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It was looking like a hopeful summer for travelers this year as vaccinations ramped up, but now the Delta coronavirus variant is causing a wave of new restrictions around the world. This post will look at the current situation and how it may impact travelers’ summer plans.
The Delta Variant
The Delta variant was first detected in India earlier this year. Since then, health experts have warned that the variant is on track to become the most dominant version of the coronavirus worldwide. Last week, the World Health Organization (WHO) said it was detected in at least 92 countries.
The Delta Variant is much more contagious than other Coronavirus strains, but the two-shot mRNA vaccines (Pfizer and Moderna) are still shown to be 88% effective against it. The WHO has said that fully-vaccinated travelers should still wear a mask as the variant spreads.
How The Delta Variant Is Impacting Travel Around The World
Europe
Most European countries have now reopened to vaccinated travelers, including Americans, they are stuck in the position of having to restrict foreign tourism or risk the rapid spread of the Delta coronavirus variant.
German chancellor Angela Merkel has called for a coordinated EU response for travelers from countries with high levels of the variant, which tourism-dependent countries like Spain have pushed back against.
Britain has been badly hit, with the Delta variant now accounting for 90% of new infections in the country.
As a response, some European Countries have implemented new policies aimed at British travelers, whilst others are expected to join them in the coming days.
Meanwhile, Portugal, Spain, and Germany have all issued new travel restrictions.
Germany introduced a two-week quarantine for people coming from Portugal and Russia, and as of Monday, non-vaccinated Brits traveling to Portugal need to go through a two-week quarantine.
United States
While many were hoping for a UK-US travel corridor this summer, it has now been ruled out due to the Delta Variant, along with complex political issues and uncertainty over the AstraZeneca vaccine.
The Delta variant currently accounts for 20% of new cases in the US and is on track to become the dominant variant in the country. However, it is not equally spread across the country. The Southeast and the Midwest have higher concentrations of the variant.
“The delta variant is currently the greatest threat in the US to our attempt to eliminate Covid-19,” said Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
If infection rates continue to go up, it could prompt travel restrictions for Americans from other countries.
Restrictions in Asia, Africa, and Australia
Restrictions are spreading past Europe as well. On Sunday, South Africa introduced a nightly curfew and a ban on gatherings while Malaysia extended a nationwide shutdown.
Although Israel has one of the world’s highest vaccination rates, a jump in cases in recent weeks caused authorities to reinstate the indoor mask mandate.
Taiwan added new restrictions for people arriving from 7 high-risk countries including Britain, and on Monday Hong Kong said that it was banning all passenger flights from Britain.
While most countries seem to be restricting travelers from Britain at this point, this new variant could impact other nationalities if it spreads to similar rates within that country.
Australia is on the verge of a national coronavirus outbreak with the Delta variant seeding new clusters across the continent, which could potentially delay its reopening even further.
How The Delta Variant May Impact Summer Travel
The Points Guy spoke with Dr. Jenny Yu about how the variant may impact travelers’ summer travel plans. In the interview, she said that travelers should weigh vaccination status, health risks, and local regulations when thinking about their summer travel plans.
She said if you are vaccinated and continue to wear a mask, the risk remains low of being infected by this new variant. Still, travelers should remain flexible in their travel plans as Delta variant is likely to continue to impose new restrictions.
READ MORE:
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Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
Martina
Saturday 3rd of July 2021
This is the song that doesn't end..yes it goes on and on my friends..Get the Jab but wait you still have to wear the mask. Not sure why people trust Dr Fraudci, especially with his ties to the Wuhan lab
A.
Thursday 1st of July 2021
Vaccines have been proven to be highly effective against the Delta Variants yet all these restrictions persist! There should be travel corridors between countries with higher vaccination rates with the UK, USA, Israel and anywhere else that has higher vaccination rates where all those who are fully vaccinated can travel freely without the tests and quarantines. There is no reason why this can be done by now. What is going on now here is BEYOND RIDICULOUS AND INFURIATING I FEEL!!! 17 months later and all this fear mongering and restrictions and Quarantines persists! Fed up with all this! No wonder there are people that feel that this is not about a virus but about control using the virus as an excuse to control everyone. It just seems fishy that as soon as Vaccines started rolling out, the news media outlets started going on and on about virus Variants.
Erika
Sunday 4th of July 2021
@Christian, vaccines are most likely CAUSING the Delta Variant. I have no desire to be cooped up on a long flight with a bunch of harbingers of mutating viruses. I used to love traveling before. Now I’m happy to stay home. Thankfully, I live in a nice place.
Christian
Friday 2nd of July 2021
@A., where did you get the data that the vaccines are effective against the Delta variant. Even the BBC, known for their manipulation, presented data that shows the vaccines aren’t effective against the Delta variant. Not only that, but also that natural immunity works better than the vaccines against the Delta variant.
Eduardo
Thursday 1st of July 2021
There will be more variants. It will never end.
Dennis G Mahood
Thursday 1st of July 2021
Unless these countries want to go broke they are going yo have open up, and as far as masks go they don't work.
sukumot
Saturday 3rd of July 2021
@Dennis G Mahood, the people are broke since March 2020, the politicians, mass media journalists and pharma corporations only got richer. This isn't a theory, since we got numbers to back all of it up.
Eduardo
Thursday 1st of July 2021
@Dennis G Mahood, they are already broke.