Travel: Some people are delaying travel plans over delta variant fears, according to study

Diet Secrets for a Lean Body After 50, Says Dietitian

There are diet changes that people over 50 can lean on to help them maintain the body they want during this season of life.

But fears of the delta variant could upend the travel industry’s recovery. MSN and The Points Guy may receive a commission from card issuers. The highly transmissible delta variant , first discovered in India, is the dominant strain of SARS-CoV-2 in the U.S. and has been detected in dozens of countries. It’s been observed as 50% to 60% more contagious

But fears of the delta variant could upend the travel industry’s recovery. MSN and The Points Guy may receive a commission from card issuers. The highly transmissible delta variant , first discovered in India, is the dominant strain of SARS-CoV-2 in the U.S. and has been detected in dozens of countries. It’s been observed as 50% to 60% more contagious

© Provided by The Points Guy

The highly transmissible delta variant, first discovered in India, is the dominant strain of SARS-CoV-2 in the U.S. and has been detected in dozens of countries. It’s been observed as 50% to 60% more contagious than the alpha variant that drove the pandemic this winter.

Even with concerns about the delta variant, domestic air travel doesn’t appear to be significantly affected, at least not yet. Domestic demand has reached pre-pandemic levels, and the Transporation Security Administration now regularly screens over 2 million passengers a day. The U.S. hotel industry in June recorded its highest monthly occupancy and revenue per available room since October 2019, an indication that Americans are more comfortable traveling again.

Delta 8 THC: Everything You Need To Know

Delta 8 THC: Everything You Need To KnowMeet Binoid: Delta 8 THC and so much more.

The highly transmissible delta variant , first discovered in India, is the dominant strain of SARS-CoV-2 It’s been observed as 50% to 60% more contagious than the alpha variant that drove the pandemic this winter. SOME PEOPLE ARE DELAYING TRAVEL PLANS Fears , according to study .

Vaccinated People Also Spread the Delta Variant , Yearlong Study Shows. People inoculated against Covid-19 are just as likely to spread the delta variant of the virus to contacts in their household as those who haven’t had shots, according to new research. In a yearlong study of 621 people in the U.K. with mild Covid-19, scientists found that their peak viral load was similar regardless of vaccination status, according to a paper published Thursday in The Lancet Infectious Diseases medical journal.

But fears of the delta variant could upend the travel industry’s recovery. Here’s what you need to know.

For more TPG news delivered each morning to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.

Delta variant concerns affecting some travel

© The Points Guy Travelers walk through New York-JFK ahead of Memorial Day weekend on May 28, 2021. (Photo by Angela Weiss/AFP)

According to a survey by Longwoods International, a marketing firm that studies travel demand, the delta variant is why some people are putting their travel plans on hold for now. According to the survey, a quarter of Americans said they are postponing travel plans because of delta variant concerns.

Travelers were also concerned about opening their communities to tourists; support for outside visitors dropped from nearly 70% in early June to 57% in July.

At Boston, Delta pushes to become No. 1 airline, surpassing JetBlue in departures

It’s all eyes on Boston this week for three of the biggest U.S. airlines. Delta helped put the spotlight on the city this week, kicking off a global airline industry conference there earlier this week by announcing plans to expand its Boston Logan hub with two new transatlantic flights, three new domestic routes and new …Delta helped put the spotlight on the city this week, kicking off a global airline industry conference there earlier this week by announcing plans to expand its Boston Logan hub with two new transatlantic flights, three new domestic routes and new Airbus A321 neo aircraft.

The Delta variant currently makes up between six and 10 percent of cases in the United States, said Dr. Ashish Jha, the dean of Brown University’s School of Public Health, adding that it will probably will be the dominant strain in the United States by August. Some countries are making specific changes to their entry decisions because of the variant , while others are ordering emergency lockdowns. On June 18, Italy’s health minister said that the nation would require a mandatory five-day quarantine and testing for people coming from Britain, even if they are vaccinated, over concerns about the Delta

“A Delta variant with three mutations has already emerged, which suggests it’s only a matter of time before a fourth mutation develops, at which point complete resistance to Pfizer’s jab may be imminent,” reports GreatGameIndia . Fully vaccinated people are dangerous , in other words, and are directly responsible for the latest “wave” of the virus that is said to be spreading like wildfire. What were supposed to be “rare breakthrough” infections have become the norm, thanks to the injections.

