Coronavirus policies differ from airline to airline and country to country. We’ve provided a link to a summary view of policies which, though it does not not represent the complete terms and conditions and is provided for informational purposes only, also includes links to the various airlines for their latest updates.
For the latest airlines polices CHECK HERE
And, for Canadian traveller guidance CHECK HERE
Transport Minister Marc Garneau announced that starting Monday all commercial marine vessels with the capacity of 12 or more passengers will stop non-essential activities, such as tourism or recreation.
Ferries and essential passenger vessel operators are to immediately reduce the maximum number of passengers carried on board by half in an effort to comply with physical distancing rules.
Transport Canada says operators will also implement alternative practices to reduce the spread of the virus, such as keeping people in their vehicles.
The Coral Princess, with 1,020 passengers and 878 crew members aboard, finally docked Saturday at Florida’s PortMiami after a weeks-long search for a port that would let its passengers disembark. Several passengers and crew members have tested positive for the coronavirus and two passengers have died.
The cruise began March 5 in Chile and was supposed to finish March 19 in Argentina, but it ran on for days as countries refused to allow passengers ashore during the coronavirus pandemic.
The Coral Princess’ trip became increasingly extended even though none of the ship’s occupants tested positive for the disease until last week. That calls into question the quarantine period. If passengers boarded on March 5, and only tested positive last week – that’s at least a three week period.
Passengers have self-isolated in their staterooms and meals have been delivered by room service. Crew members also have remained in their quarters when they are not working. It’s still not clear how soon all of the passengers and crew will disembark in Miami.
Some passengers have begun disembarking the Coral Princess, but Canadians are not among them. Princess Cruises says new US Centers for Disease Control guidelines saying cruise passengers shouldn’t board commercial flights have limited who is allowed off the ship.Only those travelling to the U.K., Australia and California on chartered flights are being allowed off.
Passenger Sanford Osler of North Vancouver says the cruise line has promised to charter a plane for the 97 Canadian passengers, but no timeline has been laid out.
Guests fit to fly home were to start leaving the ship Sunday, but the disembarking “is expected to take several days due to limited flight availability,” Princess Cruises said.
More than 990 passengers and 840 crew members have been deemed fit for travel, Gimenez said Saturday.
A retired couple from Metchosin say they and other Canadian passengers aboard a cruise ship where four people died of COVID-19 had a mad dash home after being released in Florida.
Norma Kirkham and her husband David were aboard Holland America’s Zaandam when several passengers became ill.
When they arrived in Fort Lauderdale Friday, Norma says people were blowing horns and waving in welcome, and then the Canadians were rushed onto a bus for the airport.
BC medical health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says the passengers were flown to Toronto, checked for the virus and then connected to their home destinations where they’ll be in quarantine for the next 14 days.
The premier of Newfoundland and Labrador says he’s furious with Donald Trump for suggesting the country could ban exports of medical supplies to Canada.
Dwight Ball told a news conference today that the province gained international acclaim for the way its residents helped thousands of stranded airline passengers after the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States in 2001.
Ball says that when the United States was in crisis, Newfoundlanders and Labradorians “acted fast and did what was necessary.”
The premier said even though he was “infuriated” with Trump’s actions, he insisted that the people of the province wouldn’t hesitate to repeat what they did during 9/11.
Metro Vancouver’s transit operator is chopping services because of low ridership and financial pressures amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
TransLink says it’s also deferring the planned fare increase for July 1st to sometime in the future.
Starting Monday, Coast Mountain Bus Company will cut its service to focus on busy routes, the SeaBus will move to a 30-minute sailing schedule all day, and the West Coast Express train 4 is cancelled.
Since mid-March, train, bus and SeaBus ridership has dropped between 82 and 95 percent.
The Vancouver Park Board is adding some extra support to enforce physical distancing rules at parks and beaches.
More than two dozen recreational staff dressed in bright green vests will be engaging with the public, with the aim of making residents aware of COVID-19 directives, public etiquette and the courteous use of sharing outdoor spaces.
Board chairman Camil Dumont says while the parking lots have been closed to parks and beaches, the areas remain open in recognition of how important outdoor spaces are to health and wellness.
The US Coast Guard said in a news release Saturday it has been involved with processing about 120 vessels carrying some 250,000 passengers over the past three weeks because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Coast Guard statement said as of Saturday there are 114 cruise ships, carrying 93,000 crew members, either in or near US ports and waters. That includes 73 cruise ships, with 52,000 crew members, moored or anchored in US ports and anchorages. Another 41 cruise ships, with 41,000 crew members, are underway and close to the US
The cruise line industry announced a voluntarily suspension of most ship operations from US ports on March 13. The next day, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced a “no sail” order to all cruise ships that had not suspended operations.
The Walt Disney Company has finally confirmed the extended closure of parks in California and Florida. Disney originally closed its parks until the end of this month, but now says the closure is indefinite. The company had been criticized in recent days for a lack of clarity over plans for April and beyond, even as it was clear reopening would likely be blocked in both states.
Disney has been paying hourly cast members since the closure and will continue to do so until mid-April. Disney has begun reopening some shops and restaurants at Shanghai Disneyland, although the main park is still shuttered. Disney parks in Hong Kong and Japan also remain closed.
