Covid-19 - Corona Virus - in Florida
The Corona virus COVID-19 has been spreading worldwide since its first appearance in China in December 2019. On March 20th, 2020 the number of infections in the United States exceeded the number of infections in the Republic of China for the first time with 86,000 people testing positive.
US Covid-19 Average Daily Case Rate in Last 7 Days, by State/Territory (cases per 100K):
https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#cases_casesper100klast7days
Covid-19 in Cape Coral - Lee County
The daily updated Covid numbers in Lee County - Cape Coral (select state "Florida" and County "Lee"): https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#county-view
For the latest information on Covid-19 in Cape Coral please visit the website of the City of Cape Coral - Covid 19 Update.
COVID-19 - UPDATE - Information for travelers
- Saturday, 04th of December 2021 - Stricter entry regulations into USA
Entry into the USA:
As of 06th of December, stricter entry regulations apply for travelers to the USA. Only fully vaccinated persons are allowed to enter the USA.
One is considered fully vaccinated 2 weeks after the last required vaccination. Proof of vaccination status is provided by digital vaccination card (QR code) or vaccination certificate. All vaccines approved in Germany, including cross-vaccinations, are accepted.
In addition, a negative corona test must be provided at boarding, which must not be older than 24 hours (previously 72 hours). In addition to PCR tests, rapid tests should continue to be valid.
Children and adolescents under 18 years of age accompanied by adults may also enter the country without proof of vaccination, but also require a negative test. Children under 2 years of age are exempt from mandatory testing.
There are no further mandatory post-entry tests or an obligation for a 7-day quarantine.Return to Germany:
Provide a negative corona test or proof of complete vaccination or proof of recovery.
An entry registration is only required for travelers returning from a high-risk area or a virus variant area. Current classifications of countries as high-risk areas or virus variant areas can be found on the website of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI). The United States is not currently (as of December 04, 2021) considered a high-risk area or virus variant area. Accordingly, no entry registration is currently required. However, many airlines have the requirement to present an entry registration on their check list at boarding. This can lead to discussions at the flight desk during boarding. To avoid these discussions, please print out the following website of the Federal Ministry of Health before you travel or put the link on your cell phone - it explicitly explains that you do not need to fill out an entry registration if you are not returning from a high-risk area or a virus variant area:
https://www.bundesgesundheitsministerium.de/en/coronavirus/infos-reisende/faq-tests-einreisende.html#c20270Please also note that an online entry application is not feasible once you specify "USA" as the place of residence. The result is "no result" and you will not be redirected to fill out the online form. This also makes sense, as no entry registration is necessary as long as the USA is not classified as a high risk area or virus variant area. Unfortunately, this fact is not (yet) noted on the boarding check list of one or the other airline. If you want to be absolutely safe, print out a paper entry declaration before departure and fill it out by hand for all fellow travelers if necessary (even if you do not need it officially) to satisfy counter personnel who strictly adhere to the specifications of a check list that is not up-to-date. It's not the counter staff's fault, they are just doing their job and sticking to the check list. We have had such experiences ourselves and were able to resolve the situation within a few minutes.Please always check with your airline about the current regulations before departure!!! - Monday, 25th of October 2021 - Presidential Proclamation 10924 lifting the US travel ban on 08th of November
On October 25, the U.S. President officially signed Proclamation 10294 lifting the U.S. entry ban on Nov. 08, 2021, allowing entry again under certain conditions. Requirements of entry are proof of vaccination and a negative Covid test not older than 72 hours. Section 3 of the proclamation also lists exemptions from the vaccination requirement, which are further specified by the director of the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).Persons on diplomatic or official foreign government travelChildren under 18 years of age
Persons with documented medical contraindications to receiving a COVID-19 vaccine
Participants in certain COVID-19 vaccine trials
Persons issued a humanitarian or emergency exception
Persons of a foreign country with limited COVID-19 vaccine availability with valid visas [excluding B-1 (business) or B-2 (tourism) visas]
Members of the U.S. Armed Forces or their spouses or children (under 18 years of age)
Sea crew members traveling pursuant to a C-1 and D nonimmigrant visa
Persons whose entry would be in the national interest, as determined by the Secretary of State, Secretary of Transportation, or Secretary of Homeland Security
Detailed information from the CDC can be found here. - Friday, 15th of October 2021 - US lift travel ban on 08th of November
The White House announced Friday that it will lift COVID-19 travel restrictions on fully vaccinated foreign nationals effective Nov. 8, ending historic restrictions that had barred much of the world from entering the United States. Fully vaccinated travellers will continue to be required to show a pre-departure negative test taken within three days of travel prior to boarding.
