Read all about it! The U.S. Coronavirus death toll surges past 140,000 145,000 146,000 while infections rage out of control throughout the Sunbelt. Countries close their borders again and reopenings in the United States are rolled back or curtailed. The travel industry faces a hard reality: There's no V-shaped recovery. Latest items are at the top. Read up from the bottom for context.

Coronavirus Update for July 25, 2020

McDonald's now says you will need a mask to enter any of its U.S. restaurants beginning on August 1. There's no truth to the rumor that the "secret sauce" from a Big Mac will dissolve your mask. Here are today's travel developments:
        He won't fly, don't ask him. At 79, Dr. Anthony Fauci's control has escaped him, as we learned Thursday night when he threw out the ceremonial first pitch of the truncated 2020 baseball season. But he's smart enough to realize he shouldn't be flying. Details are here.
        On third thought ... The Bahamas has changed its governmental mind again. It opened its borders to U.S. travelers last month. But as Coronavirus cases spike in the Sunbelt, the Bahamas this week closed to U.S. travelers. Now it says we are welcome, but must accept a 14-day quarantine on arrival and test negative at the end of those 14 days.
        Washington, D.C. has now published the order about 14-day quarantines for arrivals from high-infection-rate states. It is here.
        New York State published an official definition of "food" since bars have tried to get around restrictions that mandate alcohol sales can only be in conjunction with food service. Bars were serving items such as a handful of potato chips or a single carrot stick to circumvent rules. Governor Andrew Cuomo says a sandwich is smallest acceptable food item. But that pointedly leaves out Buffalo wings, which, of course, originated in the upstate New York city. Anyway, here are the specifics.
        The NFL says masks will be required at games when and if live spectators are allowed. At the moment, the NFL season is set to begin on September 10.

Coronavirus Update for July 24, 2020

Strange year 2020. No Olympics. No political conventions now that the GOP has cancelled its panicky scheme to move to Florida from North Carolina. Not much presidential campaigning. Here are today's travel developments:
        Canada says at least 30 flights have landed in the country carrying passengers with confirmed cases of Coronavirus. CTV News has the details.
        Ohio quarantine Ohio is now asking travelers and returning residents arriving from nine states to self-quarantine for 14 days.
        Arizona statis Bars, gyms, theaters and water parks will remain closed in the state indefinitely, said Governor Doug Ducey.
        Air Canada reopened its Maple Leaf Lounge near the D Gates at Toronto/Pearson Airport. Lounges in Montreal and Vancouver aren't expected to resume service until the fall.
        Caribbean confusion The always fractious Caribbean has been unable to create a central source for information about which islands you can visit this summer. The Washington Post went island-by-island to gather intelligence.
        The last picture show Disney and Warner, now the dominant movie companies in the United States, this week largely cancelled their "tentpole" summer releases. Most of the blockbusters have been pushed back to the fall, which essentially means any movie theaters that open will be starved for material.

Coronavirus Update for July 23, 2020

We will reach four million confirmed Coronavirus cases today. It took just 15 days to go from three to four million. There also were 1,000 deaths nationwide for two consecutive days, the first time that has happened since May. Here are today's travel developments:
        A balloon deflating The airlines reporting 2Q "earnings" today all confirmed a fairly intense slowdown in flight demand. And you can see it in the daily numbers released by the TSA. It says about 571,000 people passed through airport security checkpoints on Wednesday. That is only 22.2 of 2019 volume. Two Wednesdays ago, July 8, there were 632,498 people or 25.1 percent of 2019 volume.
        Alaska Airlines says it does not expect flying to return to 2019 levels until March of 2022. It also fears Hawaii will continue to extend its 14-day quarantine rule beyond September 1, a serious matter for Alaska Air since 14 percent of its pre-pandemic capacity was to/from Hawaii.
        Masking matters Three more states--Ohio, Indiana and Minnesota--issued mask mandates. The governors of two of those states--Ohio and Indiana--previously insisted mandates were unnecessary.
        Play ball! A truncated 60-game baseball season begins today. There will be no fans in the stands and at least one team, the Toronto Blue Jays, is still looking for a place to play its home games. The city of Toronto will not allow the team to use its home park.
        Hong Kong has basically barred visitors from the United States. Its new policy requires you to have a negative Coronavirus test within three days of your flight and that is essentially impossible for most Americans given the testing realities. Details are here.
        American Airlines has cut its published August schedule by 10 percent. The reason: Demand is falling short of what AA officials had predicted.

