Travel News

The Federal government has announced that the Third Mainland Bridge will no longer be opened on Monday but at the end of February.

The Federal Controller of Works in Lagos, Mr Olukayode Popoola who made this known to newsmen said that the bridge would be shut down again from Feb. 19 to 21 for completion of the project.

Popoola revealed that it was impossible for the contractor to close the Bridge during the week to cast concrete.

He said the bridge will, however, be reopened by the end of February.

“Third Mainland Bridge will no longer be opened on the 15th of February 2021 as announced earlier.

“This decision was taken in order not to create hardship for the motoring public using the Third Mainland Bridge for their daily activities.

“We are looking at the end of the month for the reopening of the bridge. That is, end of this February.

“They will cast concrete on the last expansion joint next weekend and this cannot be done during the week because we are trying to endure that there will not be so much traffic for people going about their daily activities.

“When this casting is done, we need about three or four days to do post tensioning. That is why we are looking at end of February completion.

“Casting will be done next weekend for the last expansion joint and this will require total closure of the bridge.

“However, if we close the bridge Friday night, then we cast on Saturday by Sunday it will be reopened. That will be the last total closure to fix the last expansion joint.

“ We also regret the inconveniences these extra days will cause Lagosians,’’ he said.

By Patrick Ochoga,

Nigerians resident in Italy yesterday have finally heaved a sigh of relief as the Controller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Muhammed Babandede, has ensured that more passports are made available to Nigerians seeking to obtain a passport booklets.

The new development is coming following a viral media report and outcry by members of the National Union of Nigeria Association in Italy, (NUNAI), penultimate weeks.

Speaking on the development made available to newsmen in Benin City, Edo state, a Leader of Nigerian Community in Palermo, Italy and also a welfare aspirant for Nunai, Pastor Mike Oputteh, yesterday in a statement expressed joy that the Nigeria Controller General of Immigration has come to their rescue in addressing shortages of passport booklets.

Oputteh, however appealed to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, to abolish what he described as service charges of £30 and £50 being paid for on passports after thumb-printing.

He said the issues of shortages began to receive urgent attention when the Immigration CG deployed the trio of Hajiya Laria Mohammed, Mrs Makcit Dauda and Mr Ebulum Charles to Rome. 

According to Oputteh, “I want to say that prior to now, we have had a backlog of passport shortage over the years but with the coming of officials from Nigeria we now called super 3, the situation has changed drastically.

“We are happy that the CG of Immigration Muhammed Babandede responded swiftly to our request by deploying men of integrity to Italy led by Hajiya Laria Mohammed and they have put an end to the shortage of passports booklet in Italy. 

“Before it took almost 2 years to replace a missing passport but today in 3 weeks you can get a fresh passport. So, we are very happy that our cry over passport issues is over”.

“Beside, I want to still appeal to the minister of Foreign affairs to please remove or reduce the service charges of €30 and €50 placed on consular services including €30 on passport after thumb printing because Nigerians are complaining bitterly of the hardship in Italy.”

Germany partially closed its borders with the Czech Republic and Austria’s Tyrol on Sunday over a troubling surge in coronavirus mutations, earning a swift rebuke from the European Union.

A thousand police officers were mobilised to ensure strict border checks, a reminder of the much-criticised early days of the pandemic when EU countries hastily closed their frontiers to each other.

At the Kiefersfelden crossing in southern Bavaria, masked officers in yellow high-visibility jackets were out in sub-zero temperatures, stopping each vehicle coming from Austria.

Under the new rules, only Germans or non-German residents are allowed through.

Exceptions are made for essential workers in sectors such as health and transport, as well as for urgent humanitarian reasons, the German interior ministry has said. Everyone must be able to provide a recent negative coronavirus test.

Among those turned back was Austrian driver Irene, who said she would now have to make an hours-long detour.

