Two thirds of passengers on first flight to Covid-free island test positive
2 years, 11 months ago

Two thirds of passengers on first flight to Covid-free island test positive

The Independent  

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The island of Kiribati had managed to stay Covid-free for the entirety of the pandemic - but when the first flight touched down last Friday, two-thirds of the passengers onboard tested positive for the virus. However, after a security guard at the quarantine facility and two members of the public also tested positive, Kiribati’s leaders announced a four-day island-wide lockdown would be in place from Monday, alongside a two-week curfew that was put in place on Tuesday. Travellers to Kiribati need to show proof of double vaccination completed at least 14 days prior to travel, a negative test result from within the 72 hours before departure, proof that they did not have Covid 14 days prior, and “proof that have travelled from a Covid-free country”.

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History of this topic

COVID-19: State does a U-turn on seven-day home quarantine norm
2 years ago

COVID-19: State does a U-turn on seven-day home quarantine norm

The Hindu  

Three days after making seven days home quarantine mandatory for asymptomatic international passengers arriving in the State from five high risk countries — China, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Thailand — besides Hong Kong, Karnataka on Tuesday withdrew this norm. Following recommendations by the State’s COVID-19 Technical Advisory Committee, the Health Department had issued a circular on December 31 mandating …

COVID-19: Over 80,000 tourists trapped in 'China's Hawaii' after authorities impose travel curbs
2 years, 5 months ago

COVID-19: Over 80,000 tourists trapped in 'China's Hawaii' after authorities impose travel curbs

Firstpost  

Tourism hotspot Sanya is a city of more than a million people on the southern island of Hainan, where 483 Covid cases were reported Sunday. All flights out of the city were cancelled over the weekend, with authorities also halting train ticket sales Beijing: Over 80,000 tourists are stranded in a resort city popularly known as “China’s Hawaii” after a …

Micronesia’s first COVID-19 outbreak balloons, causing alarm
2 years, 5 months ago

Micronesia’s first COVID-19 outbreak balloons, causing alarm

LA Times  

The sun sets over the runway at the Chuuk Airport in Weno, Federated States of Micronesia. The country’s first COVID-19 outbreak has grown in one week to more than 1,000 cases. Micronesia’s first outbreak of COVID-19 grew in one week to more than 1,000 cases by Tuesday, causing alarm in the Pacific island nation. She said one positive outcome was …

Samoa detects scores of COVID cases within days of outbreak
2 years, 9 months ago

Samoa detects scores of COVID cases within days of outbreak

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Samoa has reported scores of …

Samoa detects scores of cases daily in its first-ever coronavirus outbreak
2 years, 9 months ago

Samoa detects scores of cases daily in its first-ever coronavirus outbreak

LA Times  

A traditional boat is hauled ashore in Apia, Samoa, in 2015. Samoa has reported scores of new coronavirus cases daily since detecting its first-ever case of community transmission last week. The South Pacific island nation of 200,000 people has been in lockdown since Saturday as it deals with its first outbreak since a worldwide pandemic was declared two years ago. …

These countries are still Covid-free
2 years, 11 months ago

These countries are still Covid-free

The Independent  

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Other islands elsewhere have also stayed Covid-free according to the World Health Organization: Niue, Tokelau, Saint Helena, the Cook Islands …

COVID hits one of the last uninfected places on the planet
2 years, 11 months ago

COVID hits one of the last uninfected places on the planet

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “It’s a matter of buying …

Tonga records two COVID-19 community cases, Pacific Island nation prepares for two-day lockdown
2 years, 11 months ago

Tonga records two COVID-19 community cases, Pacific Island nation prepares for two-day lockdown

ABC  

Tonga will enter a two-day nationwide lockdown from Wednesday night after recording two asymptomatic community cases of COVID-19. Key points: Tonga had been COVID-free and has not had any community transmission of the virus since the start of the pandemic The lockdown comes as the Pacific Island nation struggles to recover from a volcanic eruption and tsunami last month The …

After two years, the coronavirus hits one of the last uninfected places on Earth
2 years, 11 months ago

After two years, the coronavirus hits one of the last uninfected places on Earth

LA Times  

The Tarawa atoll of the Pacific island nation of Kiribati, one of the last on the planet to suffer a coronavirus outbreak. When the coronavirus began spreading around the world, the remote Pacific archipelago of Kiribati closed its borders, ensuring that the pathogen didn’t reach its shores for nearly two full years. Kiribati finally began reopening this month, allowing the …

