
A Princess Cruise vessel that had left San Francisco on a 15-day voyage to the Panama Canal and back has been gripped by COVID-19. According to the shipping company, 100% of passengers and crew were vaccinated. The Port of San Francisco also requires that at least 95% of both passengers and crew members onboard are vaccinated.

As previously communicated, the Falkland Islands Government has recently reviewed all available options in terms of making changes to Covid-19 measures in a careful and measured way. This week Executive Council met to evaluate the proposed options, which included the latest public health guidance and legal advice. As a result, it has been agreed that from 4 May 2022, the existing Infectious Diseases Control (Coronavirus: International Travel, Operator Liability, and Quarantine) Regulations 2022 will be revoked, providing that specific conditions can be met.

Uruguay's Minister of Tourism Tabaré Viera has requested his Public Health colleague Daniel Salinas to review the possibility that incoming travelers fully vaccinated against COVID-19 are spared the swab test at the earliest.

Two companies that were still organizing Antarctic cruises, over the weekend and almost coincidentally announced that the current trips would be the last, in effect putting an end to a short season.

The St Helena government has announced the resumption of Airlink flights between Johannesburg, South Africa, and St Helena island commending 26 March. The Airlink service has been discontinued since March 20 because of the pandemic. The resumption also means a monthly inter-island service to Ascension Island.

Peruvian authorities have guaranteed tourist services are to remain operational in Machu Picchu despite the recent declaration of emergency by the federal government.

Occupancy at Uruguay's hotels has been between 70 and 90% during Carnival weekend, which represented a recovery from a bad Summer season for the leisure industry.

Argentina has requested the resumption of flights between the mainland and the Falkland Islands twice a month after the service carried out by LATAM Airlines was halted amid COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.

Tourists keep pouring into the Wonderful City (Cidade Maravilhosa) where not even Omicron is to kill the joy of its people, even if the streets will be less colorful for the second year in a row.

Rio de Janeiro’s street carnival parades may be off but other parts of South America are returning to their traditional celebrations following a ban during 2021 as a result of COVID-19 measures.