coronavirus

Tag Archives for coronavirus.

What Visitor Quarantine Is Like In Thailand Right Now

by Gary Leff on January 21, 2021

Jan 21 2021

Thailand is technically open to visitors, but even with a negative Covid test there’s a 14 day quarantine requirement and the idea of being stuck inside a hotel room that long hasn’t been popular. It’s attracted only a few hundred tourists per month to the country.

However people will go to greater lengths to visit friends and relatives than they will for just a vacation long enough to justify the quarantine period. I saw on social media that the owner of my favorite Thai restaurant was back in Bangkok, in the middle of his quarantine period at a hotel with his wife. He was gracious enough to share his story and some photos.

Joe Biden To Reverse Trump Decision To Lift Ban On Travelers From Europe, UK and Brazil

by Gary Leff on January 18, 2021

Jan 18 2021

While President Trump may have signed an order that would lift the travel ban on Europeans and Brazilians from entering the U.S., that order doesn’t go into effect until January 26 – six days after Joe Biden assumes office. The intention appears to be to reverse the lifting of the travel ban before it happens.

Vaccine Tourism Has Started With Trips To The UAE, India And Morocco

by Gary Leff on January 17, 2021

Jan 17 2021

I think everyone’s ready to get back to normal after 2020 and a rocky start to 2021. Vaccines hold that promise, but the rollout is slow. And those with the means will go to lengths to accelerate their shots. That’s why I wrote back in November that I expected vaccine tourism to become a trend in early 2021. Last month we started to see travel agencies advertising vaccine tourism packages.

And now trips are actually happening.

Don’t Expect American Airlines To Require Vaccination For Travel (They Won’t Require It For Employees)

by Gary Leff on January 16, 2021

Jan 16 2021

In November the CEO of American Airlines joint venture partner Qantas announced they planned to require vaccination in order to fly. U.S. airlines have had internal discussions about following suit. However I do not see how American Airlines could require passengers but not crew to have been vaccinated in order to travel.

7 Problems With New U.S. Covid-19 Testing Requirement For All Arriving International Passengers

by Gary Leff on January 13, 2021

Jan 13 2021

This new testing requirement isn’t going to control spread of the virus, which is already running rampant throughout most of the country. It isn’t going to stop entry of new variants of the virus, which are already here (and which we’re doing little tracking of in any case).

We need fewer barriers to low-cost at-home testing. We need greater tracking of new variants of the virus. We need more rapid approval and deployment both for Covid-19 treatments and vaccines. A travel ban that applies internationally, but that does nothing to limit spread via travel within the United States, at what’s likely the tail end of the pandemic is purely cosmetic but may have long-lasting consequences.

U.S. Will Require All International Arriving Passengers To Have A Covid-19 Test

by Gary Leff on January 12, 2021

Jan 12 2021

Starting January 26 the U.S. will require a negative Covid-19 test within 3 days prior to departure, or documentation of having already recovered from Covid-19, for everyone arriving in the country (citizens and non-citizens alike).

This applies to air passengers only. Anyone who wishes will still be able to fly to Mexico for instance, and drive across the U.S. border.

Travel Agencies Are Promoting Vaccine Tourism Packages

by Gary Leff on January 2, 2021

Jan 02 2021

Gem Tours & Travels, which is planning New York vaccine trips, claims to have coined the term ‘vaccine tourism’ and Zenith Holidays has promoted a London stay long enough for both vaccine doses at $8211 per person single occupancy ($6158 per person based on double occupancy) and expects that “by mid-January next year, the vaccine will be available for foreigners in the UK.”

Proposed U.S. Covid-19 Testing Requirement Will Strand Americans Abroad

by Gary Leff on December 31, 2020

Dec 31 2020

An American citizen presenting themselves at the border is entitled to enter the country. They can be questioned, searched, and required to quarantine as a public health measure. But as a general matter citizens cannot be denied entry into the country.

Here the government places a requirement on airlines to prevent citizens from presenting themselves at the border. You can’t even get tested in much of the world. And there are few places where you’re allowed to go enroute in order to stop for a test.

U.S. Government May Require Covid-19 Tests For Everyone Arriving Into The Country

by Gary Leff on December 30, 2020

Dec 30 2020

The U.S. government held a call with airlines today discussing a possible Covid-19 testing requirement for all passengers coming to the U.S. following a similar requirement imposed on arrivals from the U.K. on Monday (including U.S. citizens). Airlines hope a negative Covid-19 test will replace an outright ban on non-citizens who have traveled to certain countries in the past 14 days.

Should Passengers Who Fly With Covid-19 Be Charged With Negligence – Even Involuntary Manslaughter?

by Gary Leff on December 22, 2020

Dec 22 2020

How does a person with an infectious disease decide to fly in the middle of a global pandemic? How does someone make a choice to potentially infect others, knowing that there’s a chance some of the people exposed along the way could die as a result. It’s clearly reckless – but is it criminally reckless? One law professor says yes.