COVID hits one of the last uninfected places on planet
2 years, 11 months ago

COVID hits one of the last uninfected places on planet

India TV News  

Highlights Kiribati began reopening this month nearly after two years Officials tested each returning passenger three times in nearby Fiji Over half the passengers tested COVID positive When the coronavirus began spreading around the world, the remote Pacific archipelago of Kiribati closed its borders, ensuring the disease didn’t reach its shores for nearly two full years. Kiribati finally began reopening …

Covid outbreak on Australian aid ship headed to virus-free Tonga
2 years, 11 months ago

Covid outbreak on Australian aid ship headed to virus-free Tonga

Deccan Chronicle  

Almost two dozen crew on board an Australian Navy ship on its way to provide relief to the Pacific island of Tonga have been diagnosed with coronavirus, potentially hampering aid efforts to the Covid-free nation. Dutton said the Australian government was working with Tongan authorities to ensure the aid could still be delivered safely without passing on Covid to anyone …

The 333 islands opening to the world
3 years ago

The 333 islands opening to the world

BBC  

The 333 islands opening to the world Michele Westmorland/Getty Images As of 1 December, Fiji instituted a quarantine-free travel policy to welcome vaccinated travellers from countries across the globe. Thankfully, the arrival of vaccines was a "game-changer", said Digitaki, as the country made it mandatory to be vaccinated to go to work, to travel or to enter shops and restaurants. …

Fiji Reopens to Foreign Tourists for First Time in Nearly 2 Years Despite Omicron Threat
3 years, 1 month ago

Fiji Reopens to Foreign Tourists for First Time in Nearly 2 Years Despite Omicron Threat

News 18  

Fiji reopened its border to international travellers for the first time in nearly two years on Wednesday, as the Pacific Island country seeks to revive its dominant tourism industry. Fiji shut its border to all foreign nationals in March 2020 to curb the spread of COVID-19 in a desperate bid to stop its limited medical facilities being overrun. With about …

Fiji reopens border to fully vaccinated residents, citizens and permit holders in Australia
3 years, 1 month ago

Fiji reopens border to fully vaccinated residents, citizens and permit holders in Australia

ABC  

Ten months after giving birth to her son in Melbourne, Farisha's parents will finally be able to meet their grandson as Fiji's international border reopens to Australia today. Key points: From December 1, Fiji will allow quarantine-free travel for fully vaccinated people from select countries Before then, eligible travellers to Fiji will be required to complete three nights quarantine on …

Tonga records first-ever COVID-19 case, Pacific island nation prepares for lockdown
3 years, 2 months ago

Tonga records first-ever COVID-19 case, Pacific island nation prepares for lockdown

ABC  

Residents on Tonga's main island will go into a snap lockdown at midnight after the country recorded its first COVID-19 case since the beginning of the pandemic. Key points: Residents on Tonga's main island will begin a seven-day lockdown from Tuesday, with a daily curfew from 8pm to 6am The move comes after a passenger from New Zealand tested positive …

Tonga faces lockdown after first COVID case is detected
3 years, 2 months ago

Tonga faces lockdown after first COVID case is detected

Al Jazeera  

Prime Minister Pohiva Tuionetoa says South Pacific nation of 106,000 people could be locked down next week if infection spreads. Tongan Prime Minister Pohiva Tuionetoa warned on Saturday that residents on the country’s main island Tongatapu faced a possible lockdown next week after recording its first case of COVID-19. “We should use this time to get ready in case more …

Tonga reports its first ever COVID-19 case of the pandemic in traveller from New Zealand
3 years, 2 months ago

Tonga reports its first ever COVID-19 case of the pandemic in traveller from New Zealand

ABC  

The island nation of Tonga has reported its first-ever case of COVID-19 after a traveller from New Zealand tested positive. Key points: The island nation had remained COVID-free until now The case is a traveller from Christchurch who departed before the news came of community cases there New Zealand health officials said the traveller was fully vaccinated and returned a …

Tonga reports its first-ever COVID-19 case
3 years, 2 months ago

Tonga reports its first-ever COVID-19 case

NPR  

Tonga reports its first-ever COVID-19 case Enlarge this image toggle caption Mark Baker/AP Mark Baker/AP WELLINGTON, New Zealand — The island nation of Tonga on Friday reported its first-ever case of COVID-19 after a traveler from New Zealand tested positive. Sponsor Message Tonga's Prime Minister Pohiva Tu'i'onetoa said in a radio address that the traveler was among 215 passengers who …