“I only wanted to drive through Germany to go to Vienna,” she told AFP. “This is a catastrophe, I have a dog in the car who is 15 years old… I don’t know the way and I don’t have GPS.”

The restrictions are aimed at slowing the spread of more contagious variants that first emerged in Britain and South Africa, and have created new virus hotspots along the Czech border and in Austria’s Tyrol region.

At the German-Czech border crossing in Bad Gottleuba, a police spokesman said the checks had caused waiting times of around one hour. Traffic is expected to be heavier from Monday, he added.

By Sunday afternoon, German police had checked more than 1,700 vehicles and denied entry to more than 500.

‘Enough’ The European Commission, eager to avoid a return to go-it-alone pandemic responses, has condemned Germany’s border restrictions.

“The fear of the coronavirus mutations is understandable,” EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides told Germany’s Augsburger Allgemeine newspaper on Sunday.

“But the truth is that the virus cannot be stopped by closed borders,” she said, adding that vaccines and following hygiene precautions were “the only things that work”.

“I think it’s wrong to return to a Europe with closed borders like we had in March 2020,” she added.

German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer rebuffed the criticism from Brussels.

“That’s enough now,” he told the top-selling Bild daily. The EU “has made enough mistakes” with its sluggish vaccine rollout, he said.

“We are fighting against the mutated virus,” he said. “The EU Commission should support us… instead of putting stones in our path.”

German Health Minister Jens Spahn said he supported a “border-free Europe”.

“But there are times in a pandemic when you must make these decisions for everyone’s safety and health,” he told the Sueddeutsche newspaper.

German rail company Deutsche Bahn has suspended services to and from the affected areas.

At Frankfurt airport, the country’s largest, federal police were checking passengers arriving from Vienna and Prague.

‘Reassuring’ More than two months of tough shutdowns have significantly brought down Germany’s infection numbers, but Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government recently decided to extend a partial lockdown until March 7 because of the risks posed by the variants.

In the Czech Republic, one of the hardest-hit countries in Europe, three cantons including two on the German border have been placed under lockdown due to the prevalence of the British strain.

Within Austria, anyone leaving the mountainous region of Tyrol now needs to produce a negative test following a cluster of Covid-19 cases linked to the South African variant.

Bavarian premier Markus Soeder, visiting a checkpoint with the Czech border, said Germany could not risk squandering the progress made in the battle against the pandemic.

“For everyone not living in a hotspot it’s reassuring to know that those in border regions are working hard to prevent the spread of the virus,” he said.

By Kelvin Osa Okunbor

• Fares may drop

• Emirates extends suspension of flights

A downward slide in fares is imminent in the aviation sector as new carriers take to the skies on major routes.

Among the new entrants on the domestic sector are United Nigeria Airlines, Green Africa Airways and Cally Air.

United Nigeria Airline commenced flights at the weekend, starting out on the Southsouth and Southwest routes.

Besides, the fare structure on the Lagos /Enugu; Lagos /Asaba routes now have new options.

Investigations revealed that consolidation of operations by new carriers has put other carriers – Ibom Air, Dana Air, Arik Air, Aero Contractors of Nigeria, and Air Peace – on the edge.

Green Africa Airways at the weekend unveiled uniforms for its pilots and other crew members preparatory to take-off.

It was learnt that the use of middle range aircraft including Brazilian Embraer and French ATR airplanes by the new entrants is already creating unease among competitors.

Chairman of United Nigeria Airlines, Obiora Okonkwo said the carrier had done its feasibility studies before venturing into aviation business.

He described the business as a battlefield, with the objective of winning passengers to one’s brand.

Okonkwo said: “We have to give passengers great value and service as well as good customer experience. That is what we are working on and I think that is what will differentiate us from other operators.

He spoke of plans to develop more routes with the use of Embraer aircraft. He added that other appropriate decisions constituting the business plan would be unveiled soon.