Alaska’s largest regional carrier said it has lost 90% of passenger revenue due to the pandemic. RavnAir Group plans to halt operations and temporarily lay off all remaining staff as a result of the COVID-19 virus, the company said.
The decision to ground 72 aircraft affects the company’s three airlines including RavnAir Alaska, PenAir and RavnAir Connect.
Two weeks ago, a small coastal city in Georgia that thrives on tourism closed its beach, fearing crowds of teens and college students posed too great a risk for spreading the new coronavirus. But now, the state’s governor has reversed that decision, saying people dealing with the outbreak need fresh air and exercise.
The clash has thrust tiny Tybee Island, east of Savannah, into a debate that keeps cropping up during the pandemic: How much can officials curtail freedoms during the crisis? And should those calls be made at the federal, state or local level?
Tybee Island Mayor Shirley Sessions, sworn in barely three months ago, has taken on Gov. Brian Kemp after state officials reopened the beach on Friday.
Donald Trump talked to many US pro sports leaders about the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Trump said Saturday he’s looking forward to the resumption of competitions “as soon as we can.” The NBA, NHL, NFL and Major League Baseball were all represented on the call by their commissioners
A tiger at the Bronx Zoo has tested positive for the new coronavirus, in what is believed to be the first known infection in an animal in the US. or a tiger anywhere, federal officials and the zoo said Sunday.
The 4-year-old Malayan tiger, and six other tigers and lions that have also fallen ill, are believed to have been infected by a zoo employee, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said. The first animal started showing symptoms March 27, and all are expected to recover, said the zoo, which has been closed to the public since March 16.
The finding raises new questions about transmission of the virus in animals. The USDA says there are no known cases of the virus in U.S. pets or livestock.
The coronavirus outbreaks around the world are driven by person-to-person transmission, experts say
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been admitted to a hospital with the new coronavirus. Johnson’s office says he is being admitted for tests because he still has symptoms, 10 days after testing positive for the virus.
Johnson, 55, has been quarantined in his Downing St. residence since being diagnosed with COVID-19 on March 26. Downing St. says the hospitalization is a “precautionary step” and he remains in charge of the government.
TUI Airways cabin crew are to sign up as St John Ambulance volunteers in the UK to help relieve pressure on the NHS during the coronavirus crisis.
They will receive two days of training, then be placed in hospital wards and departments across the UK to free up staff to deal with Covid-19 patients.
Some of TUI’s 2,400 crew will conduct a range of tasks, from caring for the elderly to basic monitoring of patients, transporting medication and maintaining cleanliness and hygiene.
Ryanair said it expects minimal if any traffic during April and May due to the impact of Covid-19, which has led to travel bans across Europe. The Ryanair Group, including Lauda, carried 5.7 million passengers in March – a 48% drop over March 2019 when 91% of its seats were sold.
The Group’s total number of passengers is still up 4% year on year at 148.6 million.
Ryanair operated 33,000 scheduled flights last month, only a little over half its budgeted number, which included a number of rescue and medical flights on behalf of various EU governments.
A Dutch military transport plane carrying a mobile field hospital made up of six intensive care beds is on its way to the Caribbean nation of St Maarten to help fight the coronavirus.
The Dutch government says the C-17 plane that left a military airbase in Eindhoven early Sunday morning was also carrying equipment to set up a further six IC beds in the semi-autonomous nation’s hospital, along with protective gear and medicines.
Dutch State Secretary for Health Paul Blokhuis says the country is closely co-operating with Sint Maarten and other Caribbean islands that make up part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands “to rein in the spread of corona as much as possible and at the same time provide the best care possible for corona patients.”
According to figures released April 2 by the government of Sint Maarten, 23 people have tested positive and two people have died in the outbreak. The half-island nation has a population of some 41,000.
American nationals and permanent residents have boarded a flight out of Kathmandu in what was likely their last chance to head home as Nepal prepares to extend lockdown measures to contain the spreading of the new coronavirus.
Sunday’s flight with 303 passengers on board was the second one arranged by the US embassy but paid for by the passengers.
The Qatar Airways jet is scheduled to land at Washington D.C. with a fuel stop at Doha.
Nepal’s government has halted all flights and ground transportation, shutting down offices and shuttering businesses since last month to control the spread of the coronavirus.
More than 300 pilots in the Czech Republic have joined forces in a group of volunteers who use their private planes to distribute medical equipment all across the country.
The “Pilots to the People” project is meant to help the state authorities fighting the epidemic of the coronavirus “to deliver supplies to any place in the country as soon as possible.”
The service is offered free of charge and the pilots pay for the gas. There’s a network of some 200 airports in the country they can use, making it possible to efficiently serve the entire country.
The group says their goal is to transport the material to any hospital, clinic or any other place where it’s needed in within two hours.
The volunteers mostly include amateurs, sport and small planes pilots.
Pakistan‘s state-owned airline has quarantined the crew of a Pakistan International Airlines flight upon its return to the southern Arabian Port city of Karachi from London. The crew is being tested for the new coronavirus.
The flight returned empty to Karachi after returning Britons stranded in Pakistan. All flights from Karachi have been temporarily suspended until the test results are returned and the crew is cleared.
Pakistan has 2,899 confirmed cases of COVID 19 and 45 deaths. Another 170 patients have recovered.