“We may be approaching a new pandemic tipping point, in the battle between the more transmissible Delta variant and the power of vaccinations to prevent or at least lessen the impact of infections,” Longwoods International CEO Amir Eylon said in a statement.

Travel industry monitoring variant

© The Points Guy (Photo by Edvard Nalbantjan/Shutterstock)

The travel industry is monitoring the variant’s spread, people in the industry told TPG, but they aren’t overly concerned that the variant will result in a return to March 2020-era restrictions. But so far, the variant hasn’t been a problem for any U.S. carrier, as the major U.S. airlines have all said. And current travel numbers and future bookings are continuing to trend upward.

“We haven’t seen any impact at all on bookings, which continue to get stronger week after week,” United CEO Scott Kirby said during the company’s second-quarter earnings call this month. “We think the most likely outcome is that the continued recovery in demand continues unabated.”

What Is the Delta Plus Variant? Here’s What Experts Know About It So Far

The sub-lineage of Delta has spread through various countries, including the U.S.“The first case [in South Korea] was identified in a man in [his] 40s who has no recent travel records,” the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) told Reuters. It’s unclear how the man became sick. The second case of Delta Plus was in a traveller who recently returned from the United States. That patient had been vaccinated with both doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

The Delta variant is a variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. It was first detected in India in late 2020. The Delta variant was named on 31 May 2021 and had spread to over 163 countries by 24 August 2021.

Tightening mask rules

The travel industry might not be too concerned about the delta variant’s impact on business but across the United States, restrictions relaxed after initial high vaccination rates are returning.

Updated CDC mask guidance

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued updated mask guidance on July 27, including recommending people in high-risk areas wear masks indoors, regardless of vaccination status. This recommendation is in line with the World Health Organization’s warning that even fully vaccinated individuals — those who received their final dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at least two weeks prior — should still wear a mask.

© The Points Guy (Photo by Ashley Kosciolek/The Points Guy)

“In areas with substantial and high transmission, CDC recommends fully vaccinated people wear masks in public indoor settings to help prevent the spread of the delta variant and to help others,” CDC director Rochelle P. Walensky said in a media briefing on Tuesday.

The recommendation comes after increased reports of infections in the United States due to the delta variant in fully vaccinated individuals and in areas whose population remains largely unvaccinated. However, it’s important to note that the CDC stopped short of issuing a full mandate, instead calling the update a “recommendation.”

How I earned 1 million Delta SkyMiles and Diamond status in 6 months with credit card spending

As a small-business owner, I’m fortunate to be able to earn plenty of points and miles by charging business expenses on credit cards. When I have time to sit down and really strategize, I can occasionally use that spending power to achieve elite status or earn bonuses that might otherwise be difficult to hit. In …In 2021, I made the decision to try to attain Delta Diamond Medallion elite status by taking advantage of some pandemic-related earning opportunities. At the time I decided to go for it, my SkyMiles balance was less than 10,000 miles — and just under a year later, I have more than 1 million SkyMiles in my account.

The new guidance reverses the CDC decision in May that said vaccinated persons no longer needed masks indoors. At the time, the agency cited scientific evidence that suggested vaccinated people remain less likely to become infected with or transmit the virus and that the vaccines had provided protection against the variants.

Hotels review their mask policies

With the agency’s new recommendation, hotels may have to take a renewed look at their mask policies.

Major hotels, including Marriott, Hilton and Hyatt, relaxed their mask requirements after the May guidance which said vaccinated people no longer needed to wear masks indoors. But hotels that have updated guidance are largely following the CDC’s lead in merely suggesting — not mandating — mask-wearing for fully vaccinated guests.

A Hyatt spokesperson told TPG that it now requests fully vaccinated U.S. guests and employees located in counties with substantial or high COVID-19 transmission rates wear a face covering.

“All hotels are required to follow state and local requirements, if stricter than Hyatt’s recommended guidance,” the spokesperson said.

A Hilton spokesperson told TPG that fully vaccinated Hilton employees in the U.S. are only advised to wear face coverings if they are based in high-transmission areas.

The 11 best increased card offers to sign-up for in November

Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information. Credit card sign-up bonuses and welcome offers are the quickest and easiest way to rake in lots of points and miles, so we regularly update the roundup of our favorite current offers in our best credit cards guide. But to help you keep …Credit card sign-up bonuses and welcome offers are the quickest and easiest way to rake in lots of points and miles, so we regularly update the roundup of our favorite current offers in our best credit cards guide.

