Now that coronavirus vaccines are starting to roll out in the US and abroad, many people may be dreaming of the day when they can travel, shop and go to the movies again. But in order to do those activities, you may eventually need something in addition to the vaccine: a vaccine passport application. Several companies and technology groups have begun developing smartphone apps or systems for individuals to upload details of their Covid-19 tests and vaccinations, creating digital credentials that could be shown in order to enter concert venues, stadiums, movie theaters, offices, or even countries. The Common Trust Network, an initiative by Geneva-based nonprofit The Commons Project and the World Economic Forum, has partnered with several airlines including Cathay Pacific, JetBlue, Lufthansa, Swiss Airlines, United Airlines and Virgin Atlantic, as well as hundreds of health systems across the United States and the government of Aruba. The CommonPass app created by the group allows users to upload medical data such as a Covid-19 test result or, eventually, a proof of vaccination by a hospital or medical professional, generating a health certificate or pass in the form of a QR code that can be shown to authorities without revealing sensitive information. For travel, the app lists health pass requirements at the points of departure and arrival based on your itinerary. "You can be tested every time you cross a border. You cannot be vaccinated every time you cross a border," said Thomas Crampton, chief marketing and communications officer for The Commons Project. He stressed the need for a simple and easily transferable set of credentials, or a "digital yellow card," referring to the paper document generally issued as proof of vaccination.<br/>
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President Donald Trump signed a bill containing $900b in pandemic relief, backing down from last-minute demands that undercut his own negotiating team, risked a government shutdown and delayed widely supported economic aid as coronavirus cases continue to rise. The legislation Congress passed Dec. 21 includes $1.4t in government spending to fund federal agencies through the end of the fiscal year in September. The government had been operating on temporary spending authority that expires after the end of the day Monday. The combined $2.3t package was the product of intense negotiations, from which Trump was largely absent until he surprised lawmakers of both parties by demanding bigger stimulus payments for individuals after the bill was already passed. In signing the bill, Trump demanded a vote in Congress to replace $600 in stimulus payments with $2,000 -- a non-binding request that is unlikely to pass both chambers. That demand also plays into Democrats’ hands. House Democrats were already planning a vote Monday to increase payments to individuals, allowing Senate Democrats to pressure Republican leader Mitch McConnell to take up the House bill without other unrelated provisions Trump requested. The top Democrat in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, said that once that House bill passes $2,000 payments, he’ll move for passage in the upper chamber. “No Democrats will object,” Schumer tweeted. “Will Senate Republicans?” The virus relief package will likely be the last major legislation signed by Trump, whose re-election hopes were dashed in large part due to his handling of the pandemic. Lawmakers approved the government funding and additional relief after months of inaction, followed by weeks of grueling negotiations. Business leaders had called on Congress to pass more stimulus, saying that restaurants, theaters, mom-and-pop stores and airlines were being decimated by closures and restrictions as Covid-19 cases spiked in the US.<br/>
The US will require airline passengers from Britain to get a negative COVID-19 test before their flight, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced late Thursday. The US is the latest country to announce new travel restrictions because of a new variant of the coronavirus that is spreading in Britain and elsewhere. Airline passengers from the United Kingdom will need to get negative COVID-19 tests within three days of their trip and provide the results to the airline, the CDC said in a statement. The agency said the order will be signed Friday and go into effect on Monday. “If a passenger chooses not to take a test, the airline must deny boarding to the passenger,” the CDC said. The agency said because of travel restrictions in place since March, air travel to the US from the UK is already down by 90%. Last weekend, Britain’s PM Boris Johnson said the new variant of the coronavirus seemed to spread more easily than earlier ones and was moving rapidly through England. <br/>
Saudi Arabia’s aviation authority has allowed airlines to resume flights to transport foreigners out of the kingdom, state television reported. The decision excludes countries dealing with the new variant of Covid-19 and crew members of flights landing in the kingdom are not allowed to leave their planes, according to the report. Saudi Arabia also extended the suspension on international flights and the closure of its border crossing for another week over concern about the new coronavirus strain, state-run Saudi Press Agency reported separately. Flights for foreigners who want to leave the country and cargo were excluded from the move, according to the report. Saudi Arabia suspended all international flights a week ago, citing a lack of information on the new strain, SPA reported then. <br/>
Oman is reopening its airport and borders to travelers from December 29 after closing them amid concerns over a newly discovered strain of Covid-19. Travellers to Oman must show a negative virus test conducted within 72 hours before entering the country and must have health insurance, according to the country’s supreme committee. All travellers must submit to a seven-day quarantine and take another test on the eighth day after their arrival. Countries across the Middle East shuttered borders on December 21 because the new strain is said to be faster-spreading. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Oman halted international flights and closed borders for a week.<br/>
