To help our readers stay abreast of the changing travel and tourism landscape, Travel News will bring ongoing updates on the countries that have announced the reopening of their borders, and when.
Updates from August 14-20
Armenia officially reopened for international tourism on August 12. Upon arrival, all foreign tourists are subject to a 14-day quarantine, which can be done in a private household or a hotel. However, tourists have the option of shortening/avoiding the quarantine if they schedule a PCR test in their place of quarantine. If the test comes back negative, the tourists can leave quarantine and enjoy free movement during their stay in Armenia.
India has started reopening its borders as the country agreed to an ‘air-travel bubble' with the Maldives, making Maldives the sixth country in the new air corridor. The other five countries are the US, Canada, UK, Germany and France. The travellers from the six countries listed may enter India if they fall into one of the following categories: OCI cardholders, business travellers, medical tourism, or employment purposes. Travellers may be exempt from institutional quarantine by submitting a negative RT-PCR test report on arrival, which has been conducted within 96 hours prior to the journey. If a negative PCR test is not presented, travellers will face seven days of institutional quarantine at their own cost, followed by seven days of home quarantine.
Japan will reopen its borders on September 1, to start accepting travellers in three stages:
First stage: Essential travellers including business travellers, experts, and trainees.
Second stage: Students and other education-based arrivals.
Third and final stage: General tourists.
All arrivals will be subject to a 14-day quarantine, but travellers who obtain a negative PCR test before departure, within 72 hours of arrival, and agree to have another test done upon arrival, can circumvent the 14-day quarantine, provided both tests are negative.
Nigeria will reopen its borders for international flights on August 29. Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja will be the first to reopen. Protocols and procedures for arrivals will be announced in due course.
