Archives for November 2020

(CNN) — In a year of constant uncertainty, where decisions are painstakingly considered and often reversed, holiday travel is no exception.

Many weary Americans eager to join family and friends for Thanksgiving face another risk calculation as they weigh scrapping travel plans at the last minute or going ahead as Covid-19 cases surge.

Gail Duilio, a retired public health nurse in Portland, Oregon, has canceled her flight to Minnesota for the holiday and her mother’s 93rd birthday.

Travel organization AAA has said that it expects at least a 10% drop in travel this Thanksgiving because of spiking coronavirus cases, shifting travel restrictions and calls by health and government officials for people to stay home.

Air travel is expected to see its largest one-year decrease on record for Thanksgiving, a nearly 48% drop, with just 2.4 million travelers expected to fly, according to the organization.

Julio Perez, a mechanical engineer from Palm Bay, Florida, expects to be among those flying. He has a Delta flight to Atlanta on Monday to see his mother.

“I’ll be taking sanitary wipes in a zip lock bag to clean surfaces and not touch door handles while at the airport. I will also be wearing a mask the whole time. Good thing the trip is only 1.5 hours of flight time,” he wrote in a message to CNN.

An ‘individual choice’

While air travel volume has been gutted by the pandemic, aviation officials are expecting that the holiday could set a pandemic-era passenger record.

TSA Administrator David Pekoske said he expects the busiest travel days will be the Wednesday before Thanksgiving Day and the Sunday afterward.

Aviation leaders called Thanksgiving travel an “individual choice” in a briefing on Thursday.

“We’re not encouraging people to travel. Do we want to see them travel? Yes, but only if it’s safe for them,” said Nick Calio, head of trade association Airlines for America. “There’s a variety of factors involved in that for each individual traveler.”

Whatever the means of transportation, maintaining six feet of social distance whenever possible is advised. Air travelers should wear masks throughout their journey and those driving to their destinations should always mask up when getting out of the car or coming into contact with anyone outside their immediate household.

Health professionals urge those traveling by car to keep stops to a minimum and opt for outdoor dining or drive-through food to decrease interactions with other people.

Tough decisions

For some Americans, the holiday is just one layer of traveling over Thanksgiving.

Tim Hinchliff’s father passed away in Minneapolis on November 16.

“I may or may not travel the 1,400 miles to get there for both the funeral and Thanksgiving,” said Hinchliff, who lives in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina. “I am thinking about driving, but that is too far to drive straight through, so I would still have to stay in a hotel, eat out a couple of times and pump gas.

“I suppose I could eat fast food, sleep in the car and wear gloves while gassing up. Just not sure right now,” he wrote in a message to CNN.

His father, John Hinchliff, was a decorated WWII paratrooper who died at 99 after being in and out of Hospice. Plans have been made for a funeral the Saturday after Thanksgiving, but new orders around gatherings in Minnesota have called those plans into question.

CNN contacted Hinchliff again after the CDC issued its guidance recommending against Thanksgiving travel.

“I’m still kind of in a state of limbo. If the CDC recommended no travel, I mean usually that’s pretty much enough for me, but this is my father’s funeral, and they probably will do it anyway,” he said. “I have a very stubborn family.”

Hinchliff’s wife is afraid and doesn’t want to go, but his siblings and relatives would like for him to be there. Some of his family members were exposed to Covid-19 visiting with his father, who tested positive before he died.

With Christmas approaching, travel decision-making is going to be on a lot of minds next month, too.

Mary Church, a retiree in Seattle, anticipates sticking to her plans to fly to Arizona on December 20 to visit with family over the holidays.

“We have agreed we will all be tested more than once prior to our visit and after we return home,” she said. “I take every precaution to protect myself and others. I wear a mask, sanitize, etc.

“Right or your wrong, people are just fed up. We need something to look forward to.”

CNN’s Pete Muntean, Chris Isidore and Greg Wallace contributed to this report

(CNN) — More people passed through US airport security checkpoints on Sunday than on any other single day since the coronavirus pandemic cratered air travel, according to the Transportation Security Administration.

TSA said it screened 1.17 million people on Sunday when many Americans were heading home from their Thanksgiving travels. That was 41% of the 2.9 million people screened by TSA on the same day in 2019. Thanksgiving 2019 set a TSA record.

