1. The high transmissibility factor of the subvariants renders a tour group especially vulnerable to community spread should COVID appear on a tour.

2. A self-test administered on the first night of the tour provides a high degree of assurance that the tour will commence with everyone COVID-free.

3. Travel to the tour on Day 1 requires time in airports and on planes, where we feel unmasked travelers are at higher risk of exposure to COVID. A self-test administered on Day 1 will not reveal an infection from the virus contracted that day. A second test, administered on Day 3, is more likely to catch a new infection. We strongly recommend you wear a mask in airports and on planes.

Each tour participant must bring two home test kits with him or her to the tour. Your tour leaders will have test kits, but these are intended for surplus use in the event a participant does not have enough testing materials with him or her, or in case additional testing is needed during the tour. The self-testing events will be done as a group.

Masks. Mask-wearing is not required in any indoor or outdoor environment except when traveling in touring vehicles. Masks are still required in these situations. While we sympathize that everyone is exhausted and worn-out from the events of the past two years, we strongly feel that outside of vaccination, wearing a mask provides the best protection against this highly contagious virus. Tour participants must wear high filtration N-95 or KN-95 masks, or, in lieu of these masks, a two-layer mask involving a surgical mask overlain by a good fitting cloth mask. Your tour leaders will have a supply with them, but we ask that you bring your own.

Beyond these changes, we continue to emphasize the importance of general public health guidance for increasing safety, especially avoiding risky social settings in the lead-up to your tour. We strongly urge you to avoid close contact with anyone whose vaccination status is unknown for 14 days before the start of your tour. Environments to be avoided include but are not limited to sporting events, restaurants, bars, and parties.

In supplement to this statement, our COVID-19 health and safety protocols document provides guidance for the operation of our tours. This guidance is firmly rooted in information provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Items we address in the document include, but are not limited to, booster shots, mask-wearing, social distancing, dining protocols, accommodations, riding in vehicles, managing COVID in case of infection, and more.

As always, you can reach us by email (info@ventbird.com, or, for a specific employee, employee first name@ventbird.com). You can also reach us by phone (512.328.5221 or 800.328.8368). When making a call, you will reach our office manager, who will connect you to the appropriate staff member or respective voice mailbox. If calling after hours, or when we are away from the phone, you will hear a general greeting, at which time you can reach the voice mailbox of any of our staff members.

If you would like to reach me directly, please call my mobile phone: 512.656.2687. All of us have the ability to check our voice messages regularly. We will return email and voice messages as promptly as we can.

Please visit this page regularly for future updates.

Your support has been critical in our ongoing recovery from the events of the pandemic era. We hope you will stay healthy and look forward to joining us on another great trip.

Best wishes,

Victor Emanuel