Okonkwo explained that the airline would worm its way into the hearts of passengers by offering timely departure and robust inflight experience.

on Sunday, Emirates Airlines, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) carrier said it had extended its suspension of passenger services from Lagos and Abuja to Dubai until March 10, 2021.

This comes barely four days after the initial suspension slated to last till February 28, 2021 was announced.

By Barbara Goldberg

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Sunday it is “absolutely” too soon to lift mask mandates, citing daily COVID-19 case numbers that despite recent declines remain more than double the levels seen last summer.

By Samuel Oamen

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has extended suspension of flights from Nigeria (Lagos and Abuja) from February 28 to March 10.

The UAE aviation authorities made this known in the updated travel protocol posted on the website of the Emirates Airline, the flag carrier of the UAE, on Sunday afternoon.

The update reads: “In line with government directives, passenger services from Nigeria (Lagos and Abuja) to Dubai are temporarily suspended until 10 March 2021.

“Customers from both Abuja and Lagos will not be accepted for travel prior to or including this date. Passengers who have been to or connected through Nigeria in the last 14 days are not allowed entry into the UAE (whether terminating in or connecting through Dubai).

“Emirates flights from Dubai to Lagos and Abuja will continue to operate as per the normal schedule.

“We regret the inconvenience caused, and affected customers should contact their booking agent or Emirates call centre for rebooking.

“Emirates remains committed to Nigeria, and we look forward to resuming passenger services to Dubai for our customers when conditions allow.”

Emirates suspended its flights a few days after the Federal Government sanctioned the airline over the introduction of rapid antigen test as a requirement for Dubai travellers, which is against the Nigerian negative PCR requirements.

The Federal Government through the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) had penultimate week banned Emirates Airlines’ operations in Nigeria for violating COVID-19 protocols.

Director-General of the NCAA, Capt. Musa Nuhu, had announced the ban on February 4, 2021.

The NCAA said the ban was necessitated by the continued airlift of passengers from Nigeria using the Rapid Antigen Tests (RDT) conducted by laboratories that are “neither approved nor authorized by the appropriate regulatory.”

This, according to the apex aviation regulatory authority, is in flagrant violation of the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19 directive.

Though the ban was lifted after Emirates announced the withdrawal of the antigen test the following day, the airline suspended all Nigerian flights and only allowed flights from Dubai to Nigeria.

Emirates' decision to suspend flights until March 10 will hit the up to 100,000 South Africans living in the UAE, says expert

Emirates Airline’s continued suspension of flights between the UAE and South Africa will deal another blow to Dubai’s tourism industry, according to a leading business expert.

With the emirate already hit by a ban on flights to and from the UK, as well as major Australian cities including Sydney, Brisbane and to Melbourne (until March 26), the extension of a temporary halt on South African flights until March 10, as part of measures to curb the spread of coronavirus, is further bad news.

According to a statement on the carrier’s website, the decision was taken “in line with recent government directives that restrict the entry of travellers originating from South Africa, into the UAE”.

The suspension follows an earlier one when Emirates had halted flights between the UAE and South Africa during January 16-28. The move has also left many stranded in the Rainbow Nation, with no firm date of when they can return to Dubai.

Scott Cairns, managing director of Dubai-based Creation Business Consultants, told Arabian Business: “With between 80,000 to 100,000 South Africans in the UAE, the latest announcement from Emirates Airlines to suspend direct flights until March 10 will come as a blow to many.

“Whilst the flight cancellations will impact the travel, tourism and aviation industry, there will be a significant knock-on effect for those professionals who had travelled back to South Africa and are stranded until further notice.

“The previous 50 direct flights per week from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban injected a solid bottom line to both countries’ tourism industries which will further suffer now.”

Cairns added that the continued suspension will impact cargo operations and, as a result, trade between the UAE and South Africa will suffer, particularly “in industries such as base metals, fruit and vegetables and machinery”, he said.