That means more than 9.4 million people have been screened in the Thanksgiving travel window, which began on the Friday before the holiday.

Since the pandemic gutted air travel in mid-March, checkpoints have screened more than one million passengers on only five days. Four occurred over the Thanksgiving holiday period.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised against Thanksgiving travel, fearing families mingling would spread the virus.

Public health officials this weekend recommended those who did travel for Thanksgiving should quarantine themselves and get tested for the coronavirus as cases surge nationwide.

White House coronavirus coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx said Sunday she is “deeply worried” Thanksgiving travel will cause another virus spike.

“We know people may have made mistakes … over the Thanksgiving time period,” she said in a Sunday interview on CBS. “If your family traveled, you have to assume that you are exposed and you became infected and you really need to get tested in the next week.”

Airlines have argued travel on an airplane is very safe — safer than being in many other public spaces — because of hospital-grade air filtration and ventilation that regularly replaces air in the cabin.

But there has been less study about other parts of the air travel experience — including crowded airport lines and shuttle buses.

And then there’s the risk of spread when travelers arrive at their destination.

Pakistan’s only Asian elephant has spent years in grim conditions in a controversial Islamabad zoo, where he suffered from a lack of exercise as well as cracked and malformed nails due to living in an inappropriate structure.

After Kaavan’s partner died in 2012, he was dubbed the “world’s loneliest elephant” — and since 2016, Cher has been part of a huge social media campaign to relocate him.

Before the flight, specialists from Four Paws trained the elephant for the small enclosure and loud noises he’d experience on the flight, using bananas and other treats.

Cher found out about Kaavan from people on Twitter, according to a statement from the Smithsonian Channel, which is producing a documentary on the elephant’s story.

“I thought, ‘how can I fix this? How can I save an elephant who’s been shackled to a shed for 17 years and who is a thousand miles away?’,” Cher said. “This is Free The Wild’s first big rescue and I am so proud.”

Ahead of his trip, Cher traveled to Pakistan and serenaded Kaavan with the song “A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes.”

A statement from the Prime Minister’s office said former cricket star Khan had thanked Cher, and invited her to participate further in environmental initiatives in Pakistan.

Additional reporting by Reuters

Over 75 national forests in the US allow visitors to cut their own Christmas tree, from Olympic National Forest in Washington state to Ocala National Forest in Florida. They’re not all home to evergreen firs, but their unique tree species make fine Christmas displays.

It’s healthy to thin forests of some smaller trees. With fewer trees, there’s less competition for sunlight and other resources and more room for the forest’s flora to grow.

After you’ve gotten your tree, secure it on top of your vehicle or in a truck bed, and make sure to display your Christmas tree permit while you’re in the forest.

(CNN) — You wait a while for a house that’s practically given away to you, and then three come along at once.

Yes, Italy’s €1 homes are back — and this time, what’s up for grabs is a collection of houses in the southern region of Molise.

Castropignano — a village topped by a ruined medieval castle, 140 miles southeast of Rome — is the latest community to offer up its abandoned buildings to newcomers.

However, unlike most of the schemes, which auction off dilapidated buildings from €1, or $1.20, Castropignano is doing things differently.

There are roughly 100 abandoned buildings here, but rather than sell to the highest bidder, mayor Nicola Scapillati wants to match interested parties with the right house for them.

“The scheme here works a bit differently,” he says.

“I’m moving along two parallel paths, reaching out both to potential buyers and old owners at the same time, step by step, to make demand meet supply.

“I don’t want my town invaded by a property stampede or to turn into the latest housing speculation deal.”

A tailored operation

In fact, instead of going through the authorities, Scapillati wants interested parties to email him direct.

“I welcome anyone who would like to purchase a new home here to email me directly (nicola.scapillati[AT]me.com) with a detailed plan of how they intend to restyle and what they would like to do with the property — make it a home, B&B, store, or artisan shop.

“They should also list any requirements they may have, like access for people in wheelchairs. The village is tiny and cars can’t navigate the narrow alleys and steps.”

The more specific the request, the easier it will be to find the appropriate dwelling and liaise with the current owner.