White House spokesman Kevin Munoz announced the start of the new entry and exit rules on Twitter, saying the policy was "guided by public health, strict and consistent."
Original text of Reuters report: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/exclusive-us-partly-lift-international-travel-curbs-nov-8-official-2021-10-15/
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) told Reuters last week that the United States will accept the use by international visitors of COVID-19 vaccines approved by U.S. authorities or the World Health Organization. The White House has yet to rule on certain exceptional situations. For example, children under the age of 18 are expected to be exempt from the strict requirements.The following vaccines are to be accepted:- Moderna
- Pfizer/BioNTech
- Janssen (Johnson & Johnson)
- AstraZeneca, including Covishield
- Sinopharm (Beijing)
- Sinovac
- Monday, 20th of September 2021 - US will lift EU and UK travel restrictions from November 2021
US ‘to relax EU and UK travel restrictions for vaccinated passengers’. New travel policy will be effective from November, according to report.
The original text of the announcement can be found here: https://news.trust.org/item/20210920132104-3cev6/Detailed information: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/biden-easing-foreign-travel-restrictions-142314383.htmlDetailed story on Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/travel-ban-us-europe/2021/09/20/d78b5aae-1a22-11ec-bcb8-0cb135811007_story.htmAstra Zeneca Vaccine also accepted: https://news.sky.com/story/travel-latest-us-ban-on-uk-travellers-to-be-lifted-from-november-12406937 - Wednesday, 04th of August 2021 - U.S. developing plan to require foreign visitors to be vaccinated, official says
WASHINGTON, Aug 4 (Reuters) - The Biden administration is developing a plan to require nearly all foreign visitors to the United States to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as part of eventually lifting travel restrictions that bar much of the world from entering the United States, a White House official told Reuters on Wednesday.
The White House wants to re-open travel, which would boost business for the airlines and tourism industry, but is not ready to immediately lift restrictions because of the rising COVID-19 case load and highly transmissible COVID-19 Delta variant, the official said.The original text of the announcement can be found here: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/exclusive-us-developing-plan-require-foreign-visitors-be-vaccinated-official-2021-08-04/ - Monday, 26th of July 2021 - U.S. will not lift travel restrictions, citing Delta variant, White House says
The United States will not lift any existing travel restrictions "at this point" due to concerns over the highly transmissible COVID-19 Delta variant and the rising number of U.S. coronavirus cases, the White House confirmed on Monday.
"Given where we are today ... with the Delta variant, we will maintain existing travel restrictions at this point," White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said on Monday, citing the spread of the Delta variant in the United States and abroad. "Driven by the Delta variant, cases are rising here at home, particularly among those who are unvaccinated and appear likely continue to increase in the weeks ahead."The decision, which was first reported by Reuters, comes after a senior level White House meeting late on Friday. It means that the long-running travel restrictions that have barred much of the world's population from the United States since 2020 will not be lifted in the short term. - Monday, 19th of July 2021 - Canada will open borders to fully vaccinated Americans as of August 9, 2021
The Canadian government announced today, Monday July 19, 2021, that Canada will allow fully vaccinated Americans into the country as of Aug. 9. Furthermore, border restrictions will be eased for other foreign nationals as of September 7.The original text of the announcement can be found here: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/news/2021/07/government-of-canada-announces-easing-of-border-measures-for-fully-vaccinated-travellers.html - Tuesaday, 09th of June 2021 - Working groups with the EU, Britain, Canada and Mexico are working on restarting travel
The U.S. government announced Tuesday (local time) it would establish working groups with the European Union, Britain, Canada and Mexico to develop concepts for safely restarting travel after 15 months of travel restrictions in the pandemic. "We're not opening up travel today with this," said a government official in Washington. But the shared expertise should be used to outline a path for a restart as soon as it is safe to do so, he said. Recommendations from health authorities and medical experts would remain crucial to that.The original text of the announcement can be found here: https://www.reuters.com/article/usa-reisen-idDEKCN2DL0XF - US President Joe Biden renews the travel ban
New U.S. President Joe Biden is reinstating the entry ban recently lifted by former President Donald Trump, effective Jan. 26, 2021, at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Standard Time. The content of Biden's entry ban is essentially the same as the content of Donald Trump's original entry ban. A key difference in Biden's entry ban is with respect to its termination:
"This proclamation shall remain in effect until terminated by the President. The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall, as circumstances warrant and no more than 30 days after the date of this proclamation and by the final day of each calendar month thereafter, recommend whether the President should continue, modify, or terminate this proclamation."
