The Sunday Round-Up | August 15, 2021

First off, I want to thank everyone who sent me an email or left a comment on the post I shared about my dad's COVID-19 diagnosis this week. I've added an update to the post about how he's doing, all of which those of you who are interested can read here. It's been quite a rollercoaster of a week, both personally and in travel.

One thing is for sure: My dad catching COVID has really made me scale back my travels. My dad's been living in Connecticut for the last few months so he's not in a hotspot like he was when he lived in Florida, and he's been extremely careful the last couple of weeks. So him catching the virus just goes to show how transmissible the Delta variant is. 

There's a lot of news this week, including Canada mandating that all air, train, cruise passengers will have to be fully vaccinated to travel in or around Canada. Kudos to the Canucks. I think there's a chance that the same could happen here once the FDA gives the vaccines full approval. At least some airlines could, and probably will, mandate it.

For today's news and the stories from the past seven days, scroll down to 12 Things To Know in Travel today. I keep a week’s worth of the news on one page and directly below, are all the tips from the past two weeks including a new one for today.  

Today's Travel Tip: Will the US Follow Europe's Lead and Ban Cloth Masks?
Speaking of the virus, the mask mandate is set to end on September 13th but I'll bet you $100 it's going to be extended. I think the airlines might even double down like they're doing in Europe, where they're going to ban cloth masks, if they haven't already. It's time to upgrade your mask to keep you safer and you better get them before there's shortage again. In fact, you may find that it's already getting harder to find N95 and KN95 masks. Read the story here and find out where to buy N95 and KN95 masks while you still can. RELATED: Here's where to get KN95 masks for little ones, which your kids and grandkids will likely need as they head back to school.

What I’m listening to (my new favorite song)
Chinatown by Bleachers featuring. Bruce Springsteen

12 Things In Travel You Need To Know Today
— Yesterday's TSA checkpoint numbers
— At least 304 dead in Haiti in wake of 7.2-magnitude earthquake
— Wyclef asks people to help Haiti after ‘Another Earthquake’: Here’s how 
— DHS warns "heightened risk" of violence ahead of 9/11 anniversary in new terrorism bulletin
— Fred is dead for now, sparing South Florida. But Tropical Storm Grace bears watching
— Richard Branson sells Virgin Galactic stake worth $300 million
— COVID-19: Abu Dhabi announces that only vaccinated residents, tourists can enter public places
— Frontier Airlines passengers say they were treated like criminals because their toddler couldn't keep his mask on while eating
— Celebrity slams JetBlue after her dog is banned from her flight
— Tour Bus crashes on NY Thruway; over 50 people taken to hospitals
— Germany tightens travel restrictions on US as COVID-19 cases surge
— FLORIDA: Now 15,740 adults hospitalized, 2345 on ventilators
Read it all here in today's travel news round-up as well as the 84 other top travel news stories from this past week!