Travel Guide

[ad_1]

“Our hotels and casinos in Niagara Falls are lighting up glowing hearts as a sign of hope and solidarity,” Niagara Falls Tourism said in a Facebook post on Sunday. “As a community, we are united on the fight to stop the spread of the virus.”In order to create the hearts, hotels are turning off all their room lights — with the exception of those that create the shape of the vital organ, which is considered a symbol of love. As of March 21, more than 300,000 people have contracted the novel coronavirus, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.Niagara Falls Tourism isn’t the only one to make a public solidarity gesture. As the coronavirus continues to spread across the globe, others are finding ways to show their support for those impacted.Last week, Brazil’s Christ the Redeemer statue lit up with flags and messages of hope. The message “#praytogether” was projected on the statue, which overlooks Rio de Janeiro, in different languages.

[ad_2]

Source link

[ad_1]

Tokyo (CNN) — Shortly after dawn, Hideki Sugiura moves swiftly through the narrow aisles of Tokyo’s Toyosu Market.It’s much quieter than usual, and the sushi chef doesn’t need to buy as much fish for his small restaurant, Sushi Marubatsu.Business is down around 50%, Sugiura says, due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. The virus has spread through large parts of Asia and is now gripping Europe and the US, with more than 300,000 cases globally. Japan currently has more than 1,000 confirmed cases, several dozen of whom have died.”Simply, customers stopped coming,” Sugiura tells CNN. “I’m very sad. I’m angry at the virus.”Nearly every day for the past nine years, Sugiura has been carrying out his daily ritual at Toyosu — the wholesale section of the famous Tsukiji fish market, which moved to new premises in 2018. Tokyo sushi chef Hideki Sugiura says business is down around 50% due to the coronavirus outbreak. Rebecca Wright/CNN Sugiura creates his daily-changing menu on the fly as he sees what fish is on offer — and at what price. This time, he goes for tuna, salmon, red snapper, yellowtail and shrimp.His tiny restaurant, which fits about a dozen diners, is in Shibuya, near Tokyo’s famous intersection with a four-way pedestrian crossing. But the majority of his business comes from local Japanese.”Company workers who used to come in for lunch don’t come at all now,” he says. “And housewives used to come in at lunchtime, but none of them come now.”He says that business was already hurting before the virus spread, due to an ailing economy that slowed after the Japanese government increased the consumption tax in October.”We’ve had a de facto shutdown of all the major engines of demand,” says Jesper Koll, a Tokyo-based economist. “That’s consumption, business spending, export of goods and inbound tourism.”Many businesses had been holding out for the expected economic boost of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, due to be held in July and August this year. But now, the future of the event — and the associated benefits for Tokyo’s retail and tourism industry — looks uncertain due to the pandemic. Now, the current crisis is pushing Sugiura to consider closing the doors on the restaurant.”If my business stays this way because of the virus, I cannot operate at all,” he says. “There is no other way but closing it down.”Tsukiji fish market sufferingThe impact of the coronavirus is also hurting the original Tsukiji fish market, a hotspot for tourists. Some of the market vendors tell CNN that their business is down by 70-80%.Normally a tourist hotspot, the outer ring of the Tsukiji market sees few visitors these days. Rebecca Wright/CNN”(Business is) terrible, terrible,” says Naoto Furusawa, who has worked at one of the stalls selling dried fish and other food items for 23 years.Usually, he says, the streets are teeming with visitors from all over the world.”It is just a sea of people,” Furusawa says. “(Usually) I can’t even walk through.”Tourists have also noticed the huge drop-off.”I came three years ago and I couldn’t walk (through the crowds), and now it’s barely anyone,” says Colombian tourist Andres Bitar (32).When the inner wholesale market moved to Toyosu, the outer market, which has dozens of shops and restaurants, stayed open.But how long it survives depends on how long it takes for the coronavirus crisis to end, Furusawa says.”Everyone is saying, all they can do is be patient,” he says.Off the main streets of the Tsukiji market are several dark, narrow alleys which are crammed with dozens of small sushi joints — also suffering from the economic contagion of the coronavirus. “There are many businesses closing down,” says Toru Honma, who owns one of the small restaurants. “Three to four places have closed down in the last month or two.” Tokyo seafood vendor Naoto Furusawa says business is terrible at the moment. Rebecca Wright/CNNMost mornings, 68-year-old Honma is serving up sashimi rice bowls, platters of fresh sushi and cups of steaming Japanese tea to visitors who stream in after shopping in the market. But now, he’s just counting his losses. “I feel very sad — it hurts,” Honma says. “It was such a sharp decline.”Honma has been a sushi chef for 45 years, and says he has never seen anything like this before — even after the devastating earthquake and tsunami which hit Japan in 2011.But the situation is likely to deteriorate further, as experts say the impact of the coronavirus crisis is far from over.”You’re going to see for the next three or four months at least, economic data that’s going to continue to deteriorate, you’re going to see profit data that continues to deteriorate,” Koll says.The crisis has left small business owners in Japan — and the rest of the world — facing an uncertain future.”We don’t know when it ends, and it is getting worse day by day,” Honma says.