“This a targeted, tailored operation,” he adds. “People need to know what exactly they’re signing up for.”

So what’s the catch? There are, of course, conditions. Buyers must renovate the property within three years from the purchase and cough up a down payment guarantee of €2,000 ($2,378), which will be returned once the works are finished.

Making the village safer

The project launched in October, when the authorities told the owners of abandoned properties that if they didn’t renovate them themselves, the town would take ownership of them for safety reasons.

So far, many owners have already agreed to hand their properties over, keen to let go of houses it would cost money to demolish.

Scapillati is confident that at least 50 will join. If they don’t, the town council will expropriate the houses of those who don’t respond, and place them on the market.

In the meantime, dozens of interested people from Europe have already contacted him, asking to buy the houses. And he hopes that, with their help, the village will not only regain its joie de vivre, but also become safer.

“It hurts me to see the beauty of our ancient historical center scarred by crumbling houses, slowly decaying,” says the mayor.

“It’s sad and dangerous. Without renovation these buildings are a threat. They could collapse any minute — it’s also a matter of making the village safe”.

Scapillati — whose family emigrated to work in Italy’s richer north — felt the pull of his origins as an adult. He returned on a mission to preserve the architecture of the village, in the hope that it can keep their traditions going.

“I want to stop the decline in its tracks, keep the village flame alive. I’m driven by passion and love for my hometown,” he says.

And although Castropignano isn’t exactly a lively place — it has just one restaurant, a bar, a pharmacy and a few B&Bs — he thinks it has a sleepy allure.

“Here we’ve got nothing grand to offer except peacefulness, silence, pristine nature, oxygen-rich air, great views and fantastic food, ideal to detox from the daily stress. It’s not buzzing with life, that I must say, but it’s peaceful and simple”, he adds.

Today, there are barely 900 residents, down from 2,500 in the 1930s. After World War II, families emigrated in search of a better future; then, from the 1960s, the young people started moving to larger towns to study and find work.

Today, 60% of residents are over 70 years old.

A starry past

But Scapillati would like to recover the glory of past days when Castropignano was a flourishing feudal center buzzing with artisans, merchants and travelers crossing Italy, protected by a powerful duke. In fact, the village was once renowned for its artisan shoemakers and cobblers.

Located on a rocky hilltop in Italy’s central Apennine mountains, Castropignano is built over an ancient settlement of the Samnites, an ancient Italic people, who used it as a defensive lookout against the Romans — who eventually defeated them.

The Samnites built fortresses and settlements in the surrounding countryside. In the valley below the village, alongside ruined ancient Roman villas is an enormous stone monument built by the Samnites. Half an hour south are the magnificent ruins of Saepinum, a town founded by the Samnites and then taken over by the Romans, whose city walls, theater and temples still exist.

This is the deepest part of Molise, a region of Italy largely unknown to tourists, sitting east of Lazio and between Abruzzo and Puglia on the southern Adriatic coast.

The lack of visitors has helped to preserve its rural authenticity, making Molise one of Italy’s best kept secrets.

Castropignano’s abandoned houses are located in the historical center, above a medieval castle with no roof — it was bombed during the war and many of its stones were used to build the houses which are now on sale.

A maze of winding, cobblestoned alleys, gargoyle-covered arches and passageways, connects the castle to the village’s upper residential layers.

Another group of houses for sale is in the clifftop hamlet of Roccaspromonte, perched on a high bluff two miles away. Near it is the Santuario della Madonna del Peschio, a ruined forest church now open to the elements with the sky as its rooftop and oak trees as walls.

The nuts and bolts

So what’s up for grabs? Scapillati says that most of the buildings for sale are in decent shape, although they have unhinged doors, peeling paint and are partly covered in vegetation.

He reckons that a thorough renovation will start from around €30,000-40,000 ($35,000-48,000). Italian taxpayers get tax credits for eco-friendly and anti-seismic work.

But there’s a lot of potential. The architecture is a juxtaposition of styles — richly ornate portals at the entrance of simple cottages. And many houses have panoramic views of the translucent Biferno river that runs through the valley.

Cecilia Vampa, a pensioner from Rome who fell in love with Castropignano during her university years, has restyled a few dwellings here. She says the stones are alive.

