need to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19.
8. Canada has issued a vaccine mandate for trains and planes
“By the end of November, if you’re 12 or older and want to fly or take the train, you’ll have to be fully vaccinated,” said Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
iStock
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced a nationwide Covid-19 vaccine mandate for rail and air travelers aged 12 and over, as well as for staff.
9. Israel now lets its citizens travel anywhere
Venturing into the fairy chimneys begins a journey of discovery in this unusual place.
Israel has emptied out its “red” travel list, meaning Israeli citizens and residents can now travel anywhere in the world.
Until October 4, Israelis were still barred from traveling to Turkey, Bulgaria and Brazil because of high Covid rates.
Under current guidelines, travelers returning to Israel who have been vaccinated three times, or twice within the past six months, are only required to quarantine for 24 hours, or upon receipt of a negative PCR test — whichever comes sooner.
Unvaccinated individuals or those whose second dose was more than six months ago are still required to quarantine for a full week or receive two negative PCR tests.
10. The airline industry is set to lose nearly $52 billion in 2021
An Air France plane prepares to take off from Nice Cote d’Azur airport in August 2021.
JP Pariente/Sipa via AP Images
Airlines will lose $51.8 billion in 2021, more than previously forecast, according to an updated outlook from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
Net losses for 2020 were also revised higher, to $137.7 billion. More woes are expected next year too — a $11.6 billion dollar loss is projected. The group expects the industry to return to profitability in 2023, IATA Director General Willie Walsh said October 4 at the group’s annual meeting in Boston.
The other big news out of Boston is that the global group of 290 airlines agreed to a resolution committing them to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
CNN’s Melissa Alonso, Pamela Boykoff, Matt Friedman, Hadas Gold, Swati Gupta, Marnie Hunter, Masrur Jamaluddin, Lilit Marcus, Francesca Street and Nimi Princewill contributed to this report.
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