(CNN) – It’s been a pretty good week for future jet-setters around the world. The UK and Israel have both cleared their travel “red lists”, while India, Bali and Vietnam have all announced plans to reopen.
Here are 10 things we learned on pandemic travel this week.
1. The UK has reduced its “red list” to just seven countries …
Thailand, including Phuket, which is home to the Vijitt Resort, is dropped from the UK’s red list.
Lillian Suwanrumpha / AFP / Getty Images
The UK has introduced a new system for international travel, relaxing testing requirements for many fully vaccinated travelers and designating ‘red’ or ‘green’ destinations.
From October 11, England is expected to remove 47 countries from its red list, leaving just seven red destinations: Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Haiti, Panama, Peru and Venezuela.
2. … But there was anger at his quarantine rules
The vaccines recognized in the UK are Oxford / AstraZeneca, Pfizer BioNTech, Moderna and Janssen (Johnson & Johnson), or formulations thereof.
3. The CDC has lowered the risk category for France, Portugal and South Africa
The CDC now agrees with vaccinated Americans heading to the Seljalandsfoss waterfall in Iceland.
Sean Gallup / Getty Images
There was good news for Argentina, France, Iceland, Lesotho, Morocco, Nepal, Portugal and South Africa, as well as Americans eager to visit.
Meanwhile, six destinations have been upgraded from Level 3 to Level 4 (“Very High”), meaning non-essential travel should be avoided by US citizens.
These destinations are Armenia, Austria, Barbados, Croatia, Latvia and New Caledonia.
4. India will start letting in tourists this month …
Tourists arriving by chartered flight will be able to do so from Oct. 15, according to a press release from India’s Interior Ministry. Other arrivals will be authorized from November 15, he said.
5. … And Bali will gradually reopen as well
Kuta Beach in Bali is photographed 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 said.
Bali Ngurah Rai Airport in Denpasar will begin receiving arrivals from a number of countries, according to Luhut Binsar Panjaitan, Indonesia’s Minister of Maritime Affairs and Investment.
6. Vietnam plans to reopen completely by June 2022
Sanato Beach on the Vietnamese island of Phu Quoc.
Adobe Stock
Vietnam still has a long way to go when it comes to vaccinating its population: just over 13% are fully vaccinated, making it one of the lowest rates in Asia.
7. Soon New Zealand will only allow foreign nationals to enter if they are vaccinated.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is announcing that the country is moving away from Covid-19 elimination, amid a persistent Delta variant outbreak, and will instead shift to a ‘living with the virus’ strategy.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced in press conferences this week that the country is moving 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 vaccination warrant for trains and planes
“By the end of November, if you are 12 or older and want to take a plane or train, you will need to be fully immunized,” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said.
iStock
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced a national Covid-19 vaccination mandate for rail and air travelers aged 12 and over, as well as for staff.
9. Israel now allows its citizens to travel anywhere
Venturing into the fairy chimneys begins a journey of discovery in this unusual place.
Israel has emptied its “red” travel list, which means that Israeli citizens and residents can now travel anywhere in the world.
Until October 4, Israelis were still not allowed to travel to Turkey, Bulgaria and Brazil due to high rates of Covid.
Under current guidelines, travelers returning to Israel who have been vaccinated three times, or twice in the past six months, are only required to self-quarantine for 24 hours, or upon receipt of a negative PCR test. – whichever comes first.
Unvaccinated people or those whose second dose is more than six months old should always be quarantined for a full week or receive two negative PCR tests.
10. The airline industry is expected to lose nearly $ 52 billion in 2021
An Air France plane is preparing to take off from Nice Côte d’Azur airport in August 2021.
JP Pariente / Sipa via AP Images
Airlines will lose $ 51.8 billion in 2021, more than expected, according to an outlook update from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
Net losses for 2020 have also been revised upwards to $ 137.7 billion. More woes are also expected next year – a loss of $ 11.6 billion is expected. The group expects the industry to return to profitability in 2023, IATA chief executive Willie Walsh said at the group’s annual meeting in Boston on Oct. 4.
The other big news from Boston is that the global group of 290 airlines have agreed to a resolution committing them to achieve 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.
