Travel Briefs

In Ferrara, northern Italy, more than 200 Jewish artifacts and documents from the Roman, Renaissance and modern periods are displayed at Museo Nazionale dell’Ebraismo Italiano e della Shoah (Via Piangipane 81; phone +39 0532 769137, www.meisweb.it/en).

Commemorating over 2,000 years of Jewish history and practice in Italy, up to the Shoah (Holocaust), the museum is housed in a former prison, near the Medieval Jewish ghetto, that housed Jews and political dissidents during WWII....

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France’s original Lascaux cave, discovered in 1940 and famous for its prehistoric art, can be toured online. The virtual tour consists of detailed video of each of the cave’s nine sections. During the tour, the video can be paused, and each illustration on the wall can be viewed close up, with descriptions of what is depicted plus archaeological interpretations. Visit archeologie.culture.fr/lascaux/en/visit-cave.

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An interactive world map showing COVID-19-related border restrictions for almost every country and territory has been created by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). Visit www.iatatravelcentre.com/international-travel-document-news/1580226297.htm.

Clicking on a country will reveal the most up-to-date information on its travel restrictions, which can include COVID-19 testing, quarantining and entry bans on travelers from specific countries. This map does not include any...

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Cruise lines around the world are updating their health and safety practices in preparation for a return to cruising during the COVID-19 pandemic. Common updates include new hand sanitizer and mask policies, changes in how food is served and increases in onboard medical staff.

A list of the new health protocols of many ocean and river cruise companies, with links to each cruise line’s health practices webpage, can be found at www.cruisecritic.com/news/5369.

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The nation of Uzbekistan, which opened its borders to leisure travelers on July 1, announced that travelers who become infected with COVID-19 while visiting the country will be awarded $3,000 each. That amount is equivalent to the cost of COVID-19 medical care in Uzbekistan. In order to qualify, the visitor must be booked on a group tour operated by an Uzbek company.

Uzbekistan has reported one of the lowest rates of COVID-19 fatalities in the world, with only 19 deaths reported from...

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The Maldives, an archipelago country in the Indian Ocean, announced on May 28 that it would be opening its borders to leisure travelers on July 1, with a host of requirements for all incoming visitors, including purchasing a $100 visa on arrival and having proof of at least 14 days of lodging within the country (July ’20, pg. 5).

On June 3, the Maldives announced that its government officials had changed their minds, and visitors would not need to meet the above-mentioned...

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The process of removing metal scaffolding that has encased Notre Dame cathedral in Paris for months, having melted and fused there during the fire in April 2019, began on June 8. The scaffolding was on the building due to restoration work that was being done when the fire broke out. The work to remove the scaffolding is expected to take up to four months.

Notre Dame has not reopened to the public. Reconstruction work cannot begin until after the scaffolding has been removed.

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At Postojna Cave in Slovenia, visitors can take a 5-hour “adventure tour” led by expert spelunkers through parts of the cave system not open to most visitors.

Meeting at Hotel Jama (Jamska cestra 28, 6230 Postojna, Slovenia; phone +386 5 700 02 00, www.postojnska-jama.eu/en/hotel-jama), with double rooms running €79-€187, tour members will receive instructions (in English) and caving equipment before heading to the cave system, where they will see geological...

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