Emirates suspends South African service, while flights from Nigeria also halted

Emirates also announced flights to Nigeria - Lagos and Abuja – would be suspended through until March 10, although flights from the emirate to the two destinations will continue as normal.

“Again, with around 250,000 visitors to Dubai (from Nigeria) in 2019 (out of a total of 16.73 million), the impact of this reduction will be felt throughout the retail, F&B and entertainment sector,” said Cairns. “With those industries already finding it tough, Q1 2021 is going to be a difficult time for many businesses in the UAE.”

South Africa was identified as the source of a dangerous variant of coronavirus, which has spread across the world and has shown itself capable of partially evading defences raised by several vaccines.

Saj Ahmad, chief analyst at UK-based StrategicAero Research, told Arabian Business the suspension of flights on an “ad-hoc basis” is “going to be the norm going forward”.

He said: “For the interim, it’ll make access to these two countries harder, especially Nigeria since it wasn’t exactly awash with connection options anyway. And with more potent, mutant Covid strains emerging from South Africa, it makes sense to halt flights for the time being so that it prevents possible importation into the UAE and beyond of these new strains.

“Obviously there will be some material financial impact, but when you consider the battered state of aviation right now, this is a small price to pay to ensure a better degree of safety overall. But since both countries also rely heavily on Emirates SkyCargo for freight imports, both will likely push for a resumption of services sooner, rather than later.”

Dubai International Airport reported a 70% slump in traffic last year as restrictions in place to stem the spread of the coronavirus pandemic put the air travel industry into a tailspin.

The number of travelers through the Middle East’s tourism hub fell to 25.9 million in 2020, according to a statement. That included 17.8 million passengers during the first quarter of the year, before the pandemic started to impact travel.

Since then, restrictions on air travel have battered airlines and airports around the world. “For the first time in the 60-year history of the world’s busiest international airport, the month of April saw commercial flights come to almost an entire halt,” the airport said.

Despite the drop in traffic, Dubai International Airport is the largest intercontinental hub in the world, Chief Executive Paul Griffiths said in an interview with Bloomberg TV on Monday. “There’s no reason to suggest why we won’t continue to be able to hold that crown going forward.”

Dubai Airports CEO Griffiths Says Dubai Made Good Progress on Traffic

The number of passengers handled by Dubai International last year surpassed those reported by London’s Heathrow airport, where the number dropped about 73% to 22.1 million in 2020. Frankfurt airport, one of Heathrow’s biggest rivals, posted an 81% drop in passenger numbers last month.

While most governments kept borders shut for big chunks of last year, Dubai -- which relies on international tourism for nearly a third of its gross domestic product -- reopened in July. Average customer traffic peaked at 1.3 million in the third and fourth quarters.

Opening up is crucial for Dubai International Airport, the busiest airport by international traffic before the pandemic, as it relies heavily on connecting passengers around the globe.

“I don’t think that model will change,” Griffiths said. “We just need to get more confidence around the world in travel being possible between countries that have made good progress in protecting their own populations.”

Many countries plan to open their borders to people who can show a negative Covid test taken shortly before flying. Some, like Israel, are also proposing vaccination certificates as an enabler for the movement of people between countries.

With most of its population soon to be inoculated against Covid-19, Israel is making deals that would let its citizens visit Greece and a handful of other tourist-hungry countries. The United Arab Emirates, of which Dubai is a part, has administered 47 doses per 100 people so far.

Dubai International 2020 numbers:
Airport serves 142 destinations, 61% of pre-pandemic routes
India remains top destination for DXB passengers, followed by the U.K. and Pakistan
Average number of passengers per flight fell 20.3% to 188 annually

by  Eilidh Hargreaves

Somewhere far beyond popping multivitamins for breakfast, washed down with a kale and spirulina smoothie, select individuals are supercharging their immune systems for tens of thousands of pounds a week. The health-conscious super-rich have been much affected by the existential crisis posed by Covid - where once they thought themselves untouchable, they are now faced with a viral threat.

