Here are today’s coronavirus headlines for Monday November 1 as travel restrictions are eased further in the UK.
Rules are changing once more for international travel, with restrictions being eased significantly for Brits while Australia opens up travel for its residents and citizens.
Tourism is being boosted at popular destinations, including many European destinations as holidaymakers gain confidence.
Meanwhile coronavirus continues to have an impact across the world, with researchers revealing the total number of deaths caused by the virus.
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Remaining countries dropped from the red list
From today the final seven countries have been removed from the red list, meaning travellers arriving in the UK won’t need to quarantine regardless of which country they’ve been to.
This is the most relaxed travel restrictions have been for Brits since the pandemic began.
On October 28 the Transport Secretary announced that Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Haiti, Panama, Peru and Venezuela would all be taken off the red list at 4am on November 1.
But Grant Shapps emphasised that the red list category would still remain, meaning countries could be added to it again in the future. All travellers arriving from a red list country must quarantine in a government-approved hotel for 10 full days.
Restrictions have also eased for travellers from over 30 new countries and territories.
Peru and Uganda have been added to the UK’s list of countries with an approved proof of vaccination.
Wales is also following the same changes made in England to the travel red list. Scotland has not yet confirmed if it will be doing the same, but it has followed England’s changes in the past.
Australia eases restrictions
Australia has also eased its travel restrictions for the first time in 18 months; for fully vaccinated residents and citizens.
Double-jabbed Australians can now leave the country without needing an exemption from the travel ban, while vaccinated residents from abroad can return to Australia without having to quarantine in a hotel for two weeks.
Sydney was the first Australian airport to announce it would reopen because New South Wales was the first state where 80% of the population aged 16 and older have been fully vaccinated.
The country’s second largest city Melbourne and the national capital Canberra also opened on Monday after Victoria state and the Australian Capital Territory achieved the vaccination benchmark.
Sydney had 16 scheduled inbound international flights on Monday and 14 outbound, while Melbourne had five scheduled in and five out.
Thailand has reopened its border on Monday as well, with fully vaccinated tourists arriving by air from 46 countries and territories no longer having to quarantine.
As travel opens up again for Brits, many will be looking for the perfect place to jet off to for some winter sun.
Madeira named top European destination
Madeira is a popular destination for UK travellers, and now the island has been named as Europe’s best island destination in the World Travel Awards, ahead of 11 locations in Greece, the Balearics and Canary Islands.
It was the first overseas destination to welcome UK tourists in May 2021 after the travel ban for foreign holidays was lifted, WalesOnline reports.
Regional Secretary for Tourism and Culture and President of Madeira Promotion Bureau Eduardo Jesus said: "The award should fill all those who work in tourism in the region with pride, as well as the residents who see their land being continuously valued internationally.
"We have reasons to be satisfied with the way Madeira reacted to the pandemic, through the affirmation of the security that we experience here.”
The destination has been recognised for its excellent handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, making it one of the most appealing and safe holiday options.
Death toll tops five million across the world
While countries open up to international travel, research has revealed how Covid 19 has impacted the world.
The global death toll from coronavirus has topped five million, according to Johns Hopkins University.
Together, the US, the European Union, UK and Brazil – all upper-middle- or high-income countries – account for one-eighth of the world’s population, but nearly half of all reported deaths.
The US alone has recorded more than 745,000 lives lost, the highest of any other nation.
Globally, Covid-19 is now the third leading cause of death, after heart disease and stroke.
The staggering figure is almost certainly an undercount because of limited testing and people dying at home without medical attention, especially in poor parts of the world.
Coronavirus hot spots have shifted over the 22 months since the outbreak began, turning different places on the world map red, now the virus is being felt in Russia, Ukraine and other parts of Eastern Europe, where vaccination is particularly low.
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