“We will continue to evolve our approach with a focus on the wellbeing of our guests and team members, always informed by the applicable regional health and government authorities,” the spokesperson told TPG.

A Marriott spokesperson told TPG that the chain didn’t have an update.

A spokesperson for the American Hotel & Lodging Association, an organization that collectively represents 80% of all franchise hotels, told TPG that it encouraged hotels “to monitor (their) specific location and act accordingly.”

“The circumstances for a change in mask requirements are local, not national, and may be temporary depending upon location,” the AHLA spokesperson told TPG.

Some destinations return to requiring masks in public, indoor settings

But several jurisdictions didn’t wait for the CDC’s recommendation, instead recommending or enforcing mask mandates independently. For instance, in mid-July, Los Angeles County announced that all people — vaccinated or not — would be required to wear a mask indoors when in public. Other areas of California recommended that everyone wear masks indoors at public places but stopped short of making masks a requirement.

And in Sin City, Las Vegas employees who work indoors are now required to mask up again, as local officials try to contain the concerning upswing in COVID-19 cases related to the delta variant.

The requirement comes as several jurisdictions, including Chicago and the island of Kauai in Hawaii, have advised their residents to avoid travel to Las Vegas or Nevada due to high rates of positive COVID-19 cases. Clark County, which includes the city of Las Vegas, has seen a surge in positive cases. The CEO of MGM Resorts urged his employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and feared a “return to social distancing and capacity restrictions” could be on the horizon if conditions in Las Vegas didn’t improve.

Your state's most unusual stay for a night to remember

Forget cookie-cutter hotels – how about booking a stay in a former prison for your next vacation? Or a disused railway carriage? Or a giant, repurposed wine barrel? All of these wacky experiences and more are available in the US, so if you’re looking for a hotel, motel or Airbnb with a difference, you’ve come to the right place. Here’s our selection of the best unusual stay in every state and DC. As always, be sure to check state travel advisories before you head out, and do check individual hotels’ COVID-19 policies before booking.

Other jurisdictions have indicated that they aren’t as keen on enforcing a mask recommendation or mandate.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is reportedly considering requiring masks in places with a high risk for COVID-19 transmission. Such a requirement will likely irk New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, as the two men have a publicly contentious relationship. De Blasio has previously said that the city would not require face masks indoors. The mayor touted the city’s rebound from the coronavirus, which slammed into New York City early in the pandemic and killed thousands. After mounting an early vaccination campaign, the city was declared “fully reopened.”

However, de Blasio recently ordered that New York City employees who are unvaccinated would be subject to weekly COVID-19 testing.

Some countries are reopening, while others remain shut

© The Points Guy (Photo by Hollie Adams/Getty Images)

Even with the delta variant’s spread, some countries are moving ahead with reopening plans.

England announced that it would allow fully vaccinated travelers from the United States and European Union to enter its borders without quarantine, a move expected to boost the tourism industry. Canada on July 19 said it would reopen its borders to fully vaccinated U.S. citizens beginning on Aug. 9, the first phase of a two-step reopening process. Canada also said it intends to open its borders to citizens of other countries as of Sept. 7 if the conditions didn’t deteriorate. Singapore has indicated that it hopes to ease restrictions in September if 80% of the population is vaccinated.

As countries close and far away reopen, the United States will remain firmly shut — at least for now. The U.S. said that it wouldn’t lift any of its existing travel restrictions “at this point” over concerns about the delta variant. Most non-U.S. citizens of China, Iran, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Brazil, South Africa, India and Schengen Area countries are banned from entering the United States.

Everything We Know About the Omicron Variant So Far

It's officially reached the U.S., and it has the potential to spread more rapidly than Delta.For months now, the Delta variant has been the driving force behind the vast majority of COVID-19 cases in the United States and around the world; Delta made up 99.9% of domestic SARS-CoV-2 infections during the last week of November, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data reveals.

Travel industry leaders have implored U.S. officials to reconsider travel restrictions.

“British government leaders have made a wise decision in reopening England to vaccinated travelers from the United States,” said Tori Emerson Barnes, executive vice president of the U.S. Travel Association, in a statement in response to the U.K.’s announcement that it would reopen to vaccinated Americans.

“It’s time for U.S. leaders to do the same and set a timeline to reopen our national borders—and we encourage them to start with vaccinated travelers from the U.K., E.U. and Canada.”

Featured photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images.