I wonder what effect this will have on whether tours go?

[TXAKDisneyFan]

Sorry if this has been previously stated but I'm not sure if ABD hasn't been running tours to level 4 countries as classified by the CDC or the State Department?

According to this article, the CDC will be changing how they evaluate risks of travel to other countries.

"Starting Monday, the agency is going to scale back its use of “Level 4,”

Going forward, the CDC said it will evaluate a country’s placement at Level 1, 2 or 3 as it does now by using a variety of factors, but mostly COVID-19 infection rates in the last 28 days.

Starting Monday, the CDC will “reserve Level 4 … for special circumstances, such as rapidly escalating case trajectory or extremely high case counts, emergence of a new variant of concern, or healthcare infrastructure collapse.”


https://thepointsguy.com/news/cdc-to-change-travel-alerts/amp/

 

[Mathmagicland]

AbD went ahead with their second Antarctica expedition cruise just nine days after Argentina went to Level 4. It was a modified trip, though - no Patagonia before the cruise, and the Buenos Aires short escape pre-trip was also,cancelled.

 

[TXAKDisneyFan]

AbD went ahead with their second Antarctica expedition cruise just nine days after Argentina went to Level 4. It was a modified trip, though - no Patagonia before the cruise, and the Buenos Aires short escape pre-trip was also,cancelled.

It'd be nice to know a real policy. We have Italy booked for July, but also booked (fully refundable) hotels and tours on our own in case the ABD doesn't go.

 

[Mathmagicland]

It'd be nice to know a real policy. We have Italy booked for July, but also booked (fully refundable) hotels and tours on our own in case the ABD doesn't go.

I don’t know their official policy, but what I’d guess is that it is always evolving…which doesn’t make it easy for travelers at all! For every person/family who is not comfortable going to a Level 4, there are those who are OK with it. It likely becomes a county by country decision depending on several different local factors. I hope you get to go!

 

[zmom]

This is great news.! Can't wait till the CDC/US Travel Department update their sites with the new advisories. ABD is currently traveling to level 4 countries- Costa Rica and Peru have gone and soon England/France and Germany. However, this change should allow relaxation of the "travel pod" part since theoretically that is only implemented for the level 4 classification.

 

[sayhello]

It'd be nice to know a real policy. We have Italy booked for July, but also booked (fully refundable) hotels and tours on our own in case the ABD doesn't go.

There is an official policy. They *are* going to Level 4 countries now, but have higher requirements for those countries. Level 4 countries require the full Covid-19 policy (pods, masks worn on all transportation and indoors, social distancing, etc). Level 3 and below do not require those (except for the masks on transportation, which is still a federal mandate).

From the ABD website:

Travel Pods

Prior to trip departure to select CDC Level 4 countries, our team will work with Guests to determine the composition of their travel party, referred to as a "travel pod." A pod may be large—made up of multiple families—or as small as one person. If you are traveling with any known companions who booked in a separate reservation, you can request to be placed in a pod together prior to departure. Once a trip begins, travel pods cannot be changed. Activities, meals, lodging and transportation will be arranged in a manner that incorporates physical distancing (3 feet or 1 meter PONANT and GoGalapagos expedition cruises) and reduces direct contact between travel pods.
Guests within a travel pod may interact with each other without masks or physical distancing unless otherwise directed by an Adventure Guide.
For Private Adventures, all members of the travel party will be considered one travel pod.

Face Coverings and Physical Distancing

When traveling to CDC Level 1-3 countries, Guest face coverings are optional. Physical distancing will not be required during indoor activities unless required by the venue or local regulations.
When traveling to CDC Level 4 countries, Guests are required to wear a face covering during indoor activities. Guests are not required to physical distance indoors while wearing masks except for expedition cruise Guests, where PONANT and GoGalapagos require 1 meter (3.28 feet) physical distance between travel pods while on ship.
Face coverings are optional during outdoor activities in CDC Level 4 countries, and physical distancing outdoors is only required when stated by the venue or local regulations. PONANT and GoGalapagos require 1 meter (3.28 feet) physical distance between travel pods during expedition cruise excursions.

Trip Activities

Group Activities
Guests in select CDC Level 4 countries will participate in group activities—such as rafting and Zodiac rides—only within their travel pods unless they can adhere to physical distancing guidelines. If physical distancing is required and cannot be maintained for the particular activity, the activity may be substituted with a suitable alternative.

The Junior Adventure Dinner and Movie Night on all Adventures by Disney itineraries will follow the same health and safety protocols as other indoor activities.

So they *are* going to Level 4 countries. That's not to say other factors may not cause ABD to cancel trips, but just the fact that they are Level 4 is not an automatic cancel anymore.

There's more on this page:

https://www.adventuresbydisney.com/important-updates/

Sayhello