Senin, 28 Juni 2021

Portugal makes unvaccinated UK people quarantine - BBC News

BA flight leaves Faro
Reuters

People from the UK travelling to Portugal will have to quarantine for 14 days unless they can present proof they had been fully vaccinated a fortnight before their arrival.

The Portuguese government added the UK to the list of countries from which travellers must quarantine "at home or a place indicated by the health authorities".

The rules came into effect at midnight.

And Hong Kong has banned all passenger flights from the UK from 1 July.

The Hong Kong government said the UK had been added to its "extremely high-risk" group.

A government statement said cases imported from the UK "involving variant virus strains" had been "persistently" detected in the past few days.

Passengers push their luggage trollies on arrival in Terminal 5 at Heathrow airport in London in June 2021
Getty Images

Portugal is currently on the UK's amber list meaning arrivals back to the UK must take two tests and quarantine for 10 days.

The Portuguese government's new quarantine measures only apply to those travelling to mainland Portugal and not Madeira.

There are 19 flights listed as departing on Monday from UK airports to Portugal's mainland airports Lisbon, Faro and Porto.

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The current travel list

The destinations added to the green list from 04:00 BST on 30 June are:

Europe: The Balearic Islands (which include Ibiza, Menorca, Majorca and Formentera), Malta and Madeira

Caribbean: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat and Turks and Caicos Islands

Other British Overseas Territories: Bermuda, British Antarctic Territory, British Indian Ocean Territory and Pitcairn

Six destinations will also be added to the government's red list on 30 June - the Dominican Republic, Eritrea, Haiti, Mongolia, Tunisia and Uganda

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Germany also wants the European Union to restrict UK travellers.

The Times reported German Chancellor Angela Merkel wants to designate the UK as a "country of concern" because the Delta variant of the coronavirus is so widespread.

The plans will be discussed by senior European and national officials on the EU's integrated political crisis response committee.

Mrs Merkel previously told Germany's parliament: "In our country, if you come from Great Britain, you have to go into quarantine - and that's not the case in every European country, and that's what I would like to see."

She is set to meet Prime Minister Boris Johnson at Chequers on Friday.

People enjoy warm weather at a beach in Menorca
EPA

French President Emmanuel Macron has also talked about his concern at the spread of the variant.

Last week, Mr Macron said: "We should all be vigilant because the Delta variant is coming.

"We see that it affects people who have not yet been vaccinated or who have only had one dose, which means we have to be even faster in this vaccination campaign."

Currently, fully-vaccinated UK visitors to France can enter without quarantining.

In Portugal, the legislation is in force until 11 July, but the Portuguese authorities stated it could be reviewed "at any time, depending on the evolution of the epidemiological situation".

Brazil, South Africa, India and Nepal were already on Portugal's quarantine list, but the exception for people who are vaccinated against Covid-19 to avoid isolating only applies to the UK.

For all countries on the list, an exception is also made for participants in specified sporting competitions being held in June and July.

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What refund rights are there for holidays abroad?

With Covid still widespread in many countries, tourists will have to think carefully about their spending on holidays.

There is always a risk that a green-list country may move to the amber or red list. If this happens you will need to quarantine after your holiday - something that could be difficult for many people.

Operators do not have to refund you if you are unexpectedly forced to self-isolate on your return.

If the government announces that travel to a particular country is not advised, then airlines and travel companies are likely to cancel any pre-booked flights or holidays there.

In this case, you are entitled to a full refund and you can choose to receive that refund in cash.

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2021-06-28 11:09:45Z
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COVID-19: Two-week lockdown imposed in Sydney as Australia battles 'new phase' of pandemic - Sky News

Australians have been warned they face the most "serious crisis" in the COVID pandemic since last February/March as health officials battle to contain new outbreaks of the virus.

Australia's COVID-19 committee is due to hold an emergency meeting on Monday over rising case numbers plus outbreaks of the Delta variant across the country.

Authorities in New South Wales are warning coronavirus infections will increase "considerably" after the state recorded 18 new locally transmitted virus cases.

A two-week lockdown has been imposed in the state's capital Sydney after a cluster of cases of the Delta variant rose to triple figures.

People wait in line outside a vaccination centre at Sydney Olympic Park in Sydney, Australia. Pic: AP
Image: Only 5% of the population has been fully vaccinated. Pic: AP

"We have to be prepared for the numbers to bounce around and we also have to be prepared for the numbers to go up considerably," New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian said.

Health policy adviser Bill Bowtell warned: "We really face the most serious crisis in the COVID pandemic since the early days in February-March last year."

The northern city of Darwin has entered a two-day shutdown after a gold mine worker tested positive for the variant, first identified in India.

More on Australia

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April 2021: Hugs and kisses as NZ-OZ travel corridor opens

They are suspected to have become infected while in hotel quarantine in Brisbane in Queensland state before flying to a gold mine in the Northern Territory.

Authorities are now trying to track down 900 mine workers around the country who could have been infected by the initial case.

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April 2021: Hugs and kisses as NZ-OZ travel corridor opens

Around 18 million Australians, or around 70% of the population, are now under some form of lockdown or restrictions as officials grapple with increasing COVID-19 infections in almost every state or territory.

"I think we are entering a new phase of this pandemic, with the more contagious Delta strain," federal treasurer Josh Frydenberg told the Australian Broadcasting Corp.

He said the country is facing a "critical time" in its fight against COVID-19.

Mandatory face masks have been reintroduced in Queensland and curbs on home gatherings imposed in areas including the state capital Brisbane.

It follows similar action by Western Australia officials for state capital Perth, after a resident tested positive following a trip to Sydney more than a week ago.

Restrictions also remain in the country's capital Canberra, as well as Victoria state capital Melbourne.

South Australia state has announced new state-wide restrictions from Tuesday such as mask-wearing, limits on private gatherings - including weddings and funerals - and new social distancing rules in pubs and clubs.

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Australia has so far been relatively more successful than many other developed countries in containing the spread of the coronavirus throughout the pandemic, with just over 30,450 cases and 910 deaths.

Lockdowns, tough social distancing rules and swift contact tracing have helped the country suppress previous outbreaks, but the fast moving Delta variant has alarmed health authorities.

It has prompted fresh calls from state officials on the federal government to tighten already tough border restrictions to reduce the number of travellers arriving in the country.

The new clusters have also highlighted the nation's slow vaccine rollout with only 5% of the population fully vaccinated.

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2021-06-28 06:52:58Z
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Germany wants Brits to quarantine on any EU holidays even if double vaccinated - Metro.co.uk

Angela Merkel will today attempt to force all British holidaymakers to quarantine when arriving in the EU - as Portugal introduces isolation for unvaccinated Brits
German chancellor Angela Merkel is pushing for the Europe-wide rule with the backing of France (Picture: Getty/PA/EPA)

Germany and France will today attempt to introduce a mandatory two-week quarantine for all British tourists travelling to the EU.

Chancellor Angela Merkel and French president Emmanuel Macron have relaunched a bid to enforce a Europe-wide rule for UK residents travelling to any country in the bloc.

Under the proposed plans, even fully vaccinated holidaymakers would be forced to self-isolate for 14 days upon arrival.

Ms Merkel is pushing to designate the UK as a ‘country of concern’ amid rising cases of the highly transmissible Delta variant, which has spread across the entire country.

However, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Cyprus and Malta are said to be set on defying a blanket rule and implementing their own border policies, reported The Times.

From Thursday, the only European destinations on the UK Government’s ‘green list’ will be Malta, Gibraltar, Iceland and the Faroe Islands.

The Balearic Islands of Ibiza, Mallorca and Menorca, along with the Portuguese islands of Madeira, have been added to the ‘green watch list’.

This means that if the data changes and infection rates go up, they could be swiftly moved to the amber category.

Covid infections UK.
Germany says the decision is based on rising Covid cases – but some believe it’s more political (Picture: Metro.co.uk)
Prime Minister Boris Johnson (right) greets German Chancellor Angela Merkel, ahead of a bilateral meeting during the G7 summit in Cornwall.
Boris Johnson is set to attempt to persuade Ms Merkel to back down on Friday (Picture: PA)
Merkel: 'If you come from Great Britain, you have to quarantine'

Several countries have already imposed their own policies, with Portugal introducing a 14-day quarantine period for unvaccinated UK tourists arriving on the mainland.

From today, Brits must show they were fully vaccinated at least a fortnight ago in order to avoid self-isolating. The new rules will last until at least July 11.

Meanwhile, just hours after Malta was added to the green list, it announced a fortnight-long quarantine for UK holidaymakers who haven’t received the jab.

A British Government source told The Times that Ms Merkel is looking ‘increasingly isolated’ in her Europe-wide bid, adding: ‘A lot of countries will think it’s their own decision and not one to be decided in Berlin.’ 

Boris Johnson is set to meet Ms Merkel at Chequers, his Buckinghamshire country residence, on Friday in the hopes of persuading her to back down.

IBIZA, BALEARIC ISLANDS, SPAIN - 2014/08/07: Tourists in Cala Compte beach. (Photo by Raquel Maria Carbonell Pagola/LightRocket via Getty Images)
The Balearic Islands, including popular holiday hotspot Ibiza, are one of the destinations on the UK’s green list (Picture: Getty)
Britain's vaccine rollout.
Under France and Germany’s plans, even vaccinated Brits would have to quarantine (Picture: Metro.co.uk)

A No 10 spokesman said the two leaders will discuss ‘deepening the UK-German relationship and the global response to the coronavirus pandemic’. 

Conservative chairman of the Future Aviation Group Henry Smith, believes Germany and France’s efforts are ‘more of a political effort’ and less based on Covid data.

He told The Telegraph: ‘I think the EU probably sees trying to shut Britain out of international travel as being a competitive advantage to themselves, but I think that’s quite short sighted.

‘Good luck getting the Spanish Greeks and Portuguese to agree to that, because I think they will rightly look at the imperatives for their economy.’ 

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

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2021-06-28 06:20:00Z
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Minggu, 27 Juni 2021

Outbreaks emerge across Australia in 'new phase' of pandemic - BBC News

People wearing masks outside the Sydney Opera House
EPA

A Covid outbreak in Sydney linked to the highly contagious Delta variant has grown to 128 cases.

A small number of positive infections have also been recorded in the Northern Territory, Queensland and Western Australia.

This is the first time in months that cases have emerged in multiple parts of the country at the same time.

State and territory leaders will meet Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Monday for an emergency meeting.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said Australia is facing "a critical time" in its fight against Covid, as various states shut borders and enforced new restrictions to prevent further spread of the virus.

"I think we're entering a new phase of this pandemic, with the more contagious Delta strain," Mr Frydenberg told ABC News on Monday.

The escalation in Covid infections has prompted lockdowns in the cities of Sydney and Darwin, as well as restrictions across four states.

The situation remains most concerning in Sydney, where some 5 million residents are subject to a stay-at-home order.

The New South Wales (NSW) state government on Sunday expanded a lockdown to cover all of Greater Sydney, the Blue Mountains, Central Coast and Wollongong.

Health workers are seen at Bondi Beach Drive-through Covid-19 Clinic
Getty Images

Many businesses and venues have been ordered shut.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian on Monday reported 18 new cases, down from the 30 reported the previous day. Nearly 59,000 people had been tested in the past 24 hours.

"We have to be prepared for the numbers to bounce around and we have to be prepared for the numbers to go up considerably because with this strain, we are seeing almost 100% of transmission within households," she said.

While the two cases in Western Australia has been traced to the Sydney outbreak of the Delta variant, clusters in Queensland and the Northern Territory have been linked to people who became infected despite completing hotel quarantine.

The remote Northern Territory recorded four cases on Sunday, prompting a 48-hour lockdown in the capital, Darwin, and two other towns.

Map

Meanwhile, Virgin Australia said on Sunday it had contacted passengers and crew on five recent domestic flights, after a crew member tested positive in Melbourne.

The outbreaks have prompted some inter-state and international border closures.

New Zealand paused its quarantine-free travel bubble with all of Australia until at least Tuesday because of the latest outbreak.

The travel corridor between the two neighbours was opened in April. Travel between New Zealand and specific Australian regions has been closed for short periods as outbreaks emerged, but this is the first time the bubble has been shut with all of Australia.

A man crosses a deserted street in central Sydney during lockdown
Reuters

Australia has maintained very low rates of Covid transmission throughout the pandemic due to a closed-border policy, stringent quarantine and swift testing and tracing systems.

It has recorded no deaths this year, but 910 deaths and 30,450 cases overall.

The newer, more infectious Covid variants however, have strained the nation's defences - with several small outbreaks this year.

NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard has described the Delta variant as a "very formidable foe".

"No matter what defensive steps we're taking at the moment, the virus seems to understand how to counter-attack," he said.

Sydney's outbreak first emerged two weeks ago in Bondi, the famous beach suburb, before spreading rapidly across the city.

Its origin has been linked to an unvaccinated driver who transported international arrivals from the airport.

The NSW government has urged people to get their vaccine - noting that in one of the Sydney clusters, 24 of 30 people at a party became infected and those who didn't had been vaccinated.

"If you're vaccinated, you are much more likely to not be infected with COVID-19," Mr Hazzard told reporters on Monday.

The recent outbreaks have renewed criticism of the nation's slow vaccination rollout - which falls under the federal government's purview.

So far, just under 5% of Australia's adult population have been fully vaccinated under a phased rollout, and roughly 30% have received a first dose of either the Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccine.

However, significant levels of hesitancy have been recorded around the AstraZeneca vaccine due to its link to a rare blood clotting syndrome. Meanwhile, Pfizer supplies have been limited to certain age groups.

Government critics have argued that cities would not need to endure lockdowns if a majority of the population was vaccinated.

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2021-06-28 03:20:30Z
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France elections: Marine Le Pen and Emmanuel Macron suffer humiliating results in regional vote - Sky News

France's far-right have endured another miserable night in the country's regional elections, with Marine Le Pen's National Rally failing to win any of the dozen mainland areas where it stood.

Following a spate of disappointing results at the polls earlier this month, its candidates were once again largely rejected as other voters appeared to come together to prevent a breakthrough.

Ms Le Pen, who lost the 2017 presidential election to Emmanuel Macron, conceded that her party - which was previously known as National Front - had fallen short across all of mainland France's 12 regions.

Mr Macron's ruling Republique en Marche party, which did not exist at the time of the last regional vote in 2015, also failed to secure a single region of its own - a humiliating set of results for the country's leader.

French far-right National Rally (Rassemblement National) party leader Marine Le Pen delivers a speech in reaction to the outcomes of the second round of French regional and departmental elections, in Nanterre, near Paris, France June 27, 2021. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier
Image: French far-right National Rally leader Le Pen conceded defeat in all 12 mainland regions
French President Emmanuel Macron gestures next to his wife Brigitte Macron, as he greets local residents at a polling station in Le Touquet, France during the second round of regional elections on June 27, 2021. Ludovic Marin/Pool via REUTERS
Image: Mr Macron is hoping to be re-elected next year - but his party has also performed poorly in the regional counts

The Ifop polling agency estimated that National Rally took just over 20% of the vote nationally - trailing both the mainstream right and the combined weight of green and leftist candidates.

Most disappointingly for Ms Le Pen, her party was roundly beaten in the southeast of France - an area which had been tipped as its best chance of securing gains in the balloting for regional councils.

None of the regions up for grabs ended up changing hands, exit polls have suggested, with the mainstream right hanging on to its seven and the left keeping the other five.

More on Emmanuel Macron

Northern French conservative Xavier Bertrand, who's hoping to take on Mr Macron in the 2022 presidential election, remarked that National Rally had been "stopped" in his Hauts-de-France region.

"We made it retreat greatly," he added.

Conservative candidate Xavier Bertrand is running in the north and is tipped as the frontrunner to run against Macron in 2022
Image: Conservative candidate Xavier Bertrand is running in the north and is tipped as the frontrunner to run against Mr Macron in 2022

The regional elections had been viewed by pundits as a litmus test for whether Ms Le Pen's anti-immigration party enjoyed much acceptability ahead of next year's presidential poll.

Results suggest that Ms Le Pen's hostile views on migrants and the European Union are unpalatable to many, however some analysis have cautioned against extrapolating the local results on to the 2022 contest.

It should also be noted that turnout on Sunday was tepid - standing at less than 30% by late afternoon. That's even lower than what was a record-low 33% in the first round of voting on 20 June.

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2021-06-27 20:51:11Z
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France elections: Marine Le Pen and Emmanuel Macron suffer humiliating results in regional vote - Sky News

France's far-right have endured another miserable night in the country's regional elections, with Marine Le Pen's National Rally failing to win any of the dozen mainland areas where it stood.

Following a spate of disappointing results at the polls earlier this month, its candidates were once again largely rejected as other voters appeared to come together to prevent a breakthrough.