An exceptionally quiet New Year’s holiday in Japan is expected this year as the government, beginning Monday, will ban foreign visitors from entering the country and suspend a domestic discount travel program. The implementation of the measures come after Tokyo recorded 708 new COVID-19 cases Sunday, a day after Japan saw a record 3,881 infections, including a high of 949 in the capital. The new measures are aimed at reducing the number of cases as quickly as possible, especially serious cases requiring hospital care. Many local governments are warning that they are running out of hospital beds for seriously ill patients and have insufficient medical personnel to deal with the surge in infections. As of Saturday, seven people who had arrived in the country from Britain were infected with a new mutant variant of the coronavirus, and amid the record highs in Tokyo and nationwide, the government announced Saturday evening that it would stop issuing visas between Monday and the end of January. The new directive means most nonresident foreign nationals will not be able to enter Japan from Monday until the end of January. There will be an exception for business travelers from 11 countries and territories, most of them in Asia, including China, South Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, Taiwan, and other nations that Japan has agreements with that have relaxed travel restrictions. Nonresident foreign nationals who had obtained visas before Monday will, in principle, be allowed into Japan. However, those who have stayed in Britain or South Africa within 14 days of applying for a visa will be barred entry.<br/>
Rules governing ownership and control of UK and European Union airlines will be reviewed within 12 months of the entry into force of the new future UK-EU relationship agreement, according to the text of the provisional deal. Under the current situation, EU airlines must be majority-owned by EU interests. Once the transition period for the UK’s withdrawal from the EU ends on 1 January, UK carriers seeking operating authorisation will be required to be UK-controlled, while UK shareholdings will no longer count as EU interests in the ownership structure of EU airlines. But one of the most interesting sections in the newly-published post-Brexit agreement text is one indicating that, despite the new ownership requirement, a UK carrier shall still be granted operating permissions if it is majority-owned by EU or European Economic Area interests, or Switzerland, as long as it already holds a valid operating licence and is under UK regulatory control. The text detailing the future UK-EU relationship also says the two sides “recognise the potential benefits of the continued liberalisation of ownership and control” of their respective carriers. It adds that they have agreed to examine, through a specialised committee on air transport, “options for the reciprocal liberalisation” of ownership within 12 months of the agreement’s entry into force – with subsequent reviews occurring within 12 months of a request for such from either side. The agreement confirms tighter restrictions on UK-EU airline operations, limiting them to third- and fourth-freedom, although cargo services involving stops in the EU and third countries will be granted fifth-freedom rights. Codeshare and blocked-space arrangements will be permitted, as long as they do not result in airlines exercising traffic rights outside of the deal.<br/>
The UK's largest pure cargo airport had its busiest ever period in the run-up to Christmas, bosses have said. In November, East Midlands Airport (EMA) processed its highest number of goods in a month at 41,613 tonnes, a 26.4% increase on last year. Although the site also operates passenger flights, it handles freight separately - unlike some airports which combine travellers and cargo on planes. With far fewer holiday flights due to Covid-19, pure cargo demand increased. Stephen Harvey, head of cargo at the airport, said it was a "bright picture for the business". The previous busiest month was September, at 40,636 tonnes, while October was also up 11.8% on the previous year, with 38,979 tonnes of cargo being handled. Harvey said: "The pandemic has nudged people into doing more of their shopping online and especially in the run-up to Christmas. If the goods that are being ordered are stocked overseas, the chances are they will arrive into the UK through this airport. This is because EMA is home to the UK's largest express air freight operation."<br/>
After several sightings of what appeared to be a person flying in a jetpack in California, USA, the mysterious act has finally been captured on camera. A flight instructor from the Sling Pilot Academy filmed the mystery “guy in a jetpack” at an altitude of around 3,000 feet near Palos Verdes, just south of Los Angeles, according to the academy’s Instagram post on Dec 23. It is still unclear, however, if it was the same person involved in the sightings also in Los Angeles earlier this year. It is also not clear if it was an actual person or just a drone outfitted to look like a man. “The video appears to show a jet pack, but it could also be a drone or some other object. If it is a ‘guy in a jet pack’ then it remains to be seen whether it is a legal test flight (jet packs are real — there is a manufacturer near Los Angeles) or related to the jet pack sightings near LAX (Los Angeles International Airport) recently that caused disruptions to air traffic,” the academy noted in its post. The first jetpack sightings were back in August reported by two pilots on different flights near the LAX. One of the pilots noted that the person was flying at the same altitude as their plane, at around 3,000 feet.<br/>