You can find the original text of the proclamation here. - Breaking News - REUTERS - US travel ban could be lifted on Tuesday, Dec 22nd 2020
US travel ban for UK and Schengen area could be lifted on Tuesday, Dec 22dn, 2020 by executive order.
https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-health-coronavirus-usa-britain-travel/u-s-to-lift-uk-travel-ban-as-early-as-next-week-the-telegraph-idUKKBN28S2VZ - EXECUTIVE ORDER 20-139 - Phase 2 reopening, easing more restrictions
On June 5, 2020 the Governor of Florida issued Executive Order 20-139:
Bars may open with 50% capacity inside and full capacity outside. People must be seated to be served.
Restaurants may allow bar seating as long as there is social distancing. Restaurants continue to operate at 50% capacity and maintain proper social distancing.
Retail stores and gyms may operate at full capacity.
Tattoo parlors, acupuncture facilities, tanning salons, and massage businesses may resume normal hours.
Schools may reopen as well as organized youth activities such as daycares and camps.
Large venues like sit-down dining rooms, movie theatres, sporting venues, may open at 50% capacity. The governor urges people not to gather in groups larger than 50 people.
Concert houses, auditoriums, playhouses, bowling alleys, and arcades may open at 50% capacity. - BREAKING NEWS - Europe arrivals soon welcome
U.S. travel will soon be possible for some travelers from Europe says Donald Trump. President Trump says the U.S. plans to “open up” to travelers arriving from low-risk countries in Europe and elsewhere. This means many Europeans may soon be able to plan American vacations or business trips. “Certain announcements on countries including Europe” are to come Trump said. “Where they’re starting to make progress we’ll open it up. But only where they’re making progress ... They’re making some good progress. So are we.” Forbes - STATE APPROVES LEE COUNTY’S PLAN TO RESUME VACATION RENTALS - Vacation rentals are open
Vacation rentals reservations and stays will be allowed from all U.S. states with COVID-19 case rates less than 700 cases/100K residents. COVID-19 cases per 100,000 population by state can be found at CDC COVID-19 Data Tracker. Hover your curser over the vacationer’s state of residence. A box will open with information including cases per 100,000 population. For further information, please see press release. - EXECUTIVE ORDER 20-123 - Update Executive Order 20-112 (Phase 1 of re-opening Florida)
On May 18, 2020, the Governor of Florida issued executive order 20-123 - update of phase 1 (recovery) of re-opening Florida: Restaurants, retail, museums and libraries may increase indoor capacity from 25% to 50%. Gyms and fitness centers may open on May 18 up to 50% of their building capacity, as long as people adhere to social distancing guidelines and machines are sanitized after each individual use. - EXECUTIVE ORDER 20-112 - Phase 1 of re-opening Florida
On April 29, 2020, the Governor of Florida issued executive order 20-112, the phase 1 (recovery) of re-opening Florida. Bars, pubs and nightclubs that derive more than 50 percent of gross revenue from the sale of alcoholic beverages shall continue to suspend the sale of alcoholic beverages for on-premises consumption. Restaurants and food establishments may allow on-premises consumption of food and beverage, so long as they adopt appropriate social distancing measures and limit their indoor occupancy to no more than 25 percent of their building occupancy. In addition, outdoor seating is permissible with appropriate social distancing. In-store retail sales establishments may open storefronts if they operate at no more than 25 percent of their building occupancy. Vacation rentals are still prohibited in phase 1. - EXECUTIVE ORDER 20-111 - Prohibition to rent vacation homes in Florida until May 04, 2020
On April 29, 2020, the Governor of Florida issued executive order 20-111, an extension of Executive Order 20-87, ordering all parties engaged in rental of vacation rental properties to suspend vacation rental operations. Vacation rentals are prohibited from making new reservations or bookings and shall not accept new guests for check-in until May 04, 2020. City of Sanibel Island - extends short-term vacation rentals prohibition until May 15, 2020
On April 29, 2020 the City of Sanibel Island issued Proclamation 20-023 extending the temporary prohibition of accommodation rentals through May 15, 2020. The following beach park facilities are also closed until May 15, 2020: Lighthouse Beach, Gulfside City Park, Blind Pass. For the latest information on Covid-19 on Sanibel Island please visit the website of the City of Sanibel.LEE COUNTY - re-opening beaches, parks and recreation centers on April 29, 2020