Coronavirus Update for July 22, 2020

Once the epicenter of the Coronavirus pandemic, New York State has now been passed by California in the number of total confirmed cases. Texas and Florida also will pass New York in the next few days. Here are today's travel developments:
        Troublesome Tuesdays Although the numbers are still slightly skewed by the Fourth of July flying boomlet, the week-to-week numbers point to a distressing downward pattern. According to TSA statistics on airport security checkpoints, there were 530,421 people yesterday compared to 540,268 last Tuesday (July 14) and July 7 (641,761).
        United Airlines says customers must wear face coverings at all 360 airports it serves. This includes service counters and ticket kiosks, United Clubs and gates and baggage claim areas. The mandate, which complements the in-flight mask requirement, is effective beginning July 24.
        New York State has extended its 14-day quarantine requirement to arrivals from 31 states. Details are here.
        Delta Air Lines says it has banned about 100 people from flying because they violated the airline's mask mandate on a previous flight. Details are here.
        China, where the Coronavirus originated last year, now says travelers must prove they have had a negative test within five days before boarding a flight to the country.
        Uzbekistan says it will pay the cost of treatment (about US$3,000 in the country) if you contract Coronavirus while in the Central Asian nation. Vice.com has details.

Coronavirus Update for July 21, 2020

Fewer people passed through TSA checkpoints on Monday (about 695,000) than Monday, July 13 (698,000). The percentage of 2019 volume also dropped to 26.3 percent from last Monday's 26.7 percent. Here are today's other travel developments:
        Lodging and masking The hotel trade association is now suggesting lodging chains require face coverings on-property. Marriott and Hyatt are the first two chains to comply. Effective July 27, guests at both chains will be required to wear masks in indoor spaces.
        Chicago bars that do not serve food will be barred from indoor service starting Friday. The city also will limit indoor fitness programs to 10 or fewer people and stop personal services that require the removal of masks.
        Kentucky now requires arrivals from some states to self-quarantine for 14 days. Details are here.
        Hidalgo County, Texas, which includes the city of McAllen, has ordered residents to shelter in place and observe a 10pm to 5am curfew.
        Winn-Dixie, a supermarket chain with about 500 stores in five Southern states, initially said yesterday that it would not require customers to wear masks in the store. After an unrelated tweet showing President Trump wearing a mask, the chain reversed itself and says masks will be required starting July 27.
        Duh... Early in the pandemic, Florida imposed a 14-day quarantine requirement on travelers from the New York Tri-State region. At the time, New York was the epicenter of the Coronavirus. Now that Florida is the global epicenter, the state has begrudgingly stopped hazing arrivals from New York. The Miami Herald has details.

Coronavirus Update for July 20, 2020

Nothing like starting the work week with another bracing cup of Trump word soup. In his interview yesterday with Chris Wallace, President Trump doubled down on his earlier Coronavirus claim: "It's going to disappear. I'll say it again." Yet he also dismissed the effectiveness of face masks: "I don’t agree with the statement that if everybody wear a mask everything disappears." The transcript is here. Here are today's travel developments:
        New York City today moves into a limited form of Phase 4 reopening. But malls, indoor dining and museums remain closed. The Open Restaurants program, which allows temporary outdoor dining, will be extended through October and expanded to 40 more city street blocks.
        The Bahamas is closing its international borders again three weeks after reopening. Visitors from the United States are again unwelcome and Bahamasair, the nation's flag carrier, has already ended service to U.S. destinations. The border closure is effective Wednesday.
        Weekend plateau The TSA has released weekend counts for people moving through airport security checkpoints. For last Friday, Saturday and Sunday, volume was 26-27 percent of 2019 traffic, about where the numbers have settled since the Fourth of July holiday rush.
        Switzerland has opened its borders to 21 additional nations. The United States is not one of them.
        Eurocontrol, which handles air traffic for most of Europe, says aircraft volume is currently about 40 percent of 2019 levels.
        Bavaria says it will offer free Coronavirus testing for residents returning from holidays. The testing program should be up and running at Munich (MUC), Bavaria's major airport, by the end of the week.

