Category: ESTA News

Sanibel Island with Captiva Island, which extends it in a north-westerly direction, are two magnificent barrier islands of warm white sand bordering the coasts of the Gulf of Mexico. Located a short drive from Fort Myers on the mainland, they have, since 2007 thanks to a drawbridge, become a very popular tourist and summer destination.

Sanibel is world famous not only for the seashells that can be picked up on the beaches, but also for its museums, its lighthouse, its historic village, and its sunsets, in addition to its wildlife refuges which occupy more than half of the island.

The Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum showcases unique and wonderful seashells collected mainly from beaches of Sanibel and Captiva. Apart from the numerous temporary exhibits, there are more than 30 permanent exhibits, lectures, workshops and guided beach walks from Island Inn, Sanibel. The Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum is open each day for visits from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Several professional companies offer visitors magnificent outings on the high seas. Whether to admire fantastic sunsets at the end of the day, discover wildlife or even fish. There is something for all budgets.

The Sanibel Lighthouse is located at the end of Periwinkle way in 670 acres of parkland surrounded by vacant and unused old Floridian style cottages. Erected in 1884, the lighthouse, which is not open to the public, is a metal frame structure 98 feet high with a staircase of 127 steps.

The Sanibel Historic Museum and Village, founded in 1984, its mission is to preserve and share the history of Sanibel through the ages. You can see the original headlight lens. Open Tuesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

With the arrival of spring and the return to a healthy and promising life, many are already planning a visit to Florida in the summer. And kind of like the icing on the cake, buying a cruise to celebrate the return of safe travel sparkles like the North Star at Christmas.

COVID infections are still possible and some cruises are stricter than others. Health rules are issued by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) for cruise lines and ships that sail in US waters. These regulations vary according to the status of the boat and it is very important to know how to recognize yourself before boarding.

Before you even buy your cruise, check to see if the ship’s operator participates in the CDC’s COVID-19 program.

After spotting the boat of your choice on the website, the first tool displayed is a color-coding system, initiated by the CDC, showing the number of reported COVID-19 cases for that vessel. No need to elaborate on the meaning of the red and green rating!

But you should be aware that cruise ships designated “grey”, fly a foreign flag and have opted out of the CDC’s COVID-19 program while operating in US waters. It is therefore impossible to know the public health measures implemented on these ships. Therefore, the CDC has no information on precautions such as the use of masks, testing of crew members, or the vaccination status of travelers for these ships.

The code “yellow” means that the ship has reported that less than 0.3% of its passengers, and/or crew members, have COVID and that the CDC is monitoring the situation. The code “orange” indicates that the ship has reported that 0.3% or more of its passengers, and/or crew members, are fighting the virus – enough for the CDC to have to investigate.

With the start of the boreal summer season 2022, American Airlines resumes several seasonal services that were suspended for more than two years, the American carrier will resume operations to Spain from its East Coast hubs in Philadelphia (PHL) and Charlotte (CLT).

According to data obtained by Aviacionline through Aena Estadísticas in 2019, American Airlines mobilized 1,375,917 passengers and 26,847, 6 tons of cargo in 6,112 air operations between the United States and Spain, for this summer together with Iberia its Joint Venture partner will offer the largest seating capacity between both nations.

Resumption of flights from Philadelphia (PHL)

As of March 26, the U.S. carrier resumed operations in the Spanish capital with daily flights operated in 234-seat Boeing 787-8s, replacing the Airbus A330s that operated in the summer of 2019.

According to data compiled by Aena Estadísticas, this route in 2019 mobilized 136,578 passengers and 3,641.5 tons of cargo in 720 air operations.

On March 26 the U.S. company resumed operations to the Catalan capital with daily flights operated in Boeing 787-8 of 234 seats, replacing the Airbus A330s that operated in the summer of 2019.

According to data compiled by Aena Estadísticas, this route in 2019 mobilized 85,328 passengers and 837.8 tons of cargo in 410 air operations.

The China Eastern Airlines domestic flight carrying 132 people on board crashed into a mountain in southern China on the afternoon of the 21st March 2022.

According to the Civil Aviation Administration of China, the MU5735 airliner belonging to China Eastern Airlines crashed in a mountainous area near Teng County, Wuzhou, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, on the same day at 1:15 pm (local time) from Kunming, Yunnan Province, to Guangzhou, Guangdong Province. confirmed to have done

The accident plane, a Boeing 737, lost contact at 2:20 pm, and then crashed down from an altitude of about 8,000 meters in two minutes.

A forest fire occurred in the area where it fell, according to state-run Central Television (CCTV).

An ambulance is currently approaching the scene, and no casualties have been reported.

Another witness said, “I heard the explosion and rode a motorcycle to the site about 10 km from the village.”

It is the first time in 11 years and 6 months since August 2010 that a large airliner crash occurred in China.

On August 24, 2010, a Henan Aircraft airliner took off from Harbin Airport in Heilongjiang Province and landed at Lindu Airport in Yichun City, Heilongjiang Province.

On the 21st, the State Department imposed restrictions on entry into the United States by restricting visa issuance to Chinese officials involved in oppression, including ethnic minorities and human rights activists, both inside and outside China.

Sanctions target Chinese officials believed to be responsible for or complicit in policies and measures that repressed religious leaders, members of ethnic minorities, dissidents, human rights activists and journalists both in China and abroad.

The State Department did not disclose specifically who the sanctions were or how many.