“There’s a poetry woven in the way they’ve been chiseled, through artistry and hard work. These stones tell a story, I fell in love with them. They stir emotions.”

Vampa says she likes the tight-knit simple community and welcoming locals. In Castropignano, she says, she has found “the lost rural peace of her adolescence.”

Ghosts and parades

Even today, the village seems to hark back to an earlier era. Back in the day, families would sleep on the upper floors while the kitchen and living areas were on the second level. Domestic animals such as hens, and donkeys — the sole means of transport — were kept in the stables on the ground floor.

An ancient shepherd trail to move livestock between their summer and winter pastures cuts through the village — it’s still used today to move grazing sheep and cows, as well as bike tours, walks and horse rides.

And each summer, the villagers celebrate the “Dodda” — a re-enactment of the custom whereby young girls about to marry offered their dowry to the husband. Women ready to tie the knot parade through the streets in traditional white robes carrying baskets of linen, blankets and other bridal items made by their grandmothers. It’s a symbolic gesture believed to bring good luck.

There are even spooky tales of enchanted forests packed with dwarfs and fairies that sing sad chants at midnight.

Gastro treats and beach retreats

Today, it’s the food that will persuade those on the fence to move to Castropignano. Local specialities include succulent lard-stuffed soppressata sausages, cold cuts and cotenna (pork rind) — said to be given an edge thanks to the fresh air.

Cavatelli are screw-shaped pasta served with pork ragu sauce, while ‘mbaniccia is a special soup cooked with corn “pizza” (chunks of stale bread). The typical cheese in the area is the oozy caciocavallo, which is tied with a knot and hung from a cord, giving it a distinctive teardrop shape.

Premium black and white truffles are found in the surrounding countryside, while the local vineyards produce Molise’s best known red wine, Tintilia.

Got a sweet tooth? Get ready to feast on savory jams, Christmas cakes stuffed with candied fruits called Pigna, and almond and honey biscuits to dip in wine.

Day trips to both Rome and Naples are possible, since Castropignano is situated between the two. It’s also within reach of the Adriatic coast’s famous beaches, as well as the snow-capped mountains of ski resort Campitello Maltese. Ferry boats to the unspoiled Tremiti islands — a hotspot for Italian tourists — depart from Termoli, an hour’s drive away.

(CNN) — Skiers and snowboarders across Europe are experiencing a roller coaster ride as doubts build over when the mountains might open for sport this winter.

Until this week, there had been some optimism among ski industry experts, with hopes that the ski season would get underway before year’s end, and perhaps the prospect of uncrowded slopes might help shrug off any fears of catching Covid.

But recent moves by Europe’s politicians to delay or restrict the opening of the winter sports destinations, means fresh uncertainty both for the ski industry and for anyone hoping to make a booking.

It’s now increasingly unlikely that Europe’s ski season will get fully underway before 2021, and even then it could be subject to last-minute cancellations and closures. One operator has described it as a “season from hell.”

Here’s what you need to know if you’re planning a ski trip to one of the continent’s main snow sport destinations.

Which places are open?

If imposed, those closures would affect many of the continent’s prime Alps ski areas and resorts in the northern Pyrenees.

Austria’s huge Arlberg region — notably home to St. Anton, Lech and Zurs — and other nearby resorts such as Ischgl, a hotspot for the virus last winter, are currently scheduled to open on December 17, three weeks later than usual.

Switzerland, which is not in the EU, is also open and a number of resorts, including Zermatt, Saas-Fee, Verbier, Engelberg and Andermatt, are already offering a small number of lifts running on a limited basis, with full openings expected some time after December 5.

Resorts in Sweden, which has tightened restrictions in recent days but has never imposed a national lockdown, are also open for skiing.

What impact will this have?

Any closures will be a huge blow for the skiing industry, which had hoped for a relatively lively season after introducing Covid measures.

“We’re disappointed,” said Olivier Desaulty, director of France’s huge Les 3 Vallees region, which claims to be the world’s largest ski area with 600 kilometers of groomed runs.

“We’ll respect the decision but it’s hard for us to understand because we’ve prepared everything.

“From December 15, French people will be able to go around France and if people come to our resorts, owners maybe, and go walking in the mountains, or to see the lakes, the shops will be open, it’s strange to say we can’t open.

