Desk Report
Publish: 19 Mar 2022, 07:23 pm
The Netherlands is known for canals such as this picturesque waterway in Amsterdam || Photo: Collected
A small but increasing number of
destinations are lifting all of their Covid-related travel restrictions,
regardless of vaccination status, including some European favorites.
The United Kingdom, Ireland, and
Hungary all swelled the ranks this month. The Caribbean island Aruba, the
Portuguese archipelago Madeira and north-central Asia's Mongolia have also
lifted their main Covid entry requirements.
They join Iceland, Norway, and
Slovenia, which all shed their Covid rules in February.
Other countries will be watching
closely to measure the success or failure of these bold moves as Omicron
continues to spread around the world.
The US Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention's travel advisory list, increasingly a hoarse-voiced
Cassandra, still has about 125 destinations in its highest-risk "avoid
travel" category -- with the latest addition an Indian Ocean island
nation.
Masks on planes
Several UK airlines, including
British Airways and Virgin Atlantic, have just made mask-wearing optional for
passengers and crew on certain flights. The rules are more than a little
opaque, however, and are dependent on the laws of the destination country.
Mask-wearing has been a
contentious issue on planes over the past two years. The US Transportation
Security Administration has issued more than $644,000 in fines for alleged mask
violations since February 2021.
The US mask mandate is currently
set to be in place through April 18. Whether it's lifted or extended again,
there are bound to be some unhappy (and potentially very unruly) passengers
either way. And if some industry advocates get their way, a no-fly list for
unruly travelers could help keep bad behavior in check.
Record-breaking bridges
Turkey opened an impressive
suspension bridge across the Dardanelles Strait on Friday that just so happens
to connect the continents of Europe and Asia. (Turkey is in a very rare club --
nations that occupy parts of two continents.)
It was a massive, record-setting
undertaking. Find out its jaw-dropping stats and how much it will cost vehicles
to cross.
Meanwhile, China is setting its
own record with bridges. In April, a bridge is set to open in scenic Yunnan
province with a "singular" feature that has to be seen to be
believed.
The Nordic nation of Finland has
just been named the world's happiest country for the fifth year in a row.
The Finns have plenty to smile
about, the newly released World Happiness Report says, when it comes to healthy
life expectancy, GDP per capita, social support when times are hard, high
social trust, and more.
Global levels of worry and stress
have also dipped a little, though they're still higher than pre-pandemic
levels._CNN
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