On April 28, 2020 Lee county announced the re-opening of county parks and preserves including all beaches and beach access points, parking lots and free-standing bathrooms, because of continued voluntary compliance and the community’s greater awareness for Centers for Disease Control guidelines. Please see announcement as of April 28, 2020.City of Sanibel Island - extends short-term vacation rentals prohibition until April 30, 2020
On April 13, 2020 the City of Sanibel Island issued Proclamation 20-020 modifying Proclamation 20-016 and extends the temporary prohibition of accommodation rentals through April 30, 2020. For the latest information on Covid-19 on Sanibel Island please visit the website of the City of Sanibel.- LEE COUNTY - extends short-term vacation rentals prohibition until April 30, 2020
On April 10, 2020 Lee County issued Emergency Order 20-01 corresponding to Executive Order 20-103 of the Governor auf Florida. This emergency order suspends all vacation rental operations. Vacation rentals are prohibited from making new reservations or bookings and shall not accept new guests for check-in for duration of this Order and any extensions thereto. This order shall remain in force and effect until April 30, 2020. - EXECUTIVE ORDER EO 20-103 - Prohibition to rent vacation homes in Florida until April 30, 2020
On April 10, 2020, the Governor of Florida issued executive order 20-103, an extension of Executive Order 20-87, ordering all parties engaged in rental of vacation rental properties to suspend vacation rental operations. Vacation rentals are prohibited from making new reservations or bookings and shall not accept new guests for check-in until April 30, 2020. - CITY OF CAPE CORAL - no additional restrictions in comparison to the Executive Orders of the Governor of Florida
The City of Cape Coral follows the Executive Orders of the State of Florida and has not made any additional special regulations or restrictions in the vacation rental sector. - CITY OF FORT MYERS - no additional restrictions in comparison to the Executive Orders of the Governor of Florida
The City of Fort Myers follows the Executive Orders of the State of Florida and has not made any additional special regulations or restrictions in the vacation rental sector. For the latest information on Covid-19 in Fort Myers please visit the website of the City of Fort Myers. - EXECUTIVE ORDER 20-91, "Safer at Home" - Governor of Florida orders all in Florida to stay at home for 30 days
On April 01, 2020, by Executive Order 20-91 of the Governor of Florida, all Florida residents shall limit their movement and personal interactions outside of their home to only those necessary to obtain or provide essential services or conduct essential activities. The 30-day order takes effect Friday, April 3, 2020, at 12:01 a.m. - TOWN OF FORT MYERS BEACH - prohibits vacation rentals for 90 days
On March 30, 2020, the Fort Myers Beach Town Council issued Declaration of Emergency Regulations No. 2 - all parties engaged in the rental of public lodging establishments and any vacation and timeshare accomodations shall cancel all existing reservations and not extend existing stays, nor accept new guests or new reservations for the next 90 days. For the latest information on Covid-19 in Fort Myers Beach please visit the website of the Town of Fort Myers Beach. - EXECUTIVE ORDER 20-87 of the Governor of Florida - Prohibition to rent vacation homes in Florida from March 28, 2020 - April 11, 2020
On March 27, 2020, the Governor of Florida issued Executive Order 20-87, ordering all parties engaged in rental of vacation rental properties to suspend vacation rental operations. Vacation rentals are prohibited from making new reservations or bookings and shall not accept new guests for check-in for the duration of 14 days. - CITY OF SANIBEL Proclamation 20-016 - Prohibition to rent vacation homes on Sanibel Island for the next 28 days
On March 27, 2020, the City of Sanibel issued Proclamation 20-016, which prohibits all accommodation rentals for the next 28 days, effective at midnight. For the latest information on Covid-19 on Sanibel Island please visit the website of the City of Sanibel. - TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS between USA, Mexico und Canada
On 21 March 2020, travel restrictions FR Doc. 2020-06217 have been coordinated between the United States of America, Mexico and Canada. "Non-essential travel" is no longer permitted. These temporary restrictions go into effect on March 21, 2020 and will remain in effect through 11:59 pm on April 20, 2020. - PRESIDENTIAL PROCLAMATION 9993 - travel ban for people from the Schengen area
On 11 March, 2020, the President of the United States of America issued Proklamation 9993, prohibiting the entry of persons from the Schengen area. The travel ban is temporarily valid for 30 days.