Coronavirus Update for July 19, 2020

Things are going in the wrong direction. But you knew that. Here are today's travel developments:
        Barcelona and neighboring Catalan communities are shutting down again. Residents are advised to stay at home except for essential tasks. Cinemas, theaters and nightclubs have closed. Restaurants and bars are limited to half-capacity. Non-essential businesses can only operate by appointment.
        More masks Add Aldi to the list of major retailers requiring customers to wear masks in their stores.
        Miami is placing many Coronavirus patients into hotels. Miami's Channel 10 has the details.
        Transit trepidation People in large American cities are avoiding their public transit systems like, um, the plague. Traffic on the New York City subways was down 78 percent last week. Washington Metro ridership was down 82 percent. Ridership on the BART system in the San Francisco Bay Area was down 89 percent last week compared to pre-pandemic projections.
        Ohio Governor Mike DeWine is warning that his state "could become Florida," but he still resists a statewide mask mandate. TheHill.com has details and video of DeWine's interview today with NBC's Meet the Press.

Coronavirus Update for July 12-18, 2020

Read all about it! The U.S. Coronavirus death toll surges past 135,000 140,000 while countries such as New Zealand can declare themselves virus-free. New York City, however, said it had its first death-free day since mid-March. Meanwhile, Florida is the new global epicenter of Coronavirus. Click here for day-to-day details.

Coronavirus Update for July 5-11, 2020

Read all about it! The U.S. Coronavirus death toll surges past 130,000 135,000 and new virus infections are rising around the nation and around the world. The question is now what a post-Fourth travel scene will look like as several states with key hubs--California, Arizona, Texas, Florida--report record-breaking infection numbers. Click here for day-to-day details.

Coronavirus Update for June 28-July 4, 2020

Read all about it! The U.S. Coronavirus death toll surges past 125,000 130,000. As the Coronavirus rages throughout the South, reality sets in about the pace of any possible "recovery" and reopenings. Europe drops most of its intra-continental travel restrictions, but most foreign visitors, including Americans, are still barred. Click here for day-to-day details.

Coronavirus Update for June 21-27, 2020

Read all about it! The U.S. Coronavirus death toll surges past 115,000 120,000 125,000 126,000. Deaths slowed last week, but the infection rate is growing in half the states. U.S. travel picks up. The Northeast states that suffered in earlier months now quarantine arrivals from the high-infection states. European carriers grow capacity as the continent prepares for a July 1 reopening that may not permit Americans to visit. Click here for day-to-day details.

Coronavirus Update for June 14-20, 2020

Read all about it! The nation's Coronavirus death toll surges past 115,000 119,000. The second wave seems to be starting in states that opened early. More airlines around the world resume service. U.S. airlines add back some flights, but traffic remains below 20 percent of 2019's totals. And more. Here's how we're covering it. Click here for day-to-day details.

Coronavirus Update for June 7-13, 2020

Read all about it! The nation's Coronavirus death toll surges past 110,000 115,000 and the number of confirmed cases passes the two-million mark. Protests around the nation overshadow the pandemic and its effects. New York City opens up just as London and Britain launch 14-day quarantines. Flight traffic jumps yet remains a small fraction of 2019 volume. Click here for day-to-day details.

Coronavirus Update for May 31-June 6, 2020

Read all about it! As the nation's Coronavirus death toll surges past 100,000 105,000 110,000, the nation's cities are hit with peaceful protests and violent riots. European carriers begin to fly again and the continent's major tourist countries plan to reopen to the world. U.S travel inches up from its mid-April floor. Here's how we're covering it. Click here for day-to-day details.

Coronavirus Update for May 24-May 30, 2020

Read all about it! As the nation's Coronavirus death toll surges past 95,000 100,000 103,000, holiday travel "surges" back to about 13 percent of 2019's numbers. Some international travel resumes, but new bans are instituted, too. Here's how we're covering it. Click here for day-to-day details.

Coronavirus Update for May 17-May 23, 2020

Read all about it! As the national Coronavirus death toll surges past the 85,000 90,000 95,000 96,000 mark, all eyes are on the states that opened quickly. Will their infection and death rates spike? Asia deals with zero tourism as bans on visitors continue. European countries sweat the decisions to open to some tourism. Flying is still down more than 90 percent compared to 2019, but surges for Memorial Day. Here's how we're covering it. Click here for day-to-day details.

Coronavirus Update for May 10-May 16, 2020

Read all about it! The nationwide Coronavirus death toll surges past the 75,000 80,000 85,000 88,000 mark. European countries make plans for slow, phased openings. The United States is more chaotic. Airlines and airports go beyond masks to temperature checks. Travel is picking up--if you squint and squeeze the numbers. Here's how we're covering it. Click here for day-to-day details.

