Compass
As I’m sure you’re all aware by now, since its identification in late-2019, the coronavirus or COVID-19 has now spread around the world. The situation is dire and the travel community is feeling bleak.
Two businesses in the Northeast Arkansas region are showing others what it means by "great acts of kindness" during the coronavirus pandemic. The Brickhouse Grill restaurant in Jonesboro has become a downtown community market and convenience store to help people who are affected by the problems the coronavirus has caused. The restaurant took to its Facebook page to say the restaurant was going to open a Brickhouse Bodega, a community market/convenience store, designed to help area residents and those practicing social distancing avoid the larger crowds. According to their Facebook post, the Bodega will be located inside the main restaurant and abide by all store market/convenience store guidelines currently implemented in bigger cities to protect the Northeast Arkansas residents. The Bodega’s profits will be given to an emergency fund helping the service industry workers of Downtown Jonesboro who are needing it most. These folks will also get a 50 percent [...]
With the world on edge due to the coronavirus pandemic, it appears that social distancing and mandatory shut-ins have affected the Venice canal waters. The waters are crystal-clear, which has led to the sights of swans, fish and dolphins. Italy has been locked down since March 8, which means the tourist hotspots of the streets and canal are empty. The water is typically full of debris and cloudy matter thanks to the infamous gondolas that tourists tend to partake in. However, with all this on hiatus, marine life is enjoying the waters allowing residents to sit back and enjoy from the comforts of their home. If one looks for the lights at the end of the rainbow or the silver lining in a worldwide crisis, this would be it! Italians took to Twitter to share and celebrate the news, with some locals saying nature is taking back its space amid [...]
Our planet is currently experiencing an unprecedented phenomenon. The outbreak of COVID-19, or coronavirus, is spreading rapidly and the death toll is rising.
Thailand is just one example, and the animal tourism industry is booming worldwide. But what impact is it really having on the animals and the local ecosystems?
Imagine a bi-partisan dinner with U.S. Senators and Representatives at the Library of Congress with leading contemporary historians and a billionaire patriotic philanthropist. Then image an evening of enlightened discussions about American history without the presence of media or political jockeying.
As concerns about the coronavirus spread, people looking to enjoy the Lunar New Year season canceled trips, which hit China’s air, road and rail travel industry hard. Transport Ministry Vice Minister Liu Xiaoming said passenger travel would drop 45 percent during the 40-day travel season, ending Feb. 18. Airlines transported just an average of 470,000 people a day between Jan. 25 and Feb. 14, a quarter of 2019’s amount. Between Feb. 15 and Feb. 23, the amount of passengers was one-tenth of the peak period. The coronavirus outbreak has shaken up the country’s transportation industry, especially after officials shut down large swaths of the country and over 50 countries implementing travel restrictions to and from China. The crisis is taking place at a crucially busy time for the country – with the Lunar New Year season going. It was expected that hundreds of millions of Chinese would go on three [...]
China is not happy with Australia after its prime minister extended its travel ban of foreign nationals leaving the country for seven additional days in the wake of a deepening Coronavirus crisis. There will be a weekly review of the China Travel ban, and its decision is the result of businesses warning that it could add to the damage of the domestic economy thanks to the virus and the communist regime’s protests. According to a Chinese embassy spokesperson, since the COVID-19 outbreak, China has taken broad, strict prevention and control measures that have surpassed the WHO and International Health Regulations’ recommendations. The spokesperson said this is leading to positive results, and the epidemic will soon be over. WHO does not feel it is necessary to put travel and trade limitations on China. Australia and a handful of other countries have gone to extremes, which many consider to be an overreaction. [...]
Careening through the backstreets of Warsaw in a minibus that bumped and jostled us through a former Communist neighborhood, I immediately regretted that extra pierogi I’d had for lunch that now threatened to expel itself.
It was just a little over three years ago that the U.K. voted to exit the European Union. Now, the exit, called Brexit, is taking shape and it could affect how people travel around Europe. According to various reports, the U.K. may no longer be associated with Europe, but for the next year, there won’t be much change in how people move around. For instance, visa-free travel will be available within the Schengen area for up to 90 days in a 180-day period. This area encompasses a majority of Western Europe and has no active borders between the borders. It was 2016 when the U.K first decided to break away from the EU, but the rules for travel were not agreed to until April 2019. And, through December 2020, things will remain the same. According to European Tourism Association Chief Executive Tom Jenkins, people will not need a visa or [...]
An expansion of the U.S. travel ban, issued by U.S. President Donald Trump, is targeting a large swath of immigrants from six countries, including Nigeria. The ban is said to affect thousands of people, and could, once again, spark discussions about the discriminatory nature of the policy.
The Australian bushfire season for 2019/2020 has been the worst on record. Globally, news reports have tried to capture the enormity of the situation, often falling short. Red, orange, and black smother the traditional Australian green-and-gold. And yet, from the ashes, there is a sprout of new growth; as a few green shoots are found in the burnt-out bush, there are also seedlings of hope for the affected communities.