Tonga reports its first coronavirus case
3 years, 2 months ago

Tonga reports its first coronavirus case

Al Jazeera  

Tonga’s prime minister will announce on Monday whether the island will be placed under a national lockdown. The nation island of Tonga has reported its first coronavirus infection since the beginning of the pandemic after a passenger travelling from New Zealand tested positive. In a radio address on Friday, Tonga’s Prime Minister Pohiva Tu’i’onetoa confirmed that there was one COVID-19 …

Travel from New Zealand South Island to be allowed without COVID quarantine
3 years, 2 months ago

Travel from New Zealand South Island to be allowed without COVID quarantine

ABC  

Travellers from the South Island of New Zealand will be able to arrive in Australia without spending two weeks in quarantine from Wednesday. Key points: Quarantine-free travel for people heading to Australia from New Zealand's South Island to restart from Wednesday Australians heading to New Zealand will still be required to do 14 days in hotel quarantine 'Green lane', or …

Fiji to open its borders next month and Australians already booking tropical holidays
3 years, 2 months ago

Fiji to open its borders next month and Australians already booking tropical holidays

ABC  

Australian families looking for a tropical getaway say they feel more confident planning a holiday to Fiji than interstate, with double-vaccination rates in the Pacific country surpassing 80 per cent. Key points: Fiji will reopen to some international tourists from November 11 The Pacific nation has turned around its coronavirus response since June with high vaccination rates PM Frank Bainimarama …

New Zealand, Australia travel bubble suspended as COVID continues
3 years, 3 months ago

New Zealand, Australia travel bubble suspended as COVID continues

Al Jazeera  

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says the country is within sight of eliminating Delta but travel restrictions to Australia extended until November. New Zealand has suspended quarantine-free travel with Australia for a further eight weeks, extending a halt in the so-called travel bubble between both countries, as they deal with fresh outbreaks of the Delta variant of the COVID-19 virus. New …

Fiji reopening December 1
3 years, 3 months ago

Fiji reopening December 1

CNN  

CNN — Fiji will reopen to fully vaccinated tourists on December 1, 2021, according to an official statement from the country’s national tourism body. “It’s been almost two years since we welcomed international visitors,” Fiji Minister for Tourism, Hon. “We are ecstatic that Fiji will open its borders to international visitors before the end of the year,”Tourism Fiji’s CEO Brent …

Fiji was once first in line for an Aussie travel bubble, now it's battered by COVID. What happened?
3 years, 6 months ago

Fiji was once first in line for an Aussie travel bubble, now it's battered by COVID. What happened?

ABC  

As the Pacific's most mature and developed economy, Fiji has endured a bruising 12 months. The Reserve Bank of Fiji estimates the economy contracted by 19 per cent last year, a number that would presage societal collapse if it were recorded here in Australia. Fiji has now recorded close to 900 cases in this outbreak, with half of those cases …

Parliament closed, quarantine facilities overrun as Delta COVID-19 strain rips through Fiji
3 years, 6 months ago

Parliament closed, quarantine facilities overrun as Delta COVID-19 strain rips through Fiji

ABC  

Fiji's Parliament has been forced to close as COVID-19 cases surge in the Pacific island nation, overwhelming quarantine facilities and prompting calls for a nationwide lockdown. Key points: Fiji went a full year without recording any community cases until April Fiji went a full year without recording any community cases until April Authorities have resisted introducing a national lockdown, over …

Cases linked to Delta strain explode in Fiji, as government struggles to control outbreak
3 years, 7 months ago

Cases linked to Delta strain explode in Fiji, as government struggles to control outbreak

ABC  

Young mother Vaseva Radinivanuakula was shocked when her entire village in Fiji was put under lockdown. Key points: Fiji recorded a daily record of 83 cases on Sunday The outbreak is linked to the highly infectious Delta strain The government is being urged to introduce a lockdown on businesses Authorities said that a funeral held last Thursday in her tiny …

Kauai beat COVID-19. Now the Hawaiian island faces a new challenge: Rebuilding the economy
3 years, 7 months ago

Kauai beat COVID-19. Now the Hawaiian island faces a new challenge: Rebuilding the economy

LA Times  

Cynthia and Lance Keener, owners of Ohana Fishing Charters, felt officials on Kauai went too far in imposing virus restrictions. Kauai Mayor Derek Kawakami, in his office in Lihue, Hawaii, said coronavirus case numbers weren’t just numbers but “actual people. I can still smell the popcorn, walking past.” A rooster struts in the parking lot of the former Kukui Grove …

Fiji's capital Suva goes into COVID-19 lockdown after quarantine facility soldiers spread infection
3 years, 8 months ago