[ad_2]

Source link

[ad_1]

For World Happiness Day, the UN ranked the world’s happiest countries based on income, lack of corruption, generosity and more, which may help them through the pandemic.

[ad_2]

Source link

[ad_1]

DestinationsFood & DrinkPlayStayVideoSearchMenuView Gallery12 PicturesUpdated 19th March 2020FacebookTwitterEmailSearchUSCrime + JusticeEnergy + EnvironmentExtreme WeatherSpace + ScienceWorldAfricaAmericasAsiaAustraliaChinaEuropeIndiaMiddle EastUnited KingdomPolitics45CongressSCOTUSFacts First2020CandidatesBusinessMarketsTechMediaSuccessPerspectivesVideosOpinionPolitical Op-EdsSocial CommentaryHealthFoodFitnessWellnessParentingVital SignsEntertainmentStarsScreenBingeCultureMediaTechInnovateGadgetMission: AheadUpstartsWork TransformedInnovative CitiesStyleArtsDesignFashionArchitectureLuxuryBeautyVideoTravelDestinationsFood & DrinkPlayStayVideosSportsPro FootballCollege FootballBasketballBaseballSoccerOlympicsVideosLive TV Digital StudiosCNN FilmsHLNTV ScheduleTV Shows A-ZCNNVRCouponsCNN UnderscoredExploreWellnessGadgetsLifestyleCNN StoreMorePhotosLongformInvestigationsCNN ProfilesCNN LeadershipCNN NewslettersWork for CNNFollow CNN Terms of UsePrivacy PolicyAccessibility & CCAdChoicesAbout UsCNN Studio ToursModern Slavery Act StatementAdvertise with usCNN StoreNewslettersTranscriptsLicense FootageCNN NewsourceSitemap© 2020 Cable News Network.Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.All Rights Reserved.CNN Sans ™ & © 2016 Cable News Network.

[ad_2]

Source link

[ad_1]

(CNN)A pilot did some digital skywriting in the skies over Austria to remind people not to go out during the coronavirus pandemic.The pilot wrote the message during a 24-minute flight on Monday after taking off from an airport in Wiener Neustadt, Austria, about 50 miles south of Vienna.Austrian officials said there had been 1,843 reported cases of coronavirus in the country as of Thursday morning.Lockdowns have been imposed all over the world in hopes of slowing the disease that has infected hundreds of thousands globally. Many countries have imposed flight restrictions as well.

[ad_2]

Source link

[ad_1]