“It’s very hard economically. In Les 3 Vallees our economy is based 90% on the winter season.

“Christmas is about 25% of this economy, so it’s very important for us to launch the season.”

The popular Val d’Isere resort is also ready to open, according to communications director Cecile Ferrando, who is eagerly awaiting a final decision.

“Val d’Isère was ready to welcome its clients from November 28 and it will be ready again when the health situation and the government allow,” says Ferrando.

“If the ski area stays closed, the village of Val d’Isère is open year round and remains accessible for those who want to come and recharge their batteries in the mountain air (private renters, second home owners) and more. Businesses are allowed to re-open from this weekend.

Strict new protocols

Resorts across Europe have put in place rafts of Covid protocol measures to ensure a safe environment when they are allowed to open.

Face masks on lifts, regulated lift queues, some limits on tickets sold, social distancing and mask-wearing rules in shops and restaurants.

But other than the standard Covid measures that have been put to protect skiiers, what other changes can skiiers expect once resorts re-open?

“But the big thing will be the apres ski. It’s unlikely you’ll have swarms of people dancing on a table in the likes of St. Anton or Verbier this season. It will be table service drinks at smaller tables.”

One argument made in favor of closure is that local hospitals already inundated with Covid patients won’t be able to cope with the added burden of ski-related injuries.

“We respect, of course, the hospitals and what they say but as there has been a very big decline of people going to the hospitals we think it would have been more appropriate to decide in 10 or 15 days,” added Desaulty.

“We consider the decision too early and that’s what disappoints us,”adds Corkhill, who believes a Europe-wide protocol is likely to happen.

“If Germany and France apply pressure it will be hard for other countries not to fall in line. Austria is going to be teetering and forced into that,” he says. “I believe Switzerland will be open but it’s hard to know how to react.

“People will have to come out with more clarity because of the pressure on the resorts themselves, and the amount of hotels and so on. If an announcement came much later it would be huge.”

Waiting game

But Lumb believes it could be a “feeding frenzy” when people are allowed to ski and travel.

“Demand is definitely there, that’s unequivocal,” he says. “People are yearning to get away but until we have airport testing in place and reduced quarantine everyone is sitting and waiting. It will be so last minute.”

Corkhill agrees: “If you’re an ultra-high net worth individual and you can travel, you will, but everyday people will probably just say, ‘I can’t be doing with the stress, I’ll just have Christmas at home and we’ll look to go skiing in March and April.”

Since the pandemic cut short the last winter season in the Alps, travel companies have scrambled to restructure their businesses in the face of an ever-changing news cycle around Covid.

Renegotiating leases with chalet owners so they just pay for the weeks they use, plus more flexible cancellation policies are just some of the tactics.

The previous reliance on relatively cheap young seasonal staff from the UK to work in ski chalets will cease because of EU travel restrictions, leading perhaps to an uplift in prices companies will have to charge based on local employment laws.

A number of leading tour operators in the UK have already taken drastic action.

Avalanche of changes

“We’re fighting the perfect storm, it’s the season from hell,” says Lumb. “It’s been a roller coaster ride and a total nightmare to plan for, but you have to view it that things will get better and that should be in the cycle of this winter.

“I’m expecting occupancy to be half of last year’s which is pretty big in itself but manageable given the restructuring. But it’s crystal ball time,” Lumb added, speaking ahead of widespread calls for a unified delayed start to the season.

Corkhill agrees. “Volume is down by about 50% in terms of the number of holidays booked but it’s compensated a bit by the super wealthy booking longer stays in the mountains to have a place to go to, so they don’t need to worry about any quarantines.

“People have rented a place for two or three months but obviously that’s a very small proportion of the market.

But for anyone who does manage to go skiing when resorts open, whether that be at their local resort, or as an international visitor, they could be in for a treat, certainly early in the season.

“I think anybody that takes the bull by the horns and goes will have an amazing time,” says Lumb.

“They’ll have quieter resorts and will enjoy the slopes to themselves, so to experience it could be pretty damn cool.

“Standing on top of a mountain about to ski down is going to feel like you’re in a different galaxy compared to your normal world at the moment in and out of lockdown.”