Ms Le Pen, who lost the 2017 presidential election to Emmanuel Macron, conceded that her party - which was previously known as National Front - had fallen short across all of mainland France's 12 regions.

Mr Macron's ruling Republique en Marche party, which did not exist at the time of the last regional vote in 2015, also failed to secure a single region of its own - a humiliating set of results for the country's leader.

French far-right National Rally (Rassemblement National) party leader Marine Le Pen delivers a speech in reaction to the outcomes of the second round of French regional and departmental elections, in Nanterre, near Paris, France June 27, 2021. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier
Image: French far-right National Rally leader Le Pen conceded defeat in all 12 mainland regions
French President Emmanuel Macron gestures next to his wife Brigitte Macron, as he greets local residents at a polling station in Le Touquet, France during the second round of regional elections on June 27, 2021. Ludovic Marin/Pool via REUTERS
Image: Mr Macron is hoping to be re-elected next year - but his party has also performed poorly in the regional counts

The Ifop polling agency estimated that National Rally took just over 20% of the vote nationally - trailing both the mainstream right and the combined weight of green and leftist candidates.

Most disappointingly for Ms Le Pen, her party was roundly beaten in the southeast of France - an area which had been tipped as its best chance of securing gains in the balloting for regional councils.

None of the regions up for grabs ended up changing hands, exit polls have suggested, with the mainstream right hanging on to its seven and the left keeping the other five.

More on Emmanuel Macron

Northern French conservative Xavier Bertrand, who's hoping to take on Mr Macron in the 2022 presidential election, remarked that National Rally had been "stopped" in his Hauts-de-France region.

"We made it retreat greatly," he added.

Conservative candidate Xavier Bertrand is running in the north and is tipped as the frontrunner to run against Macron in 2022
Image: Conservative candidate Xavier Bertrand is running in the north and is tipped as the frontrunner to run against Mr Macron in 2022

The regional elections had been viewed by pundits as a litmus test for whether Ms Le Pen's anti-immigration party enjoyed much acceptability ahead of next year's presidential poll.

Results suggest that Ms Le Pen's hostile views on migrants and the European Union are unpalatable to many, however some analysis have cautioned against extrapolating the local results on to the 2022 contest.

It should also be noted that turnout on Sunday was tepid - standing at less than 30% by late afternoon. That's even lower than what was a record-low 33% in the first round of voting on 20 June.

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2021-06-27 20:51:02Z
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France elections: Far-right National Rally loses key battleground states - poll - BBC News

Marine Le Pen
Reuters

France's far-right National Rally (RN) look to have failed in their bid to win their first ever region.

Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur was a target for Marine Le Pen's party.

But exit polls suggest their hotly-tipped candidate, Thierry Mariani, took only 43% of the vote and lost to the centre-right Republicans.

The election - which saw a potentially record low turnout of less than 30% - also brought disappointment for President Emmanuel Macron.

His centrist party, La République En Marche (LREM), also failed to win control of any region. It also performed badly in the first round, which was held last week.

It was the first time President Macron's party has taken part in regional elections, as it did not exist the last time they were held in 2015.

Other early results from the second round suggest wins for traditional centre-right parties, and for the left.

The Hauts-de-France region around Calais in the north had also been earmarked as a potential gain for Ms Le Pen's RN, but was won by conservative Xavier Bertrand.

"The far-right has been stopped in its tracks and we have pushed it back sharply," he told his supporters after the polls closed.

But Ms Le Pen accused her rivals of forming "unnatural alliances" to block her and her party from power.

"[They] did all they could to keep us out and prevent us from showing the French our capacity to lead a regional administration," she told supporters.

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A big disappointment for Le Pen

Analysis box by Hugh Schofield, Paris correspondent

President Macron's party was already sidelined in these elections after its poor showing in the first round.

Marine Le Pen's also scored badly last Sunday, but she at least had hopes of picking up one region - which would have been a first and a boost for her presidential bid.

It didn't happen - once again her voters stayed away from the polls - and overall these elections have been a big disappointment for the hard right.

The winners are the mainstream right whose candidates held on easily to the regions they already controlled. One of them the former minister Xavier Bertrand, whose fief is the northern Hauts-de-France region, is now openly a candidate for the presidency next year.

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2021-06-27 19:43:28Z
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