The Canadian federal government has made a series of announcements regarding travel, quarantine, and testing requirements for travelers arriving by air and by land. These new measures form part of the government’s efforts to prevent the spread of new, more contagious COVID-19 variants feared to be introduced by travelers from overseas. As of the date of this writing, the requirements are as follows. Changes are being announced on a regular and frequent basis without advance…
The Japanese government has announced that the state of emergency has been extended to March 7, 2021. The state emergency will continue to cover 10 prefectures, including Tokyo and its neighboring prefectures. The state of emergency for Tochigi Prefecture is to be lifted on February 7. This state of emergency was initially announced on January 8, 2021 and was set to expire on February 7 (see our prior post). For prefectures subject to the…
Canada. Today the Canadian Government announced rules further restricting international travel. According to the government’s press release:
Flight suspension. All flights to and from Mexico and Caribbean countries suspended until April 30, 2021, in effect as of Sunday, January 31, 2021.
Routing Through Four Canadian Airports. Effective midnight (11:59 PM EST) February 3, 2021, in addition to proof of a negative pre-departure test, all international flights will land at only four airports: Montréal-Trudeau, Toronto…
Italy has become one of the first countries to waive the quarantine requirement for travelers who arrive on designated “COVID-free” direct flights. By an ordinance issued by the Italian Ministry of Health, passengers who have tested negative for COVID-19 will be allowed to travel to Italy without being subject to the current 14-day quarantine measures for certain arrivals. Passengers must fly Alitalia and Delta direct flights departing from New York’s JFK, Newark and Atlanta airports,…
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed on Monday that the United Kingdom is considering changes to its self-isolation requirements for inbound international travelers, including a possible mandatory hotel quarantine period for those entering the UK.
The country currently requires travelers to have tested negative for COVID-19 within 72 hours before their travel and to fill out a passenger locator form that includes where they will be staying. Once in the UK, travelers must quarantine for…
In a proclamation issued Monday, President Biden banned travelers from entering the United States if they recently spent time in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Brazil, the Schengen Area, or South Africa. Citing its goal of curbing the spread and health impact of COVID-19, particularly novel strains of the virus arising in Brazil, South Africa, and the UK, the new administration is requiring travelers to spend 14 days in a third country before transiting to the…
Several countries around the globe have imposed COVID-19 testing as part of their pre-travel requirements. In line with these measures, Australia has joined the list of countries requiring COVID-19 testing, with the Department of Home Affairs in Australia announcing new measures. Commencing on January 22, 2021, anyone traveling or transiting through Australia must provide evidence of a negative COVID-19 PCR test to the airline prior to departure. The COVID-19 PCR test must be taken at…
Among the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on legal systems is an increase in the number of arbitration hearings being conducted virtually rather than in person. The 12th edition of Mayer Brown’s Global International Arbitration Update, released in January 2021, shines a light on this and other ways in which the pandemic is changing how arbitrations are conducted around the world. Topics include:
The launch of a new online portal by eBRAM in Hong…
The White House decreed on Monday, January 18, that the entry bans on most of the European Union, the United Kingdom, and Brazil would end as early as January 26, just six days after Mr. Biden takes office, citing the decision last week by the administration to require international travelers to present either the results of a negative recent coronavirus test or evidence that they had already recovered from the disease. President-elect Biden rejected the…
As reported in our prior alert, the Department of Labor (DOL) has issued its final rule Strengthening Wage Protections for the Temporary and Permanent Employment of Certain Aliens in the United States. Published today in the Federal Register, the Final Rule is effective March 15, 2021. The rule increases wages employers are required to pay H-1B workers by the percentiles we previously reported for the four wage levels utilized by the DOL—35th percentile for…