Fiji's capital Suva goes into COVID-19 lockdown after quarantine facility soldiers spread infection

ABC  

Fiji's capital Suva has entered a 14-day lockdown as the Pacific island nation battles to contain a COVID-19 spike. Key points: The outbreak began with a soldier who worked at a quarantine facility A maid then exposed up to 500 people at a funeral About 100,000 people in Suva, Fiji's capital, are now in lockdown About 100,000 people in the …

Pause in travel bubble with New Zealand extended for three more days
3 years, 11 months ago

Pause in travel bubble with New Zealand extended for three more days

ABC  

Mandatory hotel quarantine will be imposed on New Zealanders travelling to Australia for an extra three days after the Federal Government extended the suspension of the trans-Tasman travel bubble. Key points: Suspension of travel bubble with New Zealand extended for three more days Health officials are concerned that travellers to Australia from New Zealand as early as January 9 could …

Mostly virus-free Kauai hit by pandemic after travel resumes
4 years ago

Mostly virus-free Kauai hit by pandemic after travel resumes

Associated Press  

HONOLULU — On Hawaii’s rural island of Kauai, where sprawling white sand beaches and dramatic seaside mountains attract visitors from around the world, local residents spent the first seven months of the pandemic sheltered from the viral storm. Early and aggressive local measures coupled with a strictly enforced statewide travel quarantine kept Kauai’s 72,000 residents mostly healthy — the island …

As more Pacific countries record COVID-19 cases, some governments are rethinking their coronavirus strategy
4 years, 1 month ago

As more Pacific countries record COVID-19 cases, some governments are rethinking their coronavirus strategy

ABC  

Vanuatu has joined just a handful of Pacific countries with active COVID-19 cases. Key points: Vanuatu doesn't have enough test kits and is prioritising people from medium- and high-risk areas Vanuatu doesn't have enough test kits and is prioritising people from medium- and high-risk areas Cases in Tahiti surged a month after it opened its borders to international tourists in …

7 Air India passengers test COVID-19 positive in New Zealand after arrival from Delhi
4 years, 4 months ago

7 Air India passengers test COVID-19 positive in New Zealand after arrival from Delhi

Deccan Chronicle  

New Delhi: Seven passengers who travelled from Delhi to Auckland in New Zealand on Sunday on an Air India flight have tested positive for COVID-19 three days after their arrival, a senior government official said on Friday. Earlier this month, all Air India passenger flights were barred from landing in Hong Kong till August-end after 14 passengers on its Delhi-Hong …

New Zealand issues stay-at-home orders as COVID-19 makes a comeback
4 years, 4 months ago

New Zealand issues stay-at-home orders as COVID-19 makes a comeback

Deccan Chronicle  

Wellington: Health authorities in New Zealand were scrambling Wednesday to trace the source of a new outbreak of the coronavirus as the nation’s largest city went back into lockdown. Authorities said two of the people who had tested positive had travelled to the tourist city of Rotorua last weekend while suffering symptoms and they were now trying to track their …

Hawaii reinstates inter-island travel quarantine and other restrictions as Covid-19 cases surge
4 years, 5 months ago

Hawaii reinstates inter-island travel quarantine and other restrictions as Covid-19 cases surge

CNN  

CNN — Hawaiian officials are tightening restrictions after a surge in Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations statewide – with majority of the cases on the island of Oahu. It’s been very disappointing.” Ige announced that a 14-day inter-island travel quarantine will be in place starting August 11 to stop further spread to other islands. Hospitals could be overwhelmed by the end …

Pacific nations stay vigilant against coronavirus in cyclone's aftermath
4 years, 8 months ago

Pacific nations stay vigilant against coronavirus in cyclone's aftermath

India Today  

A powerful cyclone that hit the Pacific Island nations this week bringing death, injuries and destruction cannot be allowed to disrupt containment efforts against the spread of the coronavirus, officials in the region said. Cyclone Harold, a Category 5 storm with winds in excess of 251 km/h passed through the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Fiji and Tonga, cutting power and destroying …

Tourists being kept under coronavirus quarantine at luxury Maldives resort
4 years, 10 months ago

Tourists being kept under coronavirus quarantine at luxury Maldives resort

CNN  

CNN — While there’s no doubt that having your vacation interrupted by a fast-spreading virus that’s infected more than 108,000 globally and killed over 3,800 is a major inconvenience, there are surely worse places to be confined than a luxury Maldives resort. Over the weekend, the Indian Ocean island nation was added to the ever-growing list of countries with confirmed …

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