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Mixed vaccines OK according to England's new travel policy
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. says it plans to ease travel restrictions for fully vaccinated foreign nationals starting in November.
All international travellers flying to the U.S. will need to demonstrate proof of vaccination before boarding, as well as proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken within three days of flight.
Fully vaccinated passengers will not be required to quarantine. The U.S. will also require airlines to collect contact information from international travellers to facilitate contact tracing.
The U.S. side of the Canada-U.S. land border has been closed since March 2020. Canada reopened its side to fully vaccinated American travellers on Aug. 9. Canada then reopened to all fully vaccinated international travellers on Sept. 7.
Canada’s advisory against all non-essential travel is still in place. The U.S. has also again extended its land border closure with Canada until Oct. 21.
If the U.S. reopens its land border with Canada this November, as part of its eased restrictions, the big question for many Canadians looking to travel to the U.S. in the coming months will be whether or not the U.S. will update its stance to accept the AstraZeneca vaccine, as well as mixed doses. Close to 2 million Canadians received the AstraZeneca vaccine, and almost 4 million Canadians have mixed dose vaccinations.
Both IATA and the WTTC expressed support for the Biden administration’s decision to begin reopening the U.S. to fully vaccinated travellers.
The announcement “is a major step forward,” says IATA’s Director General, Willie Walsh. “Allowing access to the U.S. for those vaccinated will open travel to the U.S. for many who have been locked out for the past 18 months. This is excellent news for families and loved ones who have suffered through the heartache and loneliness of separation. It’s good for the millions of livelihoods in the US that depend on global tourism. And it will boost the economic recovery by enabling some key business travel markets.”
And Julia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO, said: “The U.S. lifting travel restrictions to restore transatlantic travel between the EU and the UK is welcome news - not only for hard-pressed airlines, but for the wider travel and tourism sector, which has been decimated by COVID-19.
Simpson added that the WTTC “strongly advocates for fully vaccinated citizens to be able to travel freely and safely, irrespective of where they’re travelling from.”
Mixed vaccine doses OK according to England’s new travel policy
TORONTO — The UK’s decision to ditch its traffic light system of COVID-19 travel policies in favour of more streamlined protocols includes good news for Canadians with mixed vaccine doses.
While so far only relevant for travel to / from England, the new policies taking effect Oct. 4, 2021 include a thumbs-up for travellers fully vaccinated (at least 14 days prior to departure) with a full course of Oxford/AstraZeneca, Pfizer BioNTech, Moderna or Janssen vaccines, from a relevant public health body in a long list of countries, including Canada.
“Mixing between two-dose vaccines (Oxford/AstraZeneca, Pfizer BioNTech, Moderna) in this list is also recognized,” according to the new policy.
Existing approval for fully vaccinated travellers under an approved vaccination program in the UK, Europe and the U.S. is also in place.
UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced the simplified system for international travel last Friday. Starting Oct. 4, 2021 the current Traffic Light System of red, amber, green will be replaced by a new two-tiered system - a single ‘red list’ of countries and territories and a ‘rest of the world’ list.
Plus, testing requirements are being reduced for eligible fully vaccinated travellers from non-red list countries, who will no longer need to take a Pre Departure Test when travelling to England.
For now international arrivals into England must still book and pay for a day 2 COVID test, to be taken after arrival in England; complete their passenger locator form any time in the 48 hours before arriving in England; and take a COVID-19 test on or before day 2 after arriving in England.
However starting at the end of October 2021, eligible fully vaccinated passengers (and those with an approved vaccine from a select group of non-red countries) will be able to replace their day 2 test with a cheaper lateral flow test, reducing the cost of tests on arrival into England.
Also starting in late October, changes are being made to allow passengers who change flights or international
trains during their journey to follow the measures associated to their country of departure, rather than any countries they have transited through as part of their journey.
Says VisitBritain Deputy Chief Executive Patricia Yates: “The announcements from the UK Government on overhauling the traffic light system, easing pre-arrival testing for fully vaccinated travellers from 4 October and the move to lateral flow tests on day 2 by the end of October are welcome steps to further reopening international travel and to boosting consumer confidence in visiting Britain.”
