travel 2020 Archives – Prague Morning

Russia plans to resume some international flights from August. 1, Deputy Prime Minister Tatiana Golikova said on Friday, but the list of destinations will initially be limited to Tanzania, Turkey, and the United Kingdom.

International flights were grounded on March 30 after the imposition of lockdown measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus, which has infected more than 800,000 people in Russia.

Specifically, she said flights would resume to and from London, Turkish cities Istanbul and Ankara and the island of Zanzibar in Tanzania from August. 1. More holiday destinations in Turkey would be added from August. 10, Golikova added.

“Foreigners arriving in Russia will need to present negative coronavirus test results taken within the past 72 hours to be allowed entry,” she added.

Russia has not yet reopened its borders to all foreigners.

Speaking on state television, she added that authorities were working on a list of more countries where air travel could be resumed on a mutual basis.

Russia grounded nearly all international flights in late March to slow the coronavirus outbreak, allowing only special flights evacuating Russians from abroad and other flights authorized by the government.

Russia confirmed 5,811 new coronavirus infections Friday, bringing the country’s official number of cases to 800,849.

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Russia will officially be reopening its borders for international tourism beginning on July 15th according to a new government decree.

Russia will no longer require foreigners to self-isolate for 14 days after arrival as the country looks to begin reopening to international tourism.

Those arriving in Russia will need to present English or Russian-language proof that they have tested negative for the coronavirus in the past 72 hours to be allowed entry.

Interfax has published a list of thirteen countries with which Russia could resume flights in the near future. In addition to China and Vietnam, the list includes seven European countries – such as Germany, the Netherlands, and Italy.

The Czech Republic is not mentioned in the list, yet. However, Aeroflot and its subsidiary Rossija have been offering two-way flights between Prague and Moscow since August 1.

According to Russian Deputy Prime Minister Golikova, the government will evaluate the epidemiological situation in individual countries every two weeks. The main criterion will be the number of infected: it should not exceed 40 per 100,000 inhabitants.

The average daily increase in the number of people infected and the rate of spread of the disease in such states should not exceed one percent.

According to Golikova, reopening of flight routes would be based on the principle of reciprocity, ie to countries that already allow Russian citizens to enter (for example, Croatia).

Russia fully closed air service with other countries, except flights to bring back Russian nationals, freight and mail carriage flights, at the end of March on the back of the coronavirus pandemic. Regular and charter international flights have been fully suspended since March 27.

The epidemiological situation in Russia is gradually improving.

Russia confirmed 6,422 new coronavirus infections Wednesday, bringing the country’s official number of cases to 746,369. Over the past 24 hours, 156 people have died, bringing the total toll to 11,770 — a rate considerably lower than in many other countries hit hard by the pandemic.

A total of 10,424 people recovered over the last 24 hours, bringing the overall number of recoveries to 523,249.

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European Union will reopen the borders to citizens of 14 countries starting from July 1: the list includes Australia, Canada, South Korea, Japan, New Zealand, Rwanda, Thailand, Uruguay, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Georgia, Montenegro, and Serbia.

Travelers from China would be approved to enter, but under the condition that Beijing would do the same for Europeans.

The document is yet to be formally agreed by the Council of the European Union next week.

Some EU countries have requested a delay in the decision for further examination, meaning the decision may be revised. The list is not entirely binding, border management remains a matter of national decision.

“There are still ongoing consultations, which will continue until Monday,” an EU source said.

“There is no visibility on where this will go, but the presidency still hopes to put this matter to a vote on Monday,” the source added.

Brussels is following a principle of a joint agreement by EU countries based on criteria such as “health status, ability to apply containment measures during travel and reciprocity considerations”.

For now, countries like the United States, Russia, and Brazil are left out, where the epidemiological situation does not offer security for fear of new outbreaks.

On March 11, 2020, the WHO declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic. According to the latest statistics, over 9,724,100 people have been infected worldwide and more than 492,000 deaths have been reported.

The United States is currently the country most affected by COVID-19 with more than 125,000 deaths.

Latvian airline airBaltic plans to resume direct flights from Prague to Riga on July 27. The flights will be performed five times weekly on an Airbus A220-300 aircraft.

Martin Gauss, CEO of airBaltic: “The safety and health of our passengers is our top priority. We have introduced strong safety measures and our new flight operations follow the recommendations issued by authorities. All passengers on board of airBaltic aircraft are provided with a complimentary basic care kit consisting of a protective face mask and disinfection wipes.”

airBaltic is in close cooperation with the authorities to monitor the situation and is flexible to adjust the flight schedule if needed. Passengers are strongly suggested to check the travel regulations and airport restrictions on official websites or with local embassies before traveling.

Regulations are changing rapidly and vary per country, therefore always make sure you have the latest information to have a smooth journey.

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Many protective measures have been set up also at Václav Havel Airport Prague in co-operation with public health authorities for several months. Departures and arrivals take place under strict hygienic conditions, which are to ensure the health and safety of passengers.

All passengers and visitors must wear facemasks in all areas of Prague Airport, keep a safe distance from other people, wash their hands frequently and thoroughly and use hand sanitizers.

Full schedule and tickets for the flights are available on the airBaltic website. In addition, a temporary offer for all new airBaltic reservations made by June 30, 2020, is available, offering passengers to rebook them without an additional fee to a new date. Only one date change is permitted.

To read more about the new airBaltic health measures, please visit airBaltic website

Earlier last week, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis pledged to work toward the reopening of the summer tourist season on 1 July, after the coronavirus pandemic had put into doubt the future of many tourist-related businesses in the country.

“Greece and the Czech Republic are also negotiating a variant of traveling without a COVID-19 negative test result,” said today in a press release today the Deputy Foreign Minister Martin Smolek after talks with Greek Foreign Minister Harry Theoharis.

“The Greek minister assured us that the vast majority of islands will be open to Czechs. We are also considering an option to enter Greece without a test,” Smolek added.

The Greek government announced the reopening of restaurants and cafes in the country on 1 June, thanks to the population’s great efforts in stifling and stopping the spread of the coronavirus.

Greek authorities on Monday (May 18) opened up more than 200 archaeological sites that were closed for almost two months due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Archeological sites are in the first category of cultural sites that will reopen, followed by open-air summer cinemas on June 1, museums on June 15, and art events on July 15, culture minister Lina Mendoni has announced.

The sites will operate from 8 am to 8 pm, and the visitors will be required to keep a distance of 1.5 meters from one another. Authorities have also announced strict rules for using the restroom facilities at the sites, including disinfecting the hands and wearing face masks.

Wizz Air is already selling tickets to several Greek destinations from London Luton for July including Zakynthos, Heraklion, Corfu, and Rhodes.