So, while the global travel industry struggles to survive, the niche market for immune-boosting holidays is booming. Exclusive medical retreats are filling up with those willing to foot the bill in exchange for the promise of vitality. A flurry of medical examinations along with treatments such as IV drips and cryotherapy are mainstays at the most popular resorts - but the overriding trend is the fusing of modern medicine with traditional healing.

At this very moment, immaculately clad health-seekers are descending from private jets to undertake intense programmes in dazzling locations. This is where the super-rich are boosting their immune systems now.

Clinique La Prairie, Switzerland

Eons ahead of the immune-boosting trend of 2021, Clinique La Prairie has been legendary among health seekers since its beginning 1931. Indeed, it was this medical retreat, just a few hundred yards from Lake Geneva, that Pope Pius XII credited for his revival from near death in 1953. Are we not all in need of Pope-standard treatment after this heinous year?

The clinic, which is near Montreux, remains open, with door-to-door private jet travel options and rigorous in-house hygiene measures to calm even the most Covid-cautious. The programme of the moment is the new five-day Immunity Boost package, which aims to restore vitality and strengthen the body, boosting the immune system. This includes a targeted health check-up, as well as immune-focused sessions to strengthen the body and mind.

After initial immunity consultations, medical check ups and advanced blood analysis, you’ll be treated with immunotherapy and fortifying IV drips, alongside pioneering wellbeing technologies such as infratherapy, cryotherapy and a new massage ritual using Swiss plants, exclusively created for the clinic. Before leaving, you’ll be treated to a private masterclass on antioxidant and anti-inflammatory nutrients so that you can continue immune boosting at home.

You can relax in the knowledge that you’re in serious medical hands here. If nothing else, the sprawling spa and fresh lakeside air will help reinvigorate your spirits.

Prices start from £7,222 (8,900 CHF) for one person or £11,766 (14,500 CHF) for two people for the full-board, five-day Immunity Boost programme; laprairie.com

Sha Wellness Clinic, Spain

Only just launching, the new gut health programme at Sha Wellness Clinic is the ultimate immune-boosting trip for any wellness fanatic. Look past the mountain view infinity pool for a second (not easy) and turn your attention to this 360-degree method, which is scientifically developed to tackle the root cause of ill health and build a bulletproof immune system.

According to the medical retreat, more than a third of the world's population have symptoms involving poor digestive health - and this offering is aimed at those suffering from digestive disorders or resultant problems such as chronic diseases, autoimmune diseases, allergies and mood disorders.

Headed up by Dr. Amina Alani Olgea, you’ll undergo intestinal dysbiosis tests, Diamine oxidase activity tests (DAO), Ellipse-inflammation tests and basic nutrigenetics profiles, before being prescribed a kaleidoscope of tailored medical treatments (such as intestinal ozone therapy), natural therapies and a nutrition plan to improve the immune, neuroendocrine and emotional systems.

It sounds like an intense experience, but if all goes to plan, you’ll leave with restored balance and increased health - along with the educational tools to keep your gut in check from home. Plus, when you’ve got a front-row view of the sunset from that pool, you won’t have a care in the world.

The seven-night Gut Health & Detox programme starts from €5,600 / £4,973 per person, with an option to extend the programme to 14 or 21 days; shawellnessclinic.com

Palazzo Fiuggi, Italy

From spring, the new medical retreat Palazzo Fiuggi promises to open a gilded door to a healthier life. The verdant estate has undergone its own extensive restoration and emerged as a medical marvel with its historic grandeur firmly intact - expect MRIs, chandeliers and fine dining.Overlooking the Italian town of Fiuggi, one of Italy’s richest areas and just under an hour from Rome, the Palazzo aspires to be the world’s leading medical retreat, offering guests the chance to restore, renew and regenerate. It’s off to a good start - the area itself is already an iconic wellness destination, most famous for its natural mineral water which is said to have unique healing properties. Altitude, surrounding forests and clean air add an instant sense of vitality.

