A protest in Rome against a law requiring evidence of being vaccinated against COVID-19 before entering most buildings turned violent on Oct. 9, resulting in injuries to 38 police officers. Rioters broke into the headquarters of the workers’ union CGIL, which supports the law.
Below are some of the questions and issues we should individually consider when thinking of undertaking international group travel while COVID is still in our midst. Bear in mind that this column was written in late October 2021, and COVID realities can change quickly.
Personal health awareness
Are you are fully vaccinated? If so, does this include a booster shot?
Dear Globetrotter:
Tired of being at home and thinking things might be getting back to normal, in April we booked a family vacation for six that seemed manageable: a 7-day small-ship cruise in Alaska’s Inside Passage, departing July 21, 2021.
On Sept. 7, the tour and river cruise company Tauck (Wilton, CT; 800/788-7885, www.tauck.com) began requiring tour members on all of its tours and cruises to be vaccinated for COVID-19.
For reasons of customer and employee safety, and under local laws, an increasing number of tour companies are requiring tour members be vaccinated. (See Oct. ’21, page 29, for names of some other companies requiring vaccines.)
At press time, active COVID-19 infections had been confirmed in 192 countries and territories, with more than 235 million confirmed cases and, resulting from those, more than 4.8 million deaths.
The title of this article is likely on the minds of the majority of ITN readers. Before launching into this topic, however, I must note that this column is being written in late September 2021, and COVID conditions related to travel, specifically, can change significantly in a short period of time. With that said, here goes.
Dear Globetrotter:
