British and Irish Lions tour to go ahead in South Africa as planned

The British and Irish Lions’ summer tour to South Africa is set to go ahead as originally scheduled.

Contingency plans, including staging the three-match Test series in the UK, were being considered due to ongoing uncertainty caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
But following a succession of meetings, the Lions board has confirmed to SA Rugby its preference to stick with the initial plan of matches being hosted by South Africa during July and August.

Lions chairman Jason Leonard said in a statement: “After reviewing information relating to the various contingency scenarios being considered, I can confirm that the board’s intended position is for the tour to go ahead as scheduled in South Africa in 2021.

“We acknowledge that there is a significant amount of work still to be undertaken to deliver a robust Covid-19 countermeasure plan to ensure a successful, safe and uninterrupted tour.
“SA Rugby will have our full support to help implement this plan.”
The Lions, coached by Warren Gatland, are due to play Test matches in Johannesburg on July 24 and August 7, either side of a game in Cape Town on July 31.

Earlier this month, the Lions board had turned down an offer from Australia to stage the tour.
There is still uncertainty about whether crowds will be permitted to attend matches.

President of SA Rugby Mark Alexander said: “We appreciate the Lions’ faith and share their desire to see a safe and successful tour.

“We have been in regular contact with our government to make that a reality against the backdrop of the pandemic and its predicted progression over the coming months.
“There are serious financial implications for SA Rugby should the event take place without any supporters in attendance, and we cannot ignore that in our considerations.
“But we are determined that the eventual outcome will deliver the best occasion and experience for players, supporters and our commercial partners.”
While there is now a clear path for the tour to proceed, Rugby Football Union chief executive Bill Sweeney made it clear that, if South Africa are unable to host, then it will be cancelled.

A guarantee the country is able to stage it has yet to be given amid fears that a third wave of coronavirus will begin in June, shortly before the Lions touch down for their battle with the world champions.
South Africa have been slow in their vaccine roll out and there are cost implications for the hosts if they are unable to welcome fans into stadiums.
“If you look at the original agreement it says South Africa have an obligation to host the tour in South Africa and the Lions have an obligation to turn up and play,” Sweeney said.
“No one has ever said that can’t be fulfilled. What we’re now saying is, ‘Can we have absolute clarity on that, can you still host the Lions tour?’
“We believe they’re saying they can. That needs to be cleared up in the next couple of days. We’re hoping to get some clarity around that in the course of this week.

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Emirates and Airlink have announced an interline agreement.

Emirates and Airlink have announced an interline agreement, widening the Dubai-based carrier’s reach into southern Africa as countries begin opening their borders for travellers.

Emirates’ agreement with Airlink will provide its customers enhanced connectivity via its gateways Johannesburg and Cape Town to more than 25 domestic destinations in South Africa and more than 20 regional destinations in southern Africa.

The carriers will offer the ease of single-ticket travel and one-stop baggage check-in for customers transferring from Johannesburg and Cape Town to domestic points including Bloemfontein, George, Upington, Nelspruit, Hoedspruit and Port Elizabeth.

Service will also be offered to points like Gaborone, Kasane, Vilanculos, Maun, Victoria Falls, Maputo, Windhoek, Harare, Lusaka, Ndola, Bulawayo and Livingstone, among others.

Tim Clark, president Emirates Airline, commented on the newly formed partnership: “Emirates is pleased to partner with Airlink on a new interline agreement that will help us strengthen our presence and give customers more choice, flexibility and enhanced connections across 45 cities in Southern Africa.

“We are committed to our operations in South Africa, as we continue to look at ways to build our extended network for customers, and help them benefit with diverse travel options.

“The interline agreement that has gone into effect with Airlink is only the start of further collaboration, and we are looking forward to exploring more opportunities to widen the scope of our partnership in the future.”

Emirates resumed its operations into Johannesburg and Cape Town on October 1st, and Durban on October 8th, with enhanced safety measures in place across all of its onboard and on ground touchpoints.

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UK’s updated ‘red list’ for travel causes more headaches for South Africans

The United Kingdom has added Ethiopia, Oman, Somalia and Qatar to its travel ‘red list’, to protect the country against new variants of Covid-19.

While South Africa remains on the original red list of countries, the update will cause additional headaches for travellers who were planning to fly to the UK indirectly through a connecting flight.

A BusinessTech reader indicated that he had to cancel his flight to the UK, which connected through Doha in Qatar, due to the new restrictions.

Visitors who have departed from or transited through these countries in the previous 10 days will be refused entry into England. This includes South Africa.

Only British and Irish citizens or those with residence rights, including long-term visa holders, will be allowed to enter and must stay in a government-approved facility for 10 days.

During their stay, they will be required to take a coronavirus test on day two and day eight.

“The government continues to work with the hospitality sector to ensure it is ready to meet any increased demand – with over 58,000 rooms on standby, which can be made available to book as needed,” the Home Office said.

“British nationals currently in the countries on the red list should make use of the commercial options available if they wish to return to England. Commercial routes that will enable British and Irish nationals and residents to return to England continue to operate.”

Continued restrictions

Last week UAE-based airline Emirates announced that flights from South Africa will remain suspended until 20 March 2021.

This is in line with government directives that restrict the entry of travellers originating from South Africa into the UAE, the airline said in a notice published on its website.

Daily passenger flights to Johannesburg resumed from 11 March as initially planned – however, outbound flights remain suspended.

“Emirates remains committed to serving our customers in South Africa, and we look forward to resuming passenger services when conditions allow,” it said.

“We continue to work closely with all relevant authorities in this regard, and will endeavour to provide our customers with needed support to adjust their travel plans.”

Virgin Atlantic also extended its ban on flights to and from South Africa and may not resume flights until April. British Airways announced the suspension of all South Africa flights until 16 April.

A number of countries have also indicated that travellers from South Africa will be barred from entering – a sign that the country could be facing reputational damage as a result of the 501Y.V2 variant of Covid-19, which has been referred to as the “South African variant” abroad.

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About South Africa

 

South Africa, the country on the southern tip of the world’s second-largest continent, offers a rich menu for the American traveler. It was the home of the first permanent European settlement in Africa when the Dutch settled Cape Town in 1653 as a way station for sailing vessels en route from Europe to the Far East. The establishment of Cape Town was part of the explosion in exploration of the 1500s and the wave of expansion of world trade it set off. And it marked the beginning of the mad rush of European empires to establish colonies in Africa. Cape Town was Europe’s first foot in Africa, and was two centuries ahead of the scramble for Africa in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries, when most of Africa’s territory fell under the dominion of European colonial powers.

The multicultural mixing of South Africa has been going on now for nearly four centuries, and it is a large part of what makes the country so exciting as a tourist destination. American tourists have traditionally seen Africa as a safari destination. But its European influences date back nearly as far as they do in North America. All of the waves of world history that affected the U.S. since the 1600s have also affected South Africa. But South Africa has responded to them and adapted to them in its own ways.

What awaits for Americans is a country as rich in multicultural blending as their own, but with very different flavors and accents. South Africa’s food, wine, city life, music, art, national parks, wildlife, indigenous people and immigrant populations all have their own unique richness to impart to visiting tourists, who all congregate there today as tourists in the country Nelson Mandela dubbed “The Rainbow Nation.”

South Africa’s discoveries of diamonds and gold made it the richest country in Africa, which led to the building of a first world infrastructure. But the mid-20^th century efforts of the white minority population to prevent the inevitable advancement of native people led to policies that were so extreme that it alienated South Africa from the world. When the stalemate between the white minority and the black majority broke and the beloved Nelson Mandela became its first democratically elected president, the gates opened South Africa to the world. What had been behind the curtain was suddenly revealed: the mountains, the beaches, the winelands, the cosmopolitan cities, the nature reserves and the wildlife. And the world loved it and came rushing in.

South Africa is a modern, industrialized country, though its wilderness reserves are largely protected from industrial influences. Its main language is English, along with Afrikaans, a derivative of Dutch, and many native African languages. Driving is on the left, as in Britain. The legacy of the British control is strong, but there are also strong influences of nearly every other nationality, as a result of people flooded in from around the world during the gold rush days. The cuisine is a rich blend, with elements brought in as slaves in the 1600s and the natives, who make up a large component of the country’s population.

The 2010 FIFA World Cup, the most popular event in the world, opened the lens on South Africa much wider for first World Cup ever in Africa. It undoubtedly raised the profile of South Africa to those who have not yet caught on.

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