Palazzo Fiuggi’s Medical Concept bills itself as a ‘radical new approach to health, wellbeing and longevity’, seeking to fuse holistic healing traditions with advanced Western medicine. In place to execute the vision are leading scientists and medics, specialising in such topics as ophthalmology, radiology, psychiatry, thalassotherapy and metabolism, all led by head doctor, Professor Dr. David Della Morte Canosci of the University of Miami.

The Immuno Boost programme is set to be especially popular, offering medical, bioenergetic and toxaemia scans, prescribed treatments to help increase vital energy, strengthen immunity and achieve optimum long-term health. All the while being catered for by three-Michelin-star chef, Heinz Beck, and with the hotel spa and gardens to roam. The outdoor pool, surrounded by mountains, looks enviably appealing right now.

£POA; palazzofiuggi.com

King’s Mansion, Goa

The very thought of water lapping on Goan shores feels intoxicating from London lockdown, but a retreat opening later this year is said to be taking immuno-luxury to the next level. The 17-suite King’s Mansion is a temple to budget-less wellness, led by an evidence-based, scientific collaboration of ancient heritage, Ayurvedic medicine and innovative holistic wellbeing.The first programmes to be launched when it opens in November will target detox and rejuvenation, motivated by the pandemic. Both of these focus on Ayurgenomics - a combination of genomics, a highly personalised genetics analysis, and Ayurveda, the ancient Indian system of predictive and preventative medicine. While programmes last from seven to 21 days, they aim to create sustainable lifestyle changes that you can work into your life back at home.

Rasayana, a seven-night programme focusing on rejuvenation, will include pre-arrival genomic testing, daily consultations and treatments and daily LED infusion therapy, to promote cell regeneration and anti-inflammation using a patented compound created specifically for King’s Mansion guests. Private meditation sessions with an expert local instructor are also available.

Prices will start from around £8,000 for one week; kingsmansiongoa.com

RAKxa, Bangkok

This holistic wellness and medical retreat opened in December 2020 in the ‘Green Lung’ (Bang Krachao) of Bangkok, a 16 sq km protected city jungle filled with mangrove trees. The MO here is to boost immunity, strengthen defences and prioritise health goals through a combination of advanced medical treatments, holistic therapies and anti-inflammatory food.

In response to the pandemic, RAKxa is offering three new programmes - the Immunity Booster Programme, the Detox Programme and the Gut Health Programme - all geared to help the body protect itself against disease.

The Immunity Booster stay lasts a minimum of three nights and begins with wellness, medical and dietetic consultations and a blood assessment. Restorative therapies that may be prescribed include blood ozone therapy, cryotherapy, immune-boosting IV infusions, colon hydrotherapy and probiotic replacement therapy, all of which take place in the VitalLife Scientific Wellness Clinic at the RAKxa resort. And then there’s the relaxing part: massages (from signature to traditional Thai Prakob and Zen Na Tai), mindfulness meditation, gym and spa time.

Accommodation comes in the form of villas and residences with verdant gardens and private pools. Each is designed to allow deep rest and restored balance, with blackout curtains, neutral decor and yoga spaces. The highest category residences also feature treatment rooms so that the health and wellness advisors can come to you - you wouldn’t want it any other way.

Nightly rates at RAKxa start from $2,000 / £1,443 per person for the Immunity Booster Package, with a minimum three-night stay; rakxawellness.com

Lanserhof and Lanserhof at The Arts Club

Lanserhof is offering immune boosting programmes at all of its resorts, including its outpost at The Arts Club in Mayfair which, as a medical centre, remains open. Well-to-do Londoners are booking in and scooting across for days of boosting which include a medical consultation, antibody test, cryotherapy sessions and your choice of IV infusion: high-dose Vitamin C to reboot your immune system or ‘immune plus’ support, which includes Vitamin C, amino acids and zinc, to help bust stress or cold and flu symptoms.

