Current Industry Affairs (CIA)
CDC will tighten Covid testing requirement for international arrivals. Amid concerns about the omicron variant of Covid-19, the CDC plans to tighten its testing requirement for arriving international travelers.
The CDC will require fully vaccinated travelers to produce a negative result from a Covid-19 viral test taken within 24 hours before departure to the U.S.
The U.S. currently requires international arrivals to conduct a viral test within three days of departure.
The CDC will continue to recommend that all travelers take a Covid-19 viral test three to five days after arrival.
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River Cruise Lines cancel and modify cruises
With many Christmas markets closed, river cruise lines cancel or alter sailings. Lockdowns in Austria and Germany have resulted in Danube River cruise cancellations for the remainder of the year. Austria, home to Vienna's sprawling Christmas market frequented by most river cruise lines, entered a country-wide lockdown on Nov. 22, which completely restricts tourist entry and is expected to last at least through Dec. 13.
The bright return of holiday river cruising in 2021, heralded as the year the European Christmas markets would return, has dimmed even further as the German states of Bavaria and Saxony have also entered a weeklong lockdown. This includes the cancellation of Christmas markets in Munich and the popular embarkation port of Nuremburg for the entire Christmas season.
Crystal Ravel done sailing for the year
Crystal River Cruises has canceled its four remaining Crystal Ravel sailings this December.
Avalon, Scenic and Tauck cancel cruises
Avalon Waterways has also canceled all Danube and Main-Danube itineraries through the end of the year, citing a direct impact from the Christmas market closures.
Scenic Group has suspended all of its remaining 2021 European river cruises, which included six Scenic cruises and four Emerald Cruises sailings.
Tauck said it has canceled all holiday cruises on the Danube through the end of the year. Tauck's Amsterdam-to-Brussels Christmas cruises are scheduled to operate as planned.
Viking modifies Danube itineraries
Viking River Cruises has chosen to modify the itineraries of river voyages that include Austria. While Austria is locked down, ships will sail through the country and skip port calls there.
"In recognition of any inconvenience caused by the change, Viking has provided guests on these modified itineraries with onboard credit to be used on their upcoming sailing, as well as a voucher to be used for their next voyage,"
AmaWaterways and Riviera evaluating upcoming sailings
AmaWaterways did not cancel Danube cruises on its four ships this week and "continues to evaluate upcoming sailings."
AmaWaterways could move passengers to another ship or itinerary, or postpone cruises to a future date.
Guests cruising through Austria on modified itineraries will be eligible to receive future cruise credits depending on the number of days affected.
Riviera River Cruises have said that if the "lockdown is extended in Austria, we will operate an alternative itinerary."
Uniworld working on holiday alternatives
Uniworld said its Danube Holiday Markets, Classic Christmas Markets and European Holiday Markets itineraries scheduled to depart in the first two weeks of December have been suspended. "We are working on an alternative for guests still interested in experiencing the European holiday markets this year along the Rhine River".
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Nearly two years into the Covid-19 pandemic, the world raced to contain a new coronavirus variant potentially more dangerous than the one that has fueled relentless waves of infection on nearly every continent.
A World Health Organization panel named the variant "omicron" and classified it as a highly transmissible virus of concern, the same category that includes the predominant delta variant, which is still a scourge driving higher cases of sickness and death in Europe and parts of the U.S.
Omicron's actual risks are not understood. But early evidence suggests it carries an increased risk of reinfection compared with other highly transmissible variants, the WHO said. That means people who contracted Covid-19 and recovered could be subject to catching it again. It could take weeks to know if current vaccines are less effective against it.
In response to the variant's discovery in southern Africa, the U.S., Canada, Russia and a host of other countries joined the EU in restricting travel for visitors from that region, where the variant brought on a fresh surge of infections.
The White House said the U.S. will restrict travel from South Africa and seven other countries in the region beginning Monday. That means "no travel" to or from the designated countries except for returning U.S. citizens and permanent residents who test negative. The U.S. restrictions will apply to visitors from South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique, and Malawi.
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For current travel openings and restrictions for Europe: