(CNN) — Fall is almost here, we’re approaching our seventh season of living with a pandemic, and yes, it still sucks.
Never mind, though, as CNN Travel is here as always to sharpen your pencils, straighten your rucksack and get you schooled in our weekly roundup of the latest developments in pandemic travel news.
1. France has banned unvaccinated American travelers
If American tourists want the chance to play beach volleyball in Saint-Malo, France, they’ll need to have their jabs.
Sameer Al-Doumy/AFP/Getty Images
2. And Spain has done the same
Tourists on Palma Beach in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, in June 2021.
Jaime Reina/AFP/Getty Images
The new rule, which took effect this week, states that visitors from the United States on “nonessential travel,” such as tourism, must show “a vaccination certificate that the (Spanish) Ministry of Health recognizes as valid.”
3. Cuba will start to reopen its borders in November
Cuba is changing faster than ever. See the vintage cars, the musicians and the stunning architecture as soon as you can.
Cuba’s state-run media has announced that the island will begin to reopen borders in November, despite a recent surge in Covid cases.
Cuba has been closed for much of the pandemic, which has hit the local tourism industry hard.
According to Cuba’s Ministry of Health, more than four million people on the island have been fully vaccinated with the island’s home-grown vaccines.
A statement from the Ministry of Tourism that was published on Monday in the Communist-party newspaper Granma said that Cuba will gradually reopen borders starting November 15 and will no longer require travelers to take a PCR test upon arrival.
4. Israel will reopen to small groups of tourists this month
Arrivals at Israel’s Ben Gurion International Airport in May 2021.
Ronen Zvulun/Reuters
Fully vaccinated tour groups of between 5 and 30 people from countries on Israel’s green, yellow and orange lists will be allowed to enter the country, the tourism ministry said on September 5.
Individual tourists will still not be allowed to enter outside of a tour group, with exceptions being made for people visiting family members.
5. The Vietnamese island of Phu Quoc will reopen next month
The 222-square-mile island is known for its stunning beaches, including Sao Beach, Long Beach and Ong Lang Beach.
6. Jamaica and Sri Lanka have been added to the US ‘do not travel’ list
They join the likes of Greece, Portugal, the UK, Ireland, South Africa, Thailand, the Bahamas and many other much-loved vacation spots.
7. The UK government was blasted for long lines at London Heathrow
The airport press office criticized British Border Force on September 4 saying, “We are very sorry that passengers faced unacceptable queuing times in immigration last night (September 3) due to too few Border Force officers on duty.”
8. Time Out has named its ‘best cities in the world’
Time Out says San Francisco’s “unbeatable combination of progressiveness, acceptance and sustainability” clinched it the top spot. It was also applauded by Time Out for its response to the pandemic, and for boasting one of the highest vaccination rates in the US.
9. The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will be a bit more like normal this year
The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has evolved into a holiday tradition since it began as a Christmas parade in 1924.
However, masks will be required for volunteer participants and staff and a vaccine mandate will apply, with few exceptions.
Public viewing locations, entry guidelines and restrictions will be announced in November.
10. Delta Air Lines says the stick part of its ‘carrot and stick’ strategy is working
CNN’s Forrest Brown, Al Goodman, Duarte Mendonca, Barry Neild, Sharif Paget, Francesca Street, Carolyn Sung and Saskya Vandoorne contributed to this story.
