SINGAPORE, 15 June 2020: The Maldives has eased some regulations on travellers with the latest guidelines saying visitors do not need to present the results of a Covid-19 to enter the country.
Vietnam continues to keep its borders closed to all foreign visitors. Finland opens its borders to travellers from neighbouring Nordic countries as of 15 June with the exception of Sweden.
MALDIVES
Maldives’ Health Protection Agency (HPA) guidelines permit tourists to enter Maldives without presenting the results of a COVID-19 test according to a report in the “The Edition”.
Initially, the plan called for all tourists to be tested for Covid-19 on arrival. HPA’s draft guidelines now suggest visitors scheduled to spend their holidays at resorts no longer need to undergo the swab test.
However, tourists will be barred from travelling to local islands placed under monitoring, and they must observe social distancing measures and wear facemasks. Passengers will also undergo thermal screening, and if they have a raised temperature, they will be tested and placed in isolation until test results are returned.
Tourists visiting the Maldives should download the app ‘TraceEkee’ used for detailed ‘contact tracing’.
VIETNAM
Borders with China, Cambodia and Laos are currently closed except to tourists. The country has temporarily banned entry for all foreign nationals for all visa types including eVisa, visa-free entry and visa-on-arrival. There are a very small number of exceptions for diplomats on official business and certain high-skilled workers where permission is granted on a case-by-case basis.
Everyone allowed to enter Vietnam under the exemption will be required to undertake 14 days of quarantine and follow Vietnam’s Covid-19 protocols if tested positive.
ARGENTINA
Authorities announced 9 June that Buenos Aires’ Jorge Newbery Airport would remain closed for all flights until 1 December due both to lack of demand triggered by the Covid-19 outbreak and infrastructure works. All flights will be redirected to Ezeiza International Airport where services are expected to recommence in mid-July.
CZECH REPUBLIC
Czech nationals can travel to France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Denmark, the Netherlands and Belgium without restrictions from 15 June, but nationals of these countries must present a negative Covid-19 test result upon arrival to the Czech Republic. Both returning Czech nationals and foreign nationals arriving from Sweden and the United Kingdom must have a Covid-19 test.
Starting from 15 June, travellers from Germany, Austria, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Cyprus, Switzerland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, Norway and Iceland will be allowed to enter the country without having to submit a negative Covid-19 test result.
FRANCE
Corsair International will gradually resume flights from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport to French overseas departments, including Martinique from 18 June, Réunion from 19 June and Guadeloupe from 20 June. Flights to other destinations from Paris Orly Airport are set to begin from 26 June.
FINLAND
Finnish authorities announced that from 15 June, borders would be opened to allow travel with Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Denmark and Iceland. Inbound travellers will not be required to undergo a 14-day quarantine period. Sweden is not included in the agreement.
Any news on why it is taking so long to arrange a repatriation flight from Saint Helena in the south Atlantic? There are over a hundred people seeking to return home to the UK. There have been no updates from FOC or the government of UK or Saint Helena government, since March 2020