However, as Secretary of State Tony Blincoln urged the Chinese government to stop the genocide in Xinjiang, Tibet’s repressive policies and the suppression of basic freedoms in Hong Kong, it suggests that these figures may be related to human rights issues.

“The United States reaffirms its support for those who courageously speak up despite threats of retaliation,” Blincoln said. We will cooperate with the international community to ask questions.”

The Associated Press said the move was in addition to visa sanctions imposed during the Donald Trump administration for human rights violations in Xinjiang, Hong Kong and Tibet.

In connection with China’s case of human rights abuses abroad, the Justice Department has indicted a former Chinese National Security Agency agent for trying to prevent the election of a Chinese dissident who recently ran for the U.S. Congress.

In 2020, eight people were charged with coercing a New Jersey man the Chinese government was pursuing to return to China.

Many travelers choose Hawaii as their vacation destination for its traditional pacific culture, rugged volcano landscapes, sandy beaches, and spectacular surf breaks.
As COVID-19 cases remain high across the world, the US is working towards removing restrictions and implementing the “New Normal”.

Hawaii last week made changes to their restrictions which included removing the state-wide mask mandate from March 25 and the expiration of Hawaii’s Safe Travels Program.

Hawaii’s entry policy for international arrivals is now in line with the federal rules for air travel which came into effect on 8 November 2021. These requirements are that all travelers aged 18 and above must be fully vaccinated and supply a negative COVID-19 test result prior to entry.

US citizens are allowed to enter Hawaii regardless of their vaccination status.

Gov. David Ige announced that booster shots are not required to be eligible as ‘fully vaccinated’ however it is highly recommended.

The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) has begun issuing licenses with enhanced security features.

DMV Director Mark Schröder said on the 10th that “DMV is issuing new licenses to new or renewed applicants with a focus on theft prevention.”

DMV, which will introduce a newly designed driver’s license for the first time in 9 years, has embossed photos and text so that authenticity can be read when touched with the naked eye and hand.

In addition, the exposure structure of the embedded chip and the New York State pattern were produced by laser printing in several layers, preventing theft from being stolen.
The newly security-enhanced license can also be used as ID at airports for domestic travel.

NATO has defended their decision not to establish a ‘no fly zone’ over Ukraine stating that it has a responsibility to ensure that the war does not escalate beyond Ukraine’s borders, as the consequences would be even more dangerous, destructive and deadly.

“It is a painful decision taken by the NATO allies, but we must ensure that this conflict ends and we must prevent it from spreading, degenerating”, affirmed the number one of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

In defence of NATO’s decisions Secretary General J Stoltenberg has made a statement in an attempted to explain the refusal to establish a no-fly zone over Ukraine.
“What everyone needs to understand is that it’s not just about declaring a no-fly zone,” he explained. It must be imposed, and the only way to impose it is to attack Russian air defence systems massively. We cannot operate a no-fly zone with all air defence systems intact.”
It is therefore impossible to apply it without participating in the war. This would imply that NATO forces “massively attack” these air defence systems that the Russian defence has placed in Ukraine, Belarus and on its own territory.

The establishment of a no-fly zone would also mean that NATO would be ready to “directly confront Russian planes. Such a scenario would contribute to more suffering, loss of life and destruction, in addition to being “extremely dangerous”, warned Stoltenberg.

While the LA City Council proposed to lift the mandatory presentation of vaccination certificates when using indoor establishments (reported on the 7th), there is a difference in safety guidelines between LA City and LA County authorities, causing confusion among residents.

First, starting on the 4th, LA County lifted the requirement to wear a mask indoors regardless of whether or not people have been vaccinated throughout the county. Accordingly, there is no need to present the vaccination certificate when entering indoor facilities such as shops, bars, restaurants, gyms, and movie theatres, and wearing a mask at indoor facilities is left to the individual’s discretion.

However, in LA, it is still mandatory to present a vaccination certificate to enter indoor establishments. According to the ‘Safe Pass LA’ program, which came into effect on November 8, last year, the City of LA must present a vaccination certificate or a negative result within 3 days when entering indoor establishments.

Meanwhile, Los Angeles County authorities have lifted the requirement to wear a mask indoors, but some places still require wearing a mask and presenting proof of vaccination.
In the case of school facilities, the mandatory wearing of indoor masks will remain until the 11th, and each school district can set its own guidelines after that. The Los Angeles Unified School District is in a position to maintain it until this semester. In addition, you must present your vaccination certificate to enter the indoor large-scale event halls and medical facilities that can accommodate more than 1,000 people.

Instead of a certificate of vaccination, a negative confirmation of COVID-19 can be presented. Employers are still required to provide medical-grade masks for voluntary use to employees who have close contact with other employees or customers indoors.

Governor David Ige announced on March 1 that the Hawaii Safe Travel Program for Domestic Travelers will end on Friday, March 25.
Beginning Saturday, March 26, 2022, travelers arriving from the continental United States will not need to create a Safe Travel account, show COVID-19 vaccination status, or undergo pre-screening when traveling to Hawaii.

However, passengers arriving in Hawaii on direct international flights must comply with federal entry requirements, which include proof of up-to-date vaccinations and a negative COVID-19 test before travel within one day of travel.

For more information visit www.havaiicovid19.com/travel.

However, the indoor mask requirement in Hawaii remains in effect until further notice.
At the county level, the counties of Kauai, Maui, and Hawaii have lifted their state of emergency rules due to COVID-19.