International travel and Covid 19

**Zeos1** · 08-19-20 22:25

Quoting from today's Tico Times, saying that sometime in September the following.

"USA Tourists will only be welcomed if they are residents of the following states: New York, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont and Connecticut. Passengers must prove their residency in one of those states using their driver's license.

"We have included the license-plate requirement to minimize the likelihood that someone from a non-authorized state be allowed to enter," Segura said. "We are minimizing our epidemiological risk. ".

Tourists must obtain a negative PCR-RT test within 48 hours of their flight and purchase a travel-insurance plan that covers COVID-19. (This can be a pre-approved Costa Rican plan, or a foreign one that meets a series of requirements.).

In addition, all arriving passengers must complete an online health form. ".

End quote.

By "license-plate requirement" I think they mean driver's license.

These are the same requirements as for country / residents currently allowed.

**Quagmire1974** · 08-17-20 21:56

COVID spiking in Aruba. Only 4 active cases of COVID in early July but now over 900:

https://www.visitaruba.com/news/gene...avel-to-aruba/

Anguilla opening for tourism:

https://www.travelandleisure.com/tra...plans-covid-19

Dominica opens its borders, airlines schedule flights to island:

https://www.travelpulse.com/news/des...rs-reopen.html

**Lucky Nuts** · 08-17-20 03:39

Originally Posted by Quagmire1974 [View Original Post]

Thailand reopening for tourism in 2021:

https://www.lonelyplanet.com/article...reopening-plan

Tourism booming in Aruba since reopening:

https://www.travelandleisure.com/tri...ng-coronavirus

Thanks for the link Quagmire but it's a misleadilng headline. The content is more about how Thailand is NOT opening to tourism. They have no idea when they will be opening anyhow.

"Speaking at a webinar this week, the deputy governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), Chattan Kunjara Na Ayudhya, said it's likely that tourism won't resume until 2021. "The Christmas period, usually the high season, is in jeopardy and I'm looking horribly even to Chinese New Year in 2021," he said of a proposed date to opening borders but stressed that even that date is "iffy" as the government is taking a "very, very cautious approach. ".

**Quagmire1974** · 08-17-20 00:06

Originally Posted by Artisttyp [View Original Post]

Don't believe the hype. Try any Mexico Trip Advisor forum. Red Flags all over the place. Mexico is lying. Numbers are skewed everywhere.

Apologies. Some clarification is needed. When I said "conditions beginning to improve in Mexico," I was referring to the change in "stoplights" from red to orange. With the change, it means more activities and opening of public spaces is allowed, which is something most mongers like us welcome:

https://www.vallartadaily.com/new-no...-restrictions/

There's no doubt in my mind that numbers are being skewed, not only in Mexico but in other countries as well. What's that lyric from Don Henley's song, The Garden of Allah? "Because there are no facts, there is no truth. Just data to be manipulated."

**Artisttyp** · 08-16-20 20:21

Originally Posted by Quagmire1974 [View Original Post]

Conditions beginning to improve in Mexico, with many states dropping from Maximum Alert (Red) to High Alert (Orange):

Don't believe the hype. Try any Mexico Trip Advisor forum. Red Flags all over the place. Mexico is lying. Numbers are skewed everywhere.

**Quagmire1974** · 08-16-20 19:19

Fresh spread of COVID on Trinidad and Tobago. New shutdowns announced and a second lockdown possible:

https://www.caribbeannationalweekly....ntil-december/

**Quagmire1974** · 08-16-20 04:25

Conditions beginning to improve in Mexico, with many states dropping from Maximum Alert (Red) to High Alert (Orange):

https://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/cor...ovid-risk-map/

Closure of border between Canada and United States extended to September 21:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/sandram...e058 dc4909 d.

