Tagged: coronavirus

Can Airlines Legally Force You to Wear a Mask?

Their airline, their rules. If you don't like the rules, get your own plane. That's what it boils down to. Catharine Hamm of the Los Angeles Times looked into the legality of airlines…

Two Top Cruise Companies Join Forces to Develop Safety Plan

Two top competitors in cruising, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian, have decided to put rivalry aside and work together to create a comprehensive safety plan that will enable the entire…

Atlantic City Reopens—With No Indoor Dining and Other Big Changes

As of July 2, Atlantic City casinos are back in business after New Jersey shut them down in March due to coronavirus concerns. Of the city's nine casinos, five—Golden Nugget, Hard…

Alarmed by U.S. Infection Rate, Caribbean Islands Tighten Entry Restrictions

A month ago, when the Caribbean islands began laying plans for their reopening, welcoming travelers from the United States was the key concern because of the region's economic reliance…

German Airports Open Covid Testing Labs That Could Serve as Models

We'd rather have a Cinnabon, but in a move that could serve as a model for air travel around the world, airports in Frankfurt and Munich have opened onsite Covid-19 testing labs. The…

Pauline Frommer: It's Tragic That Europe Bans Americans, But I Agree

It’s official: Americans are not welcome in Europe, at least not in the near future. That’s the decision that the European Union formally announced today with its list of nations that…

Belize Announces Date for Tourism Reopening

Belize has set a date for welcoming back foreign tourists to that Central American nation of jungles, Mayan ruins, and Caribbean beaches (such as at Caye Caulker, pictured…

Global Entry Enrollment Centers Soon to Reopen

Update, July 1: Shortly after announcing that enrollment centers would open on July 6, U.S. Customs and Border Protection backtracked and postponed their return until at least August…

American Airlines Will Now Book Flights to Full Capacity

On Friday, June 26, the United States registered a new single-day record in coronavirus infections—more than 40,000, many of them in young people who exhibit no symptoms. Hours before,…

Denied Boarding Because of High Temperature? You Can Get a Refund

If a U.S. airline denies you boarding because you failed its temperature check, you can get a full refund for the cost of the flight. If something like that happens to you, the refund…

Tourist Industry Crash: Visitors Are Avoiding the USA for Their Own Safety

The rest of the world now sees America as a mortal danger. "At all costs, you do not want to go into a U.S. hospital without insurance," one Canadian told the Palm Springs Desert Sun.…

U.S. National Parks Offering Reduced Services: A List of What's Open

LAST UPDATED JUNE 24, 2020 Before going to any remote national park, pack food, water, toilet paper, hand sanitizer (washrooms may not be stocked with soap or paper towels), and…

Saudi Arabia Blocks International Pilgrims from Mecca

For the first time in modern history, Muslims from around the world will not be allowed to make the pilgrimage to Mecca this year. Saudi Arabia announced yesterday that international…

Las Vegas' New Tool for Checking Workers' Health: One Ring to Monitor Them All

Feeling lucky? Coronavirus cases are spiking in Las Vegas. The titans behind the lucrative casino-hotels there desperately want to avoid re-closing them, so the owners are trying…

A Winning Strategy to Get Vegas Gamblers to Wear Face Masks

The reopening of casinos in Las Vegas earlier this month was a gamble amid the pandemic. Sadly, it now looks like that might have been a bad bet. In the nearly three weeks since Sin…

Cruise Industry Suspends U.S. Sailings Through Sept. 15

USA Today reports that Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), the most important trade group for the cruising industry, has voted to voluntarily extend the pause on U.S. cruise…

Hawaii Is Arresting Tourists Who Violate Quarantine

Hawaii is not messing around. Other American states might have lax enforcement rules about public behavior during the pandemic, but the Aloha State has arrested 21 visitors this week…

Welcome to Cambodia! That'll Be $3,000, Please

We have a new winner for the title of World's Harshest Covid-19 Entry Requirement. Cambodia has announced that all visitors to that Southeast Asian country (famous for the Angkor Wat…

Holland America: Sorry, Canada and Hawaii, We'll Just See You in 2021

Holland America has just cleared its schedule of Hawaii and Canada cruises until 2021. Previously, the cruise line put a "pause on" (i.e., canceled) its Alaska, Europe, and East Coast…

WATCH: An Airline Cabin Designer Explains the Systems That Clean the Air on Flights

No need to make a wild guess about the safety of the air in plane cabins. Airbus, one of the world's most important commercial aircraft manufacturers, knows that people are worried…

Senators Say Airlines Have Safety Gaps, Beg for Leadership from Trump Cabinet

Two U.S. senators have written a scathing letter to tell members of Donald Trump's cabinet they're not doing enough to protect traveling Americans on airlines. Edward Markey of…

Miss Airports? Watch This Hilarious Homemade Re-Creation of Flying

A lot of us have had to cancel travel plans lately. But few have responded with the DIY élan of Dana Jondahl. When her annual birthday trip was nixed by the pandemic, the 34-year-old…

Do Not Disturb Until 2021: South Africa Takes Huge Gamble with Tourism

From Caribbean islands to European culture capitals, most destinations with economies that depend to a significant degree on tourism are in a hurry to welcome international visitors…

In a First, Alaska Requiring Covid-19 Tests from Other Americans

American travelers are finding that the rest of the world doesn't trust them to be coronavirus-free. Several European countries now insist on seeing fresh results of a Covid-19 test…

Plan U.S. Travel With This New Interactive Map of Each State's Covid-19 Rules

We need to give a big thank you to the National Governors Association. It just created an interactive map, the Covid-19 State and Territory Actions Tracker (pictured above in a…