Tue 16 June 2020:
The coronavirus has caused an unprecedented shutdown in global travel, pushing airlines and travel operators to the brink and left many wondering when a holiday from the stresses of lockdown might be possible.
“As the aviation industry prepares to safely restart, travelers will need to know which countries’ borders are open and what health restrictions exist,” Anish Chand, IATA’s Assistant Director, Timatic said in a statement following the release of the map.
While the majority of the world remains closed, with most countries only accepting flights with citizens or residents, some have already begun putting in place guidelines to allow tourists to return.
Which country borders are open? Where are there (dreaded!) quarantine restrictions? IATA created an interactive world map to help you understand COVID-19 travel regulations, country by country.
View the ?: https://t.co/sCBTHhwm33
Press release: https://t.co/STOCsWZbKU pic.twitter.com/bhqvuQqGEw— IATA (@IATA) June 11, 2020
Iceland, for instance, announced earlier this month that it would begin testing all incoming airline passengers for COVID-19 as authorities try to salvage the country’s biggest export, tourism.
Many countries still require that visitors undergo a mandatory 14-day quarantine period in order to determine that a person is not sick with the virus – a red line for many holidaymakers.
A recent IATA survey found that more than 80 percent of travelers are as concerned about potential quarantine restrictions as they are of catching the virus.
In Vienna, Austria, the airport has begun allowing travelers to avoid quarantine if they are able to present a health certificate showing a negative test result for coronavirus that is less than four days old.
Some airlines, including Dubai’s Emirates airlines, have even begun offering coronavirus testing prior to departure in order to expedite this process.
Tourists will be able to look forward to a greatly expanded list of destinations as governments continue to rollback their emergency coronavirus measures.
Plans have already been put in place in some countries to continue relaxing lockdown and begin allowing foreign tourists within the next couple of weeks, with others calling the need to open borders while maintaining safety a top priority.
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