Air travel rebound highlights uneven Covid recovery

Landing in Houston: American air passengers are returning to the skies in their largest numbers since the start of the pandemic. Photo / Charlie Riedel

As a new country was added to New Zealand's safe travel area yesterday, air travel in the US hit its highest mark since COVID-19 took hold more than 13 months ago. Meanwhile European Union officials are proposing to ease restrictions on visitors to the continent as the vaccine sends new cases and deaths tumbling in more affluent countries.

The announcement of a safe travel zone between the Cook Islands and New Zealand from 17 May came at a time when other parts of the world are also showing a cautious reopening of travel. However, this cautious travel recovery is not a universal trend.

The improving picture in many places contrasts with the worsening disaster in India.

In the US, the average number of new cases per day fell below 50000 for the first time since October. And nearly 1.67 million people were screened at US airport checkpoints on Sunday, according to the Transportation Security Administration, the highest number since mid-March of last year.

Florida govenor Ron DeSantis signed legislation giving him sweeping powers to invalidate local emergency measures put in place during the outbreak. While the law doesn't go into effect until July, the Republican governor said he will issue an executive order to more quickly get rid of local mask mandates.

"I think this creates a structure that's going to be a little bit more respectful, I think, of people's businesses, jobs, schools and personal freedom," he said.

Athens: Europe's hospitality sector is gearing up after a lost Summer Season. Photo / Petros Giannakouris

Las Vegas is bustling again after casino capacity limits were raised Saturday to 80 per cent and person-to-person distancing was dropped to 3 feet (0.9 meters). New York govenor Andrew Cuomo announced that New York City's subways will begin running all night again and capacity restrictions on most businesses will end statewide in mid-May. And Los Angeles County reported no coronavirus deaths on Sunday and Monday, some of which may be attributable to a lag in reporting but was nevertheless a hopeful sign that could move the county to allow an increase in capacity at events and venues, and indoor-service at bars.

EU officials also announced a proposal Monday to relax restrictions on travel to the 27-nation bloc this summer, though the final decision is up to its member countries.

"Time to revive EU tourism industry and for cross-border friendships to rekindle — safely," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said. "We propose to welcome again vaccinated visitors and those from countries with a good health situation."

In Greece, restaurants and cafes reopened their terraces on Monday after six months of shutdown, with customers flocking to soak up the sunshine. In France, high schools reopened and a ban on domestic travel was lifted.

The once hard-hit Czech Republic, where cases are now declining, announced it will allow people to remove face coverings at all outdoor spaces starting next Monday if they keep their distance from others.

But with more-contagious variants taking hold, efforts are underway to boost vaccination efforts, which have begun to lag. The average number of doses given per day fell 27 per cent from a high of 3.26 million on 11 April to 2.37 million last Tuesday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In Detroit, teams from the city's health department have knocked on nearly 5,000 doors since the weekend to persuade people to get immunised. And Massachusetts' governor announced plans to close four of seven mass vaccination sites by the end of June in favor of a more targeted approach.

"My plea to everyone: Get vaccinated now, please," President Joe Biden said in Norfolk, Virginia. He stressed that he has worked hard to make sure there are more than 600 million doses of vaccine — enough for all Americans to get both doses.

"We're going to increase that number across the board as well so we can also be helping other nations once we take care of all Americans," the president said.

Brazil, once the epicenter of the pandemic, has been overtaken by a surge in India that has overrun crematoriums and made it clear the pandemic is far from over.

Inter Milan fans celebrate and shout slogans in Piazza Duomo square. Photo / Luca Bruno, AP

As the US and other countries rushed in aid, India reported nearly 370,000 new cases and more than 3,400 deaths Monday — numbers that experts believe are vast undercounts because of a widespread lack of testing and incomplete reporting.

In Germany, Bavarian officials canceled Oktoberfest for a second year in a row because of the safety risks. The beer-drinking festivities typically attract about 6 million visitors from around the world.

And in Italy, medical experts and politicians expressed concern about a possible spike in infections after tens of thousands of jubilant soccer fans converged on Milan's main square Sunday to celebrate Inter Milan's league title.

- Associated Press with contributions from Krutika Pathi in New Delhi; Ken Ritter in Las Vegas; Samuel Petrequin in Brussels; and Mark Pratt in Boston; Corey Williams in West Bloomfield, Michigan; and Karel Janicek in Prague contributed to this report. Hollingsworth reported from Mission, Kansas.