Destinations

Category Archives for Destinations.

CDC Lowers Travel Risk Levels For 110 Countries, And US State Department Will Too

by Gary Leff

passport getting stamped
Jun 08 2021

In April the U.S. State Department issued ‘Do Not Travel’ warnings for 80% of the world’s countries due to coronavirus risk. They suddenly discovered the pandemic more than three months into 2021.

They updated their guidance to conform to CDC recommendations. But now the CDC has suddenly discovered vaccines – and is updating their guidance, too. The State Department will follow. And a new working group has been formed to talk about lifting travel restrictions where those restrictions are absurd based on the data.

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First-Person Accounts Of What Happened When Belarus Hijacked A Ryanair Flight Sunday

by Gary Leff

May 24 2021

Belarus used a fake bomb threat to justify sending a fighter jet to intercept Ryanair flight FR4978 from Athens to Vilnius, Lithuania – and force it to land in the Belarusian capital of Minsk. Then, once it was on the ground, they snatched a journalist who had been highly critical of the nation’s strongman leader – and living in exile to avoid just this fate.

Now we know more about what happened as that plane was forced to land, and how the rest of the passengers were treated on the ground.

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European Union Has Agreed To Open Borders To Vaccinated Travelers

by Gary Leff

May 19 2021

Greece is already open to Americans. France says it is opening June 9. Spain has said it is opening. Now the European Union has come to an agreement to accept vaccinated visitors this summer, and this is expectted to be passed by member states. The specific re-opening date when Americans will be able to enter without a Covid-19 test or quarantine remains to be set, as countries determine how they plan to verify vaccination.

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The New U.S. Ban On Travel From India Is Pure Political Symbolism

by Gary Leff

arch like building
May 01 2021

The new ban on most travel by non-U.S. citizens or permanent resident who have recently been in India which goes into effect Tuesday is symbolic – porous and giving people advance notice to get into the country under the wire – was meant to appear that the administration is ‘doing something’. Covid-19 variants spreading in India are already here in the U.S. Travel bans won’t keep them out.

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