**Quagmire1974** · 08-14-20 22:19

Thailand reopening for tourism in 2021:

https://www.lonelyplanet.com/article...reopening-plan

Tourism booming in Aruba since reopening:

https://www.travelandleisure.com/tri...ng-coronavirus

**Zeos1** · 08-11-20 20:29

Originally Posted by TheCane [View Original Post]

Who will take the Ruskie COVID-19 vaccine? Not me!

https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/11/europ...ntl/index.html

Apparently just starting Phase 3 testing. So people will be taking it as part of that testing. Same as a couple of others already in Phase 3. But. Apparently they have certified it based on very early results before Phase 3 testing. So, may be good for them, may be bad. Time will tell. If it gets through Phase 3 well, and is effective, certainly I would consider it.

**Rocky V** · 08-11-20 19:31

Originally Posted by TheCane [View Original Post]

Who will take the Ruskie COVID-19 vaccine? Not me!

https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/11/europ...ntl/index.html

Putin says it is safe and yet he hasn't taken it himself. He preferred to give it to one of his daughters and see what happens. The dad everyone would love to have! LOL.

**The Cane** · 08-11-20 15:13

Who will take the Ruskie COVID-19 vaccine? Not me!

https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/11/europ...ntl/index.html

**ShoesAndSocks** · 08-11-20 01:27

I feel at the moment all countries are hoping & praying for a vaccine to make it all better. How sensible this is will probably be known by the end of the year. My worry as an over 60 yo is will any vaccine be effective for my age group, as it seems an accepted fact that older bodies simply don't respond as well to vaccines in general.

And, a lot of people seem to have the strange mindset that 2021 has to be better simply because it won't be 2020!

I wrote off any chance of o/s travel in 2020 months ago, and I'd be happy now with any time in 2021. Like our moderator, my sex life in retirement revolved around travelling abroad, and without those trips to look forward to, it sucks.

**Elvis 2008** · 08-10-20 19:38

I think where testing will have more of a role or should have more of a role is about whether there is a need for isolation. If you test negative and are afebrile and without viral symptoms, I see no need to isolate for 10 to 14 days.

**Elvis 2008** · 08-10-20 19:11

Originally Posted by ShoesAndSocks [View Original Post]

Without a vaccine, the only other development I could see allowing international travel is a Covid-19 test that is rapid, reliable and inexpensive.

I understand why you would say this S and S, but vaccines against RNA viruses like Corona are never 100% effective. At best, they are around 50% effective, and the people touting vaccines as the answer likely are looking to profit handsomely off of it.

They have covid 19 testing now that is rapid and is about 85% accurate. Some are up to 95% accurate but that is on the positive end. The false negatives are very problematic, and I doubt they will be solved. The antibody testing is even worse.

The real development about Covid and air travel have been these two anecdotal reports:

Here is someone with Covid who wore a mask and didn't infect anyone on his flight because he wore a mask: https://www.cmaj.ca/content/192/15/E410.

Then you have the opposite here, a guy who kept his mask off for over an hour and did get infected when people who wore masks did not: https://fortune.com/2020/07/28/unmas...r-rules-masks/.

Personally, I think the decision to ban air travel was made in haste and is silly now that all areas of the world are showing signs of Covid spreading domestically. Even banning people from high risk areas makes little sense to me unless your native population is Covid free or near Covid free.

Given that Peru and Colombia completely banned international travel and cases are going through the roof there right now, I see no evidence that banning air travel has had any positive effect while the ban has certainly had enormous negative ones to those working in the airline industries.

**The Cane** · 08-10-20 12:35

Originally Posted by ShoesAndSocks [View Original Post]

So, I think a vaccine is what is needed for me to travel overseas again. Some form of proof (say, stamp in passport) seems a good idea. But, I read the other day that even if a vaccine was proven today it would be 18 months before you could go to your doctor and get it. If this proves to be the case, what will be left of the international travel system in say 2 years time?

It wouldn't be in a passport. It would most likely be in a vaccination record like the attached. And international travel is going to come roaring back with a vengeance! All of the pent up demand all over the world. It's going to come roaring back. It's just a matter of who can survive from now until then, and who will be in the position to take advantage when people are free to travel worldwide again.