Yates added that “simplifying the testing regime has been a clear ask from the international travel industry. Tourism is a competitive global industry and we have already forecast a slow recovery with overseas visitor spending in the UK this year of £5.3 billion compared to £28.4 billion in 2019. Being able to welcome more visitors by safely reducing barriers to travel is critical to building back demand and visitor spending.”
Cuba eases entry requirements Nov. 15, here’s what ACV, Transat and Sunwing have to say
TORONTO — Cuba is easing entry requirements for travellers coming into the country effective Nov. 15, 2021.
In the meantime tour operators have already been ramping up their Cuba programs for winter 2021-22.
An update from the Cuba Tourist Board says Cuba is making the move “in preparation for the winter season and taking into consideration that by November, 92.5 % of the population will be vaccinated.” NO COVID TEST PRIOR TO ENTERING CUBA
All of Cuba’s tourist destinations will reopen by Nov. 15, plus the Ministry of Tourism of Cuba has announced more relaxed entry protocols effective the same date.
The new rules focus on the surveillance of symptomatic patients, temperature screening and diagnostic test performed at random.
“This means: NO Covid test prior entering Cuba and NO PCR upon arrival at the Cuban airport (which in the past was completed to 100 % of the passengers),” says the update from the Cuba Tourist Board.
The new protocols also mean that Canadian incoming travellers must show that they are fully vaccinated or, if they are not vaccinated, they must submit a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours before entering Cuba.
The PCR test Canadians need to re-enter back in Canada is done at the hotels and it costs US$30 (payable locally by Visa or debit/Visa).
The Cuban tourism authorities have also announced the opening of the local tourism market and the cancelling of the quarantine for passengers staying in private rental homes (i.e. B&Bs). Locals can also stay at tourist facilities shared by international visitors.
Lessner Gomez, Director of the Cuba Tourist Board in Toronto praised Cuba’s vaccination rollout. The country has done an incredible job vaccinating its people including children as young as two years old, says Gomez. “We are the first country in the world to administer COVID-19 vaccines to toddlers,” said Gomez. “The vaccination program in Cuba, the strengthening of the health and safety protocols in all tourists’ facilities and the high vaccination rate in Canada” have made the Nov. 15 eased restrictions possible, he adds.
“The fact that Cuba is relaxing the rules and that the tourists will be allowed to travel around and enjoy our beautiful country is very exciting and very good news at the time when Canadians are looking forward to returning to normal and are planning their winter travels,” said Gomez. WHAT TOUR OPERATORS ARE SAYING
ACV Vice-President Nino Montagnese says ACV already has capacity scheduled to ramp up in November.
“This is very good news for our customers,” Montagnese told Travelweek in the wake of Cuba’s announcement.
“We will have flying not only from Montreal and Toronto but also Halifax and Ottawa with added capacity and destinations from all,” he added.
From Toronto, ACV is offering Cayo Coco (starts Nov. 2), Cayo Santa Maria (Santa Clara) (Nov. 4), Havana (Dec. 19), Holguin (Nov. 1) and Varadero (Nov. 1). From Ottawa, flights to Varadero start Dec. 27, and from Halifax, Cayo Coco starts Dec. 24. From Montreal, ACV will offer Cayo Coco (starts Nov. 6), Cayo Santa Maria (Santa Clara) (Nov. 2), Holguin (Nov. 4) and Varadero (Nov. 3).
At Transat, Cuba flights at the peak of the winter season will operate from Montreal (Cayo Coco, Holguin and Santa Clara 2x weekly, Varadero 4x weekly); Quebec City (Holguin and Varadero, 1x weekly) and Toronto (Cayo Coco and Santa Clara 2x weekly, Holguin 3x weekly and Varadero 4x weekly), says spokesperson Debbie Cabana.
Sunwing will offer weekly flights to Varadero and Cayo Coco starting in October and November from several gateways across Canada including Toronto, Montreal, Calgary and Edmonton. As winter progresses Sunwing expects to add more Canadian departure gateways and popular Cuban des-