(CNN) — Freedom of movement at the world’s longest land border diminished on Wednesday when President Donald Trump announced restrictions on travel between the United States and Canada. “We will be, by mutual consent, temporarily closing our Northern Border with Canada to non-essential traffic. Trade will not be affected. Details to follow!” Trump tweeted. The decision will transform life at the northern US border with Canada, which nearly 200,000 people cross each day. And it’s just one of a slew of travel restrictions appearing as world governments cope with the spreading coronavirus. On Monday, the European Union announced it would close its borders to non-essential travel. In the UK, the Foreign Office has advised against all but essential international travel for a period of 30 days. In some cases, employers, organizations and even government agencies are limiting non-essential travel. On Wednesday, March 11, the US Department of State suspended non-essential travel by staff, with Reuters reporting an anonymous source saying individual decisions were being left to each respective US embassy, consulate and bureau. That leaves many wondering what qualifies as non-essential travel. The answer, it turns out, is not always straightforward or even easily enforceable. What it means on the US-Canada border Cars usually line up to cross into the US at the US/Canada border at Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle, Quebec.DON EMMERT/AFP via Getty ImagesIn a news briefing on March 18, a reporter asked President Trump to define non-essential travel between the United States and Canada. “Well I think essential is medical, we have military working together, we have industry working together, and again, it’s not affecting trade, so things like that,” said President Trump. “But just leisurely ‘let’s go to a restaurant and have dinner,’ which a lot of people do … we have ended on a temporary basis.” His reply underscored the lack of official clarity around the term.In Ottawa on the morning of March 18, Canadian Prime Minister Justin emphasized that both governments see supply chains as essential. “These supply chains ensure that food, fuel and lifesaving medicines reach people on both sides of the border,” Trudeau said, noting that trucking would not be affected. The restriction, which Trump suggested could last 30 days, will prevent tourists from traveling between the two countries. “We’re telling our citizens not to visit their neighbors if they don’t absolutely have to,” said Prime Minister Trudeau at his press conference. “These measures will last in place as long as we feel they need to last.” Enforcement details are yet to be made public. Restrictions for the rest of the worldEuropean Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed that the EU close its borders to non-essential travel on March 16. KENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP/Getty ImagesThe US Centers for Disease Control’s Warning Level 3, the agency’s most severe advisory, now applies to Malaysia, Iran, China, South Korea, Europe, the UK and Ireland. In addition to warning against all cruise travel, that alert recommends Americans avoid all non-essential travel to listed countries, saying “the outbreak is of high risk to travelers and no precautions are available to protect against the identified increased risk.” Despite the gravity of the advisory, the CDC still leaves it up to the individual to interpret what is, and what isn’t, essential travel. And when it comes to restricting or recommending against non-essential travel, government decisions have varied widely.The European Union proposed stricter rules on non-essential travel across the external borders of the bloc, narrowly defining the exemptions. Only goods, medical equipment and some people working to manage the spread of the coronavirus will be allowed to enter the EU for a period of 30 days. In recent days, travelers have reported being turned back at the borders of the EU when their journeys were deemed non-essential. What is a lockdown? Some countries and regions are taking even more stringent measures, sometimes called “lockdowns” or “shelter-in-place.” The order, which is in place through April 7, says residents may leave their homes to get food, care for friends and relatives, exercise, seek necessary health care and travel to essential jobs. Nearly 7 million residents are affected by the new rule, and government officials have announced that failure to comply with it is a misdemeanor offense. But there is currently no requirement of proof that you’re allowed to be outside.It’s the United States’ first taste of the sweeping lockdowns that have been put in place in Italy, France and Spain.As new coronavirus infections have slowed in China, Italy has become the new face of the epidemic. The entire country is under a total lockdown, with police patrolling streets to ask citizens if they have a valid reason to be out. As in San Francisco, valid reasons include food shopping, health reasons and work. When residents violate the order, they may face criminal charges. On Wednesday, The Guardian reported that Italy was charging nearly 40,000 people for violating lockdown. On Tuesday, France was also put into a lockdown. For a period of at least 15 days, anyone leaving the home must fill out and sign a paper explaining why they’re out, with valid reasons including shopping for groceries and medicine, caring for family or getting to work when remote working is impossible. An exception is also made for the needs of pets. Rules can vary by city, region or country.Rules can vary by countryIt’s not clear if New York City will issue a “shelter-in-place” order.John Lamparski/NurPhoto/Getty ImagesSpain is implementing serious restrictions as well, including closing land borders to everyone but Spanish citizens, residents and those citing force majeure. The country has declared a “state of alarm” for an initial period of 15 days. During the state of alarm, individuals may only go out in public for a specified list of activities, including shopping for groceries or medicine, getting medical care, going to work, helping vulnerable people and going to financial institutions. In the United States, it remains to be seen whether stringent shelter-in-place orders will become more widespread. He said all actions should be statewide, and called on Americans to remain calm in the face of coming disruptions. “This is an extraordinary time in this nation’s history,” he said. “It’s a character test for us collectively as a society.”

[ad_2]

Source link