Coronavirus Update for May 3-May 9, 2020

Read all about it! The nationwide Coronavirus death toll surges past the 65,000 70,000 75,000 78,000 mark. We enter the era of the masked flyer. New York closes its subways for the first time ever. Airline losses keep piling up. Traffic doesn't. Here's how we're covering it. Click here for day-to-day details.

Coronavirus Update for April 26-May 2, 2020

Read all about it! The nationwide Coronavirus death toll surges past the 50,000 55,000 60,000 65,000 66,000 mark. Some states loosen restrictions while European countries will keep things closed into the summer. U.S. airline traffic begins to nudge up as airline earnings plunge. Here's how we're covering it. Click here for day-to-day details.

Coronavirus Update for April 19-April 25, 2020

Read all about it! The nationwide Coronavirus death toll surges past the 35,000 40,000 45,000 50,000 52,000 mark, but progress is made in Italy, Spain, Austria and France. Governors start opening their states. Airlines begin to declare bankruptcy and the first tranche of first-quarter financial results are brutal. Here's how we're covering it. Click here for day-to-day details.

Coronavirus Update for April 12-April 18, 2020

U.S. governors talk about when the states can reopen even as nationwide Coronavirus deaths surge past the 20,000 25,000 30,000 35,000 mark. Airlines whine about the terms of the bailout money they're getting from the nation's taxpayers. And only fools and self-important pundits know anything about the future of travel. Here's how we're covering it. Click here for day-to-day details.

Coronavirus Update for April 5-April 11, 2020

Read all about it! As the world convulses with the waves of Coronavirus, the toll on the travel industry is revealed. Remaining flights are essentially empty, airports are shutting terminals and business travelers have nowhere to go--and aren't in a rush to get there. Here's how we're covering it. Click here for day-to-day details.

Coronavirus Update for March 29-April 4, 2020

Read all about it! Domestic travel is down more than 90 percent from last year. More states impose stay-at-home orders. The death toll in Italy and Spain continues to skyrocket. And doctors and nurses are scrambling for supplies to help Coronavirus patients--and protect themselves. Here's how we're covering it. Click here for the day-to-day details.

Coronavirus Update for March 22-28, 2020

The new "new normal"? International transit airports barring transit passengers. U.S. states demanding arrivals from other U.S. states quarantine themselves on arrival. U.S. passenger volume dropping by 90 percent in a matter of days. Here's how we're covering it. Click here for the day-to-day details.

Coronavirus Update for March 15-21, 2020

Read all about it! The world is closing--and we watch in personal and transportation isolation. Countries are closing borders, airlines are all but shut and hotels are putting the keys in the door. Here's how we're covering it. Click here for the day-to-day details.

Coronavirus Update for March 8-14, 2020

Read all about it! Italy, Spain, France and Israel shut down. Other countries close their borders as the United States preps for what's to come. The Trump Administration botches the roll out of a ban on "all travel from Europe." U.S. carriers begin cutting service to the bone. Here's how it's happening. Click here for the day-to-day details.

Coronavirus Update for March 1-7, 2020

Read all about it! Italy emerges as the new Coronavirus hotspot so airlines begin making huge service cuts there. Meanwhile, Chinese airlines resume some flying. The chief rabbi of Israel says don't kiss the mezuzah. The travel industry starts tallying the financial damage. Here's how it's happening. Click here for the day-to-day details.

Coronavirus Update for February 15-29, 2020

Read all about it! The Coronavirus spreads around the globe. Japan, South Korea and Italy are hit hard and airlines quickly drop their flights. Tourism disappears and companies begin telling employees to curtail business travel. The Tokyo Summer Olympics may be threatened. Airlines begin rolling out gimmicky fee waivers to nervous flyers. Click here for the day-to-day details.

Coronavirus Update for February 1-14, 2020

Read all about it! The spread of the Coronavirus is still mostly affecting mainland China, but Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan are losing flights and visitors, too. As Chinese tourists stay home, however, the travel industry learns how much they mean to airline traffic, cruise ships and hotels. Click here for day-to-day details.

Coronavirus Update for January 23-31, 2020

Read all about it! As the Coronavirus worsens, airlines have reacted by slashing service to Hong Kong and mainland China. Retailers and food-service giants such as McDonald's are closing locations, too. And neighboring countries are closing their borders. Click here for the day-to-day details.