COVID-19: Is travel safe during the pandemic this holiday season?

Dubai: A new Lego-themed hotel will soon open its doors to Dubai tourists and residents at the Dubai Parks and Resorts, it was announced on Thursday.

The region’s only Legoland Hotel will offer an all-encompassing Lego adventure, including a Legoland Theme Park, a Legoland Water Park and a 250-room hotel offering fully themed rooms that can accommodate a family of five.

The amusement park also launch two new rides – inspired by Lionsgate’s major motion picture franchises John Wick and Now You See Me — at Motiongate Dubai, its Hollywood-inspired theme park, starting January 21.

“Dubai continues to be a leader in the travel and tourism sector, with a reputation for delivering pioneering projects and landmarks. The opening of the world’s first John Wick rollercoaster, the world’s fastest spinning rollercoaster and the region’s only Lego-themed hotel are an example of the breadth and diversity of entertainment experiences in Dubai. We are confident that these new offerings will contribute to further enhancing Dubai’s competitiveness as one of the leading international tourism destinations in the world,” said Fernando Eiroa, CEO, Dubai Holding Entertainment, the theme park’s operator.

New York: Is travel safe during the pandemic this holiday season? It depends. It can be safe if you’re fully vaccinated against COVID-19, but officials say people who haven’t gotten the shots should delay travel.

Regardless of vaccination status, all travellers should keep taking precautions like avoiding indoor, unmasked crowds, says Dr. Keith Armitage, an infectious disease expert at Case Western Reserve University.

“The delta variant has really brought us back to an earlier time in the pandemic,” he says.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says not to travel if you’re sick, or if you tested positive for COVID-19 and your isolation period isn’t over yet – even if you’re fully vaccinated. Unvaccinated people who decide to travel should get a COVID-19 test one to three days before travel and three to five days after returning.

All travelers must still wear masks on trains, planes and other indoor public transportation areas, the agency says.

Airlines say plane cabins are low risk since they have good air circulation and filtration. However, there is no requirement for vaccination or testing before domestic flights, and passengers can remove their face masks while eating or drinking.

“Hotels aren’t risky for the vaccinated as long as they wear masks around strangers,” Armitage says. More fraught are family gatherings with unvaccinated individuals, particularly for those who are older or have health problems.

Health experts suggest looking at the case levels and masking rules in the place you are visiting before you travel.

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