Across its five other resorts, including the flagship Resort Lans in Tyrol, Austria, where the company began in 1984, Lanserhof is still welcoming guests. Its new post Covid-19 programme comprises a comprehensive diagnosis as well as individual therapy concepts addressing the status of the internal organs including lungs, heart and liver, how well the immune system has recovered, physical fitness, and how the mind, soul and spirit are coping.

Treatments are bespoke to each client, but may include nutritional therapeutic measures, a bowel cleansing, infusion therapy, respiratory therapy, mitochondrial therapy, cryotherapy, lymph treatments, and healing and connective tissue massages.

£POA for this bespoke programme; lanserhof.com

Grand Resort Bad Ragaz, Switzerland

This sprawling Swiss hotel has many feathers to its cap - it’s the only hotel in the country to hold four Michelin Stars; you can spot three different countries from its party ready penthouse suite; and the vast spa is filled with water from the nearby Tamina Gorge, which is said to be healing. But perhaps most impressive is its very glossy, very private in-house medical facility.Super-rich clients touch down here for extended medical stays throughout the year, but a new programme, My Microbiome, is catching the attention of immune boosters. Gut microbiomes are the countless microorganisms contained in our gut flora, and this programme is designed to restore its natural balance.

The four or eight-day stay starts with a scientific gut analysis to help you get to know your own microbiome, before the resort’s crack team of doctors and nutritionists intervene with a tailored plan to restore bacterial balance, which can protect against infections and produce important vitamins.

You’ll undergo lab analysis, sleep monitoring and medical and nutritional consultations, and be fed a bespoke Microbiome menu of food, drinks, teas and probiotics, all with the aim to leave feeling in better health than ever.

The top tip? Gut health is great, but you really won’t regret booking that penthouse suite and toasting to your good health in the terrace hot tub, overlooking the Alps.

My Microbiome package starts from CHF 5,999 / £4,854 for three nights or CHF 8,999 / £7,281 for four nights; resortragaz.ch

Villa Stéphanie, Germany

Located at the heart of the Black Forest in the legendary spa town of Baden Baden, Villa Stéphanie offers a ‘couture’ medical spa service. With only 12 rooms and three suites, the lucky few who get the chance to stay are offered next-level attention from a disproportionately large number of experts.

The Immune Boost and Immune Care programmes were both introduced last year, geared towards those seeking post-Covid rejuvenation. The latter, seven-night programme is the top service, designed to produce lasting protection against viruses and infection.

Achieving this requires a cocktail of food supplements, stress reducing treatments and long-term lifestyle changes to make a lasting difference to the physical and psychological immune system. Expect medical consultations, blood and lab tests, three IV infusions containing Vitamin C, zinc and other homeopathic remedies, multiple Ozone therapy sessions to stimulate the immune system, oxygen inhalation sessions to improve liver metabolism, personal training sessions, hikes and massages.

The three-night Immune Boost programme starts from €1,850 / £1,625) per person in a Villa Stéphanie Classic Double Room with all inclusions. The seven-night Immune Care programme starts from €3,850 / £3,383 per person in a Villa Stéphanie Classic Double Room with all inclusions; oetkercollection.com

• Nonessential air travelers to Canada will have to quarantine in a hotel for at least three nights at their own expense
• Starting February 22, passengers will have to wait until they receive negative coronavirus test results back 
• Passengers will have to pay around $1,576 USD, which covers the cost for security, food and measures hotels will have to take to keep their workers safe
• Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he hopes the new rules will help prevent new variants from the UK, South Africa and Brazil from spreading
• Australia has required air passengers to quarantine at hotels since March 2020 and Britain is imposing a similar tule beginning February 15

By ASSOCIATED PRESS and MARY KEKATOS FOR DAILYMAIL.COM

Air travelers to Canada will have to quarantine in a hotel as they await the result of a coronavirus test, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Friday.

Trudeau previously announced stricter restrictions would be imposed on nonessential air travelers in response to new, likely more contagious variants that have cropped up in the UK, South Africa and Brazil.

Government officials confirmed that - with limited exceptions - nonessential air travelers will be required to reserve a three-night stay in a government-authorized hotel at their own expense before they depart for Canada, staring February 22

Trudeau said it could take up to three days for test results to be available and he previously said the cost of a hotel stay for air travelers could be $2,000 Canadian or $1,576 in U.S. currency.

The steep cost for the hotel stay includes the cost for security, food and measures hotels will have to take to keep their workers safe.  

Those who cross the U.S. border by land will not have to isolate at a hotel, but will have to show a negative test taken within three days before arrival.

They will also have to be tested upon arrival as well as toward the end of a 14-day quarantine at home or elsewhere. 

The measures especially affect Canadian 'snowbirds' who winter abroad and return home in the spring.

Public Safety Minister Bill Blair said less than five percent of those who cross the land border are nonessential, which is one reason why the hotel stay is not required for those who enter by land. 

Meanwhile, Health Minister Patty Hajdu said vaccinated Canadians will not be exempt because research is still not clear on whether those vaccinated can still transmit the virus to others.

Some Canadian 'snowbirds' are getting vaccinated in Florida and Arizona.

The Canadian Snowbird Association has said cost of the hotel stay poses financial hardship for many and travelers who test negative should be able to quarantine in their homes.

Some snowbirds are flying back before a hotel stay is mandatory. 

Dr Morley Rubinoff, 71, said he left his condo in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, about six weeks early this year to avoid what he called 'hotel hell.' 

The semiretired dental specialist said he arrived in Mexico on December 31 and had planned to stay until mid-March before returning to Toronto.

The quarantine in Canada is similar to ones that have been put in place in the UK and Australia.

Starting on February 15, resident of the UK and Ireland who have been in 'red list' countries in the last 10 days will need to quarantine in a hotel room in for 10 days upon arriving in England.

People can book hotel rooms through an online portal and pay for a 'package', which includes transport to their hotel, COVID-19 testing and meals.  

The government has as booked 4,600 rooms across 16 hotels and each adult will have to pay Â£1,750 ($2,242) for the cost.

Those who fail to quarantine one of the designated hotels could face fines between  £5,000 ($6,926) and £10,000 ($13,853). 

From next week, new UK border measures will come into force as ministers act to prevent the possible import of COVID variants.

The UK government has been taking advice from officials in Australia over the fresh restrictions - a country that has been widely praised for its response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Meanwhile, in Australia, only returning residents can enter the country as long as they complete a 14-day quarantine in city hotels.

People in quarantine are not allowed to leave their rooms, meals are delivered at staggered times to avoid everyone opening their doors at the same time and hotel staff must wear N95s.  

While Canada has contracted for far more vaccines than it needs to cover its population, they have been slow to arrive, frustrating many who see a faster rollout in the neighboring U.S.

Canadian officials have said Trudeau spoke with U.S. President Joe Biden about the possibility of getting getting Pfizer vaccines from a plant in nearby Michigan, whose first 100 million doses are already contracted for by the U.S. government.

'I think the president has been clear publicly and certainly privately when the conversation comes up that his focus now is on ensuring that the American people are vaccinated,' White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said when asked about Canada on Friday.

Canada, which does not have domestic production, has been contracting for vaccines from Europe and elsewhere.

Trudeau said he spoke to the chief executive Pfizer and said he confirmed Canada will get four million doses from that company before the end of March, as well as 10.8 million doses in April, May and June - more than previously announced.

Trudeau also said Canada is buying another four million Moderna vaccines and is